Originally Posted by sistagurl

MikeH,
Believe me I am quite educated about the issues, and I find it hard to believe that our generation and our childrens generation are turning this country into a nanny state. When did it become the job of government to provide all of your needs? I have private health insurance because I pay for it. I dont sit around and wait for the government to "take care of me". I'm sure your parents never thought it was someone elses job to raise you or take care of you. Stop feeling as if your entitled to have someone else pay for your needs. That is the "real" world, you work you eat!!! If there are people in need it has always been a community, church, family thing not Washingtons job. It makes me sick to think what some in this generation have turned into.

NO PROBLEM WORKING... BUT THE COST OF GROCERY'S MAKES EATING MORE OF A CHALLENGE, COST OF HEALTH CARE UP EACH YEAR, COST OF MEDS UP..... THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!... WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR RETIREMENT IS DWINDLING AWAY....

Being with the military most of my life I know socialized medicine. Was no fun. On the phone hours to get an appointment. No choice on what doctor we saw. Made to feel guilty if we were not near dying when we went to see a doctor. Hours in the ER were always long. Sister did not see the same doctor more them once. Took them 8 years to figure out she had a brain tumor. Saw great caring doctors and saw doctors who could not wait to get rid of you. No choice.

I see it from both sides. I'm not a fan of socialized medicine. I would prefer government insurance for those who cannot get it elsewhere. I had cancer 12 years ago. I was self-employed in California and basically prayed I wouldn't get ill. Here, I'm technically unemployed until I find a job. Because of these facts and being a smoker, I cannot get private health insurance. Well, one company did offer me health insurance at $5,000/month and a $10,000 deductible. Sorry, that didn't seem very realistic to me.

So, I now have $53K in medical bills that keep rising every time I check my mail. I will find a way to pay these bills because that's me but it certainly won't be easy nor fun. Had the government had some sort of plan where I could have bought medical insurance from them at a semi-reasonable rate with a semi-reasonable co-pay, I would have jumped at it.

To make a blanket statement that people should get their own insurance is unrealistic in today's world. To go to socialized medicine is, to me, not the right answer, either. Somehow, though, there has to be something between having no coverage and socialized medicine.

I totally agree with redwitch - not all people are blessed with the perfect job that offers the perfect benefit package and who says that even though you do have insurance that it will not cap out if you becomes seriously ill...My husbands brothers daughter died of cancer at the age of 11 after a 2 year battle...Yes he did have insurance and yes it did cap out and he was stuck with over a million dollars worth of bills after the insurance paid. So bad, he had to declare bankruptcy...Yes he also works hard to provide for his family, but what did it get him. So please do not go on an almighty tirade and say that you should work to provide for your family, because sometimes that just is not enough.
Redwich, good luck...I will pray for you.