Amazing Health Care Secret

[gackle]

Originally Posted by ilr58

Definitely, there should be programs in place to take care of the poor and elderly [Medicaid and Medicare] but as far as you and I footing the bill via higher taxes for people that cannot budget then I say no thanks.

I agree with everything you said, but just playing devil's advocate.... How would you differentiate between the poor and the people who cannot budget? Is there a certain level of income that's the threshold? Say $20,000? So you have two people living off the public dole because they can't afford health insurance. The one that makes $19,999 is considered poor and the one that makes $20,000 is considered a poor budgeter?

[boefixepa]

Priceplus!!

You hit it on the head! If it's so great why do all the countries that have it come here for health care! I know in the other counties I've lived in with national health care....well let's just say I hoped I never got sick!! (And this NOT a third world contry and I was a charity worker and I was behind the counter helping! I'm not an RN, but I think I had more medical training then most of the people there!!!)

[sweeps]

gackle makes a good point. And there are other complications as well. Someone living in Manhattan and earning 20k isn't going to be doing nearly as well as someone living in rural Wyoming earning 20k. One could argue that someone made a bad budgeting decision by living in Manhattan... should they move out to Wyoming?

Also kids. If someone can't afford to have kids and they decide to have 8 kids anyway, was that a poor budgeting decision? Should the kids suffer for their parents' decisions?

[vsjhoc]

Originally Posted by boefixepa

Priceplus!!

You hit it on the head! If it's so great why do all the countries that have it come here for health care! I know in the other counties I've lived in with national health care....well let's just say I hoped I never got sick!! (And this NOT a third world contry and I was a charity worker and I was behind the counter helping! I'm not an RN, but I think I had more medical training then most of the people there!!!)

I lived in Australia for 10 years where the national health care was terrific.

[lrjohnson]

Originally Posted by sweeps

Also kids. If someone can't afford to have kids and they decide to have 8 kids anyway, was that a poor budgeting decision? Should the kids suffer for their parents' decisions?

Oddly enough...I work in the land of Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid). Families with children are much, much, much more likely to qualify for Medicaid (linkage via deprived child blah blah blah).

I used to have people ask me why they were "punished" (not eligible, not eligible for free benefits) because they chose to not have children yet, while their friends and neighbors who had children had full coverage (not just the kids, the parents of the kids).

It is true that at least in CA, it's much harder for single non parent adults to get subsidized medical coverage, while families with very high income can get subsidized coverage (public assistance, whatever you want to call it).

WHen it comes to Medi-Cal, it's hard for me not to go offtopic, sorry....