[rshoffer]

I received a mailing from this organization yesterday. Check out their website and newsletter. Some very compelling statistics.

www.pnhp.org

[TallerTrees]

NOOOOOOOO on socialized medicine.

[rshoffer]

They did a column on that exact opinion. The irony was that most who share the idea of "no to socialized medicine" readily sign up for medicare when eligible...

[TallerTrees]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

They did a column on that exact opinion. The irony was that most who share the idea of "no to socialized medicine" readily sign up for medicare when eligible...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO -- not signed up for Medicare.

[Whalen]

Originally Posted by TallerTrees

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO -- not signed up for Medicare.

Probably 'cause you're not 65 or you are wealthy enough that $$$ is not an issue.
Then again, maybe you worked for a municipality or were in a union and you have medical coverage for life.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by Whalen

Probably 'cause you're not 65 or you are wealthy enough that $$$ is not an issue.
Then again, maybe you worked for a municipality or were in a union and you have medical coverage for life.

However most who have on-going health benefits see them terminated when Medicare eligible (except, of course those retired from Congress). As is the case in developed countries with a national health care program, there will always be a highly affluent minority who can pay cash and there always will be high end providers ready to accept their cash. I bet Paul McCartney can get what he wants when he wants it.

[KayakerNC]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

However most who have on-going health benefits see them terminated when Medicare eligible (except, of course those retired from Congress)..

When I signed on for Medicare A & B, my health plan (BCBS) became secondary and Medicare became primary. Kind of like a medigap plan with drug benefits.
I'm certainly not in Congress and your mileage may vary.

[l2ridehd]

You are almost forced to sign up for Medicare. Most health plans that you can buy charge you a very reduced rate once you turn 65 and are Medicare eligible. If you don't, the premium goes through the roof. Not there yet, but have been looking so am ready when I do, one plan I reviewed went up 25 fold if you didn't sign up for Medicare. I don't recall the exact numbers, but it was like $179 a month under group rates through employer, when you turn 65 if you sign up for Medicare it drops to around a $100, and if you don't it jumps to like $2350 a month. So most insurance plans force you to sign up.

[TallerTrees]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

You are almost forced to sign up for Medicare. Most health plans that you can buy charge you a very reduced rate once you turn 65 and are Medicare eligible. If you don't, the premium goes through the roof. Not there yet, but have been looking so am ready when I do, one plan I reviewed went up 25 fold if you didn't sign up for Medicare. I don't recall the exact numbers, but it was like $179 a month under group rates through employer, when you turn 65 if you sign up for Medicare it drops to around a $100, and if you don't it jumps to like $2350 a month. So most insurance plans force you to sign up.

Wow. Thankyou L2. At least SOMEBODY gets it. Saying NOOOOOO I also was referring to the quality of care that national healthcare will bring. And I'm not going to list here all the folks and physicians I have spoken with who attest to my coming to this opinion. Look, there's no free lunch folks. You are NOT entitled to free healthcare. What we have now is not perfect, but it's better than anything in the world.

And, btw, I AM retired.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by TallerTrees

Wow. Thankyou L2. At least SOMEBODY gets it. Saying NOOOOOO I also was referring to the quality of care that national healthcare will bring. And I'm not going to list here all the folks and physicians I have spoken with who attest to my coming to this opinion. Look, there's no free lunch folks. You are NOT entitled to free healthcare. What we have now is not perfect, but it's better than anything in the world.

And, btw, I AM retired.

Although it is not necesarily an accurate measurement of the quality (or lack thereof) of a nations healthcare, the USA ranks 38th when compared to developed nations in life expectancy.
in the USA we have a health care INDUSTRY, not a helth care SYSTEM.

[musicman]

The quickest way I see to fix healthcare... make Congress pay for their own healthcare, out of pocket OR put them all on Medicare no matter what their age. Bet they make it one of those pork projects in seconds flat.

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by TallerTrees

What we have now is not perfect, but it's better than anything in the world..

From the consulting firm Towers Perrin, in an article entitled:

VALUE-BASED STRATEGIES: DRIVING DOWN COSTS BY
IMPROVING QUALITY OF CARE


"The U.S. spends more on health care — to
the tune of $2 trillion per year — than any
other nation, yet ranks among the worst of
industrialized countries for key health indicators,
such as infant mortality and life
expectancy. Employers have long known
that, when it comes to health care, higher
spending does not necessarily equal better
quality care or improved outcomes."


Both sides of the aisle agree that our system is broken and that we are decidedly NOT the best in the world. We need to study the issue, learn what works and what doesn't and work together to fix it.

If we don't assess our capabilities and continue to assume we are the best at everything, we are on our way to making the same errors as the Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, British Empire etc.