Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
Because the number one reason? EVERYONE thinks they are "healthy" and don't need health insurance which spreads around the risk to everyone.
That is until they need insurance and care and then suddenly they BEG the government or insurance for help.
Everyone says they aren't overweight or have any issues when 35% are obese. So where are all these people?
It's like why people don't want to pay taxes and complain. Then if there is a fire they are grateful for the fire department. Or borrowing books from the library.
People in the US keep thinking they are independent islands and don't need to help anyone else or will ever need a hand. Smaller government, less taxes, no health insurance by employers. Capitalism at it's finest.
Honestly? All we'll see is the rich can afford care, the poor will get care and the middle class will cease to exist.
|
100% truth here.
When you're young healthly working and growing, you don't always need the vast majority of the needs that are happening to elder folks today. But you still depend on the things they've done and put into the whole in the past.
When age starts to get ahold of each individual person, we truely come to realize how fragile we are. If an accident or injury occurs, the damage done to a person of age takes a whole lot longer to heal, than a young person. Medical needs grow with time (and DS is also 100% correct -- America needs to become better at preventative care -- do you all know how long it takes to make an appointment for such a simple thing as a mamogram -- last time for me 7 months; and I have insurance).
The medical situation in this country is handled/controlled, if you will, by Insurance companies. If they not only deny coverage to individuals (whom are working and do have coverage), they also take from hospitals/doctors in the form of malpractice premiums. I honesty do not know if they play any part of the manufacturing process of drugs... but if they do, that would also explain the steadily rising costs of medicine.
Ultimately much needs to change.
I think what many countries are headed toward (US included) is a combination of medical formats. I think, there does indeed need to be some form of healthcare for all, and for those people not willing to wait and/or willing to pay more for "better" care, that there'd be an option there as well. Yes, the rich whom choose better care for themselves, may end up paying through taxes for everyone else.
Someone posted earlier -- why should we (the American tax payer) pay for an 80-year old person whom needs heart surgery or whatever? Why? Because it's the right thing to do. In all probabity that 80 year old contributed as much to society as anyone else. Why in a person's time of need, do we fail to help? What goes around, comes around. One day, we'll be in that other person's shoes; then I think we'll understand better.
None of us will live forever, stop being greedy folks.