[Boomer]

You might be on Medicare, but do you know anyone, younger than 65, with a pre-existing condition?

Do you love, care about, or are you aware of people who could be left without healthcare coverage if a draconian congress guts the law by eliminating the protection of those with pre-existing conditions?

If you care, please pay attention to what is happening now. They're at it again. Read between the lines of what some of those in DC really mean when they talk about "cutting the cost of premiums."

If you get all your info from television, at least flip channels once in a while. Maybe even have a look at the news on PBS. Think between the lines.

I could go over to the investment forum and write about UNH stock. UNH has a 52-week range of $128.53-$175.65. Yesterday's close was $174.38, right there at the high. UNH has a beta well below 1.00 and even pays a dividend. Just imagine how well that stock will do if the company does not have to cover pre-existing conditions.......

Why doesn't anybody ever talk about the fact that CEOs and stockholders are first in line to get paid by policy holders? Can't anybody smell those lobbyists?

Not that many years ago, we all probably knew people who had paid for an individual healthcare policy, only to find that when they got really sick, the company refused to cover them. Sometimes I think we are a nation of amnesiacs.

This thread is intended to be about healthcare and not about politics. I am not a member of the political forum and I never will be. I am not here to argue and/or attack. I hope this thread can continue as a healthcare/pre-existing condition discussion.

But....(sigh)....I do not want to post in political so my thread will probably go haywire and have to be closed, but while it is still here, I hope a few people see it and think about pre-existing conditions and care and maybe make a phone call and leave a message for DC, no matter which party.

[slipcovers]

Another thing that bothers me is being able to buy insurance across state lines. Will any doctor accept insurance from company's in multiple states. I don't think so. They will tell you to pay up front, and take your receipt and you try to get reimbursed.

We have Tufts, one of the top company's in Ma. Hubby had to go to urgent care in TV , needed several stitches.
He had to pay upfront, and it was his responsibility to
deal with insurance.

[graciegirl]

I dislike the Political Forum too because the anonymity allows people to use street language and to attack people horribly.

I understand people wanting to protect their anonymity for some reasons, but I once spent two hours at lunch with a woman and she and her husband visited my home for more than an hour on my invitation and she still would not say her last name.

I am sure that most thinking people listen to all sides and see all major networks. Your post makes me think you haven't watched Fox much.

Making health care affordably priced means we would have to wade into the private sector and do some price control with hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Not easy and would get much opposition.

I do understand the cost in research to get us drugs that will save our lives and I do understand and support for profit business. It is obvious that drug companies are taking advantage sometimes and that hospitals are too, sometimes. I still support Free enterprise. It isn't an easy fix. We just can't fix complex problems easily.

Socialized medicine works, but lowers the level of care for all.

[justjim]

There was a lot of opposition to Medicare in the beginning. We have forgot about the "fight" over Medicare. Of course, Medicare takes everybody at age 65 and it's far from perfect. A lot of people make a lot of money off the various components of the health care industry so therefore it is a very complicated subject. Bottom line---health care is a "mess" and way above most of our paygrades.

[EPutnam1863]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Socialized medicine works, but lowers the level of care for all.

Yes, socialized medicine does work. However in England and Norway gasoline costs ten bucks.

When my sister, a Canadian, had her hip surgery, she had to share a ward with one other woman and two men. She cannot have a primary care provider but instead is shuffled from one doctor to another.

My Norwegian cousin says they really resent the Pakistan refugees in that county; they eat up services, lowering care for the Norwegians.

However I remember very well when we the family toured England, and one of our sons got something in his eye. They treated him and gave him some antibiotics at no charge. We could not believe it.

[maureenod]

Originally Posted by EPutnam1863

Yes, socialized medicine does work. However in England and Norway gasoline costs ten bucks.

When my sister, a Canadian, had her hip surgery, she had to share a ward with one other woman and two men. She cannot have a primary care provider but instead is shuffled from one doctor to another.

My Norwegian cousin says they really resent the Pakistan refugees in that county; they eat up services, lowering care for the Norwegians.

However I remember very well when we the family toured England, and one of our sons got something in his eye. They treated him and gave him some antibiotics at no charge. We could not believe it.

NO, socialized medicine does not work. In Ireland you would be on a gurney in the hall, for days. ER wait time could be days.

Doctors educated but emigrate to US, Australia for better wages.

If you want decent care you need private insurance.

[Moderator]

Discussion strayed too deeply and too often into partisan political references, so, thread was closed. Many posts had to be removed.

Had the discussion stayed on the topic of health insurance it could have remained open.

Moderator.