Please Clarify For Me...

[Haligren]

WARNING: THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS POLITICAL COMMENTARY. PLEASE KEEP THIS CIVIL if you are to reply. I've tried my best to make this rant anti-inflammatory.

Why and how are the crazies taking over America? Is it because their insurance doesn't cover therapy? (This is in reference to all those people I see on the news that are blindly adamant about why they are waving around protest signs and using them to hammer the heads of those who have opposing views.)

Why are so many people against Pres. Obama and his attempts to actually DO something about America. Especially the health care system. People seem to be afraid that the government will determine who gets health care and who doesn't and thereby eliminating a whole group of people from the face of the Earth. Don't insurance companies already do that? Currently they have the right to deny people coverage if they are A. too old or B. too sick or C. Both.

Universal health care is just that; it's universal. Meaning everyone gets it regardless of race, age, gender, or health. As I recall Pres. Obama wants to actually tax the insurance companies and to make it so that they can't refuse coverage to anyone. After living in a country where health care is subsidized, I think it's probably the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sure it makes taxes a touch higher but it is worth every penny to know that everyone gets the health care they need whether it's for a broken arm or a mental illness. And if you need outside insurance or support for something the government doesn't cover or if you don't want to be put on a long waiting list for surgery, then you are free to pursue other avenues. According to the CBC news, the new American health care reform system would certainly allow this. I can't tell you people how many times I've been talking to a friend who is very depressed or having emotional or mental problems and they say they can't afford to go to counseling or therapy because they can't afford insurance/ insurance doesn't cover it. And even when the insurance CAN cover it, there's no guarantee that they will. When my brother and I had to go to counseling - or even the dentist - it was nearly always a fight to get the insurance company to pay for it. One time they even "lost" my file, at which point we threatened legal action; a week later my file magically re-appeared. (I'm originally from Virginia.)

And I haven't really been able to get anyone to explain to me in a mature and intelligent manner as to why they dislike the current president or his policies. I'm not saying that everything he does is great (shutting down long-range missile defense systems on the mainland, lol whut?), but it just doesn't make sense to me; we elected Pres. Obama on the basis that he would change things. Well how can he make any changes if everyone is against change? People seem to have become more and more resistant to any sort of change but how are we supposed to move forward as a society if we prevent change - any sort of change whether good or bad. A new health care system might be sort of awkward at first but it's no doubt better than what people have already.

Perhaps all this just really boils down to a bunch of loud, obnoxious, hate-filled people that just can't stand the fact that there is a black president. Or perhaps this is all backed by the insurance companies because they know the government will greatly cut into their income. Or maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist.

I just don't understand why so many people are so passionate about being against this president, when, with the last president, everyone was against but no one did anything about it (except laugh at). With all the thoughtless and careless things that Pres. Bush did, you didn't see parents sending death threats to principals because their school allows a chorus of children to sing about the current president or protestors arriving on the White House doorstep by the busload. I mean, seriously. What the heck is going on here????

At least America has a government that is actually TRYING to do something good for their people. In Canada, they keep voting on parties that are virtually identical to one another and all they seem to do is impose new taxes (HST, anyone?) argue with each other and force more elections which just spend even more taxpayer money.

I do apologize if this offends anyone as it is most certainly not directed at any single person on this forum, but it is something that has really been bugging me for the longest time, and I would really appreciate some insight on the other side of this issue. Perhaps Canadian news is slightly biased because Canadians seem to like Pres. Obama more than Americans seem to. Most other people I have tried to get an opinion out of either actually agree with me or have been unable to properly articulate and/or provide validation for their opinions beyond what they hear from their friends/family/Fox News.

 

[Chewbecca]

I guess I am just not hip anymore.

I like as little government involvement as possible.

I'm NOT saying that what the insurance companies do is good OR the answer.
But I honestly feel that the government being involved is NOT good either, nor is it the answer.

Yes, there does need to be something done about the cost of insurance, and the fact that they deny things so easily.
BUT, the government telling me where I can and cannot get healthcare from is not going to work either.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I guess I am just not hip anymore.

I like as little government involvement as possible.

I'm NOT saying that what the insurance companies do is good OR the answer.
But I honestly feel that the government being involved is NOT good either, nor is it the answer.

Yes, there does need to be something done about the cost of insurance, and the fact that they deny things so easily.
BUT, the government telling me where I can and cannot get healthcare from is not going to work either.

I have to agree.

My concern is the quality of heath care if we had universal health care, as it has gone down hill in most countries that have it.

There are laws already in place to keep hospitals from denying emergency care for ANY reason even with no way to pay. There are plenty of places for people that do not have insurance to get the much needed health care they need, they just need to look for it.

 

[sunshinegeckofarm]

what worries me is that i have been hearing about that if you do not have insurance that you will be fined for it. isnt this a free country where if i choose to have i will have it but if choose not to then i dont have to have it. because personally i dont need insurance i dont get sick very often so i dont go to doctors regularly. also i cant afford it because the lowest i have seen is 100 bucks a month for me alone. though me&husband are going to apply for food stamps and medicare and see where we get because we dont make much money and we have no kids but we are strugglijng with bills, food, gas and etc so a lil help would be very useful.

i dont think the government should dabble with health care if they want to help they should build better cleaner places for low income families to get quality health care because the ones here are dirty and nasty i wouldnt go in them if i was dying.

 

[Ehatcher]

I don't agree with Obama's views on most things, but he wasn't the person vying for fines if you dont have coverage, it was the Democratic senator out of Montana.

But what you said about "waiting for surgery" haligren... If i had a dislocated or broken bone i wouldnt want to have to wait for a couple days or even weeks to get it taken care of.

In my opinion government health care is a decent idea, but not how they want to run it.

 

[M&I Gecko]

They just need to hybridize universal with the healthcare we have now.

 

[Haligren]

I guess I am just not hip anymore.

I like as little government involvement as possible.

I'm NOT saying that what the insurance companies do is good OR the answer.
But I honestly feel that the government being involved is NOT good either, nor is it the answer.

Yes, there does need to be something done about the cost of insurance, and the fact that they deny things so easily.
BUT, the government telling me where I can and cannot get healthcare from is not going to work either.

I have to agree.

My concern is the quality of heath care if we had universal health care, as it has gone down hill in most countries that have it.

There are laws already in place to keep hospitals from denying emergency care for ANY reason even with no way to pay. There are plenty of places for people that do not have insurance to get the much needed health care they need, they just need to look for it.

Both are very good points and is a view that my parents share. I do have to sorta agree though; governments seem to corrupt everything they touch, even with good intentions. Or things just simply don't pan out and just...people and not really the government become apathetic or something. It's a chain reaction. But, Felicia, I have heard that a lot when I was growing up; that people just need to look for what they need, but that is so much easier said than done.

I don't agree with Obama's views on most things, but he wasn't the person vying for fines if you dont have coverage, it was the Democratic senator out of Montana.

But what you said about "waiting for surgery" haligren... If i had a dislocated or broken bone i wouldnt want to have to wait for a couple days or even weeks to get it taken care of.

In my opinion government health care is a decent idea, but not how they want to run it.

I don't think I worded that correctly. Of course you get surgery right away for something like a broken limb or appendicitis - that just wouldn't make sense. lol But with things that aren't urgent, you get put on a waiting list, which is usually very long to begin with. To make matters worse, those who are deemed to need it more can be put in front of you. In theory this works, but in reality people end up waiting years for surgery. :\

They just need to hybridize universal with the healthcare we have now.

I agree. That's something like they've done just recently in Canada; we have a two-tiered health care system in that we have the health care provided by the government, but if you need more help - like if you don't want to be put on a waiting list for a certain surgery - you can go to a private clinic or whatever to get it done. You pay out of your own pocket of course, or if you have insurance through your work place, they may be able to help pay for it as well.

I suppose it's not so much the issue itself as it is how people are reacting to it, and to Pres. Obama in general. Comparing him to Hitler just...makes my brain hurt.