Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance

[willow]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ma ... lity-rates
The WHO and Amnesty International condemn the high rate of deaths in childbirth in the US, ranked 41st in there listings behind nearly all industrialized nations. The primary cause being attributed to the lack of affordable health care and preventative maintenence care for millions of American mothers; many of which, mostly minorities, are unable to afford the roughly 13,000 dollars in medical expenses assosiated with proper care during pregnancy in the US.

[dr210077]

Universal socialised health-care is one of the best things a government can do for its electorate. Also, one of the best things that electorate can do in response, is to be attentive of the rightwing media which will invariably be outspoken about the healthcare equality.

[HalloweenWeed]

The primary cause being attributed to the lack of affordable health care and preventative maintenence care for millions of American mothers; many of which, mostly minorities, are unable to afford the roughly 13,000 dollars in medical expenses assosiated with proper care during pregnancy in the US.

Yeah, that's just what we need in the US, more people, NOT. I think we had a comfortable population in about 1960.

As for everything that's been said here and I've heard elsewhere, I'm just wishy-washy about it now, I just don't know. Thanks for your inputs, that's what this forum is good for. I really like this place.

[willow]

http://consumerist.com/2010/03/insuranc ... ients.html

Previously undisclosed records from Mitchell's case reveal that Fortis had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy. As was the case with Mitchell, their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators.

[willow]

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=10151392 - Address Change Imperils Brain Cancer Patient

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=9818699&pid=26 - Insurance firms rake in profits as they cut patients, an advocacy group says.

[DarthRavanger]

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=10151392 - Address Change Imperils Brain Cancer Patient

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=9818699&pid=26 - Insurance firms rake in profits as they cut patients, an advocacy group says.

That is fucked up, and proof we need to reform the system.

[Intercourseman72]

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/19532

Be very careful when you say you want reform. After insurance companies heard about the health care being likely to pass, at least 5 of the top insurance companies' stocks increased by at least 20%. And i wonder just who had a helping in writing all that legislation. I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance industry shares a law firm that writes the bills for the politicians or something like that.

More government is not the solution. I'm not really saying less government is, although i certainly think it is, but at the very a different kind of government involvement is the solution. The power structure of the health care system is so centralized and easy to corrupt that it's a no-brainer for big corporations. The government effectively becomes the armed thugs for private interests and work on their behalf. It's the profit incentive combined with the power incentive. The least that could be done is to dilute the control over the public health care system, allow employees to choose their own health care plan (going through their employer so the money is before taxes), allow people to choose insurance over state lines, and repeal the AMA's monopoly on giving doctor's licenses. People will try to bid down the prices of their insurance plans, insurance companies won't be able to cartelize business within the states, doctor's won't have to take a one-way street to employment through the AMA, and big insurance corporations would not be able to buy out a de-centralized apparatus of regulations either through the government of the many states or through private regulatory companies like UL or whatever.

That's what we should at least start with. It's not necessarily more capitalistic nor socialistic. It just allows for the market to function better. That should lower insurance costs and allow for people to get rid of absurd things in insurance packages like doctor visits and accupuncture and things that should be plenty cheap enough to pay out of pocket anyway.
Oh yeah, also remove the FDA's monopoly on regulating pharmaceuticals to lower prices of drugs. Supposedly it costs like $800 million to get a drug through all the regulations. I've heard $100-200 million at the most modest of estimates.

If all of that doesn't work and the US still has chronic issues with people being desperate for health insurance because they can't afford it, try something else. Just don't centralize the system and make it more cumbersome and convoluted than it already is. Regulations are very important. They can be handled by private companies and private consumer reports and along side public regulations if that is to happen and work just fine so long as it's not hoarded in one area like it is now.

[willow]

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Baby.denied.co ... 87978.html - 10-Day-Old Baby Denied Health Care Coverage

apparently its congenital heart defect was a "pre-existing condition". Seriously, the US is pretty much the only place where this stuff happens.

[dr210077]

If this table is to be believed, the US spend more on healthcare than any of the other nations in that table, (per capita).

[DarthRavanger]

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Baby.denied.coverage.2.1587978.html - 10-Day-Old Baby Denied Health Care Coverage

apparently its congenital heart defect was a "pre-existing condition". Seriously, the US is pretty much the only place where this stuff happens.

A pre-existing occasion at ten days? Bullshit. So's the whole pre-existing condition thing. All bullshit.