Universal Healthcare

[Rooster]

equals Walter Reed Memorial Hospital for everyone!

[Eagle]

the situation at Walter Reed is nothing new, and it isn't isolated to just there or just Army hospitals. I experienced plenty of buracratic bs through the Navy medical system, and a good friend of mine went through much the same in the Chair er I mean Air Force. I know when I first joined up my grandmother would go on and on about the treatment at the VA hospital where she worked after WW2 and how horrible it was and how she feared for me. Hopefully the publicity will do some good for once.

But universal healthcare doesn't nessesarily mean this. It WILL mean higher taxes. And there is a good chance that while the quality of service won't nessesarily deminish the speed of service very well could. In countries with universal healthcare, if it isn't an emergencey or something critical, it could take months to be seen. Heard a story once out of England that a woman waited almost 1 1/2 years for cataract surgery.

[Coralis]

Hmmm dont think we already have socialized medicine in this country, go down to your local emergency room and see all the medicare/ medicaid patients in there. The only problem with the system we have now is we have to play twice for our health care once in the form of taxes and then again in the form of insurance when you actually go to the hospital

[Eagle]

Hmmm dont think we already have socialized medicine in this country, go down to your local emergency room and see all the medicare/ medicaid patients in there. The only problem with the system we have now is we have to play twice for our health care once in the form of taxes and then again in the form of insurance when you actually go to the hospital

Yeah but not everyone has such coverage. Me for instance, I have none. Went to the emergency room about 3 weeks ago for a kidney stone, spent only 3-4hrs there, and came out with over $9000 in bills!

[Coralis]

pretty unfair isnt it you pay taxes to medicaid/medicare and then cant afford your own health insurance and get absolutely porked when you get sick gotta love our system as it now.

[Eagle]

goes right allong with social security

[SCpoloRicker]

Any proposals? Even fairly broad ones?

I mean, I know SS and health care are pretty bad. No argument there.

edit: may as well make one myself... TANSTAAFL

[rkjunior303]

legalize pot.
tax it.
use the money for healthcare.

[SCpoloRicker]

legalize pot.
tax it.
use the money for healthcare.

Great, let's add a few more layers of bureaucracy. Yeah, there would be some income, but I'm against government regulation as much as is possible.

/cue the Northern Aggression contingency

[Jeffy-CanCon]

Great, let's add a few more layers of bureaucracy. Yeah, there would be some income, but I'm against government regulation as much as is possible.

Doesn't have to be another layer of bureaucracy. Isn't the IRS already responsible for federal taxes on liquor and tobacco? And BATF supposedly watches over the licensed dealers? Same agencies would handle legalised marijuana.

It's a $50,000,000,000 industry. Imagine if the government were making money on it, instead of spending money fighting it?

/on topic

Socialised medicine doesn't have to be hell. I've had my ACL repaired (twice) for a net cost of a couple hundred dollars in optional rehab therapy. Oh, I waited months to see a specialist, and months more for an MRI and then the actual surgery. But I didn't have to take out a mortgage to pay for it.

We spend less of our GDP on health care than you guys do, everyone is covered and no one goes bankrupt.

[Thordic]

We spend less of our GDP on health care than you guys do, everyone is covered and no one goes bankrupt.

And then theres my uncle who waited so long for surgery up there that he died before they got to him. Sorry, I remain unconvinced. Half your good doctors also get paid crap and leave the country so they can actually make some money.

[Mind'sEye]

We spend less of our GDP on health care than you guys do, everyone is covered and no one goes bankrupt.

Illegal immigrants and career welfare recipients please take note of what CANADA has to offer.

[rkjunior303]

It's a $50,000,000,000 industry. Imagine if the government were making money on it, instead of spending money fighting it?

Not only the money we'd make on taxes but the money we didn't spend on fighting it - it'd be A LOT.

[iambored]

legalize pot.
tax it.
use the money for healthcare.

huh? just canabis? If they legalized LSD and pot and let the two mass producers of LSD in the US out of prison under the condition they assisted in the management of an LSD plant they could keep us in the black. (No other drug would be worth it unless it is artificial because most drugs we would have to pay to import.)

But then again they would have to rewrite the school system to do that.

[Carbon]

fake canadian ID cards for everybody!