Universal Health Care

[Sabireley]

If the government has a monetary interest in healthcare, and therefore wants to reduce the cost of healthcare, coercing the population into healthy habits, or avoiding unhealthy habits must certainly follow. Will we see a fat tax, mandatory employer sponsored exercise programs, others...?

[Gerry Clinchy]

Actually, I just read somewhere the other day that in Japan the govt measures people's waistlines and does issue some kind of a fine if they don't reduce their weight!

An interesting turn of events ... since the govt is paying for the health care, they get to legislate healthy living habits? Since use of drugs like coke is definitely unhealthy, will it be just as illegal to be fat as to use coke? It occurs to me whether then everyone should be required to take urine drug tests, to weed out those who are using unhealthy drugs? Goes without saying that smoking would also become illegal. Then maybe a law limiting consumption of alcohol (oops, we tried that once, and it didn't work.)

This could get humorous if it weren't so scary.

[Richard Halstead]

I have health care for federal employees similar to what the Big O (I don't mean Oscar Robinson) wants everyone to have in the last 6 months I had to pick up the amount not covered. After paying 4000 dollars I wonder about some of the sanity of those that created the rules. An RN nurse and LPN are covered at 160/hr for the RN when a aid at $20/hr could do the job, but that's not covered and is paid at my cost.

I am not at the poverty line, but with the costs of what health care doesn't cover I will be there soon. Maybe I'll get some of plumber Joe's earnings when Obama spreads the wealth?

[YardleyLabs]

The majority of health care costs in this country are already paid by the government, either through direct insurance programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, military benefits, or federal employee insurance, or through tax subsidies for costs paid by businesses and private individuals. Universal health care is actually a much less radical change than those that have happened with the growth of managed care providers, or even the shift from a predominantly non-profit hospital industry to one that is largely for profit.

[badbullgator]

The majority of health care costs in this country are already paid by the government, either through direct insurance programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, military benefits, or federal employee insurance, or through tax subsidies for costs paid by businesses and private individuals. Universal health care is actually a much less radical change than those that have happened with the growth of managed care providers, or even the shift from a predominantly non-profit hospital industry to one that is largely for profit.

So Jeff do you ever disagree with any thing the left says?
Goberment running every aspect of your life is not a good thing, do you agree with that?

[kjrice]

I don't recall so many problems with health care until the advent of "managed care." It is just another scam.

[labdoc]

I love this topic! I truly believe socialized medicine or whatever you want to call it is coming, and soon. So...even though many do not want this, what could the US do to avoid being like Canada and Europe with government dictated treatments, long waits, etc? As far as the fat tax, smoking tax, drinking tax, etc, if a person is higher risk for health problems due to items under their control, they should pay more in any health care service or insurance. I sure can't see any Democrats passing that one as it does not redistribute expenses or wealth evenly.

[Steve]

I have health care for federal employees similar to what the Big O (I don't mean Oscar Robinson)

Apologize immediately for that slur against one of the greatest b-ball players of all the time! Saw The Big O last night when my Cats beat WVU.

Oh yeah, universal health care is BS. You can no more legislate health care than you can a good economy. We will end up with rationed care and more people will die of diseases that are routinely treated in uor current system.

Leftists push universal care because that gives them one more way to control the masses.

[subroc]

...We will end up with rationed care and more people will die of diseases that are routinely treated in uor current system...

This is what I believe the outcome of government controlled health care will be.

[junfan68]

It's bad news.