Our health care system sucks, because of government interference. I
know. I work in it. Our hospital gives millions of dollars worth of
care to poor people every year and we get paid 75% of what it actually
costs to treat someone on Medicare and only 50% of what it cost to
treat someone on MediCal. When I began in the health field a patients
chart for a hospitalization might be half-a-dozen pages. Now it is
hundreds. Nurses and doctors spend so much time charting and filling
out government mandated forms that it takes up nearly half their
time. Who suffers? The patient.
When you give something away everybody wants it and soon you have a
shortage. I saw free government health care at a hospital I worked at
in the early sixties. We had 750 women show up with their kids every
day. Our doctors and staff were overwhelmed and nobody was being
treated promptly or well. We started to charge 50 cents per patient
visit and suddenly our average dropped to 150 per day.
I watch patients who don't have to pay a dime for their
hospitalizations calling for nurses every few minutes. They want ice
cream, pudding, more coffee ("This one's cold now." 10 minutes after
they got it.), adjust my pillows (They have ten, at their request.)
etc. And when it is time for their discharge they complain because
they enjoy having servants for a change. And then they try to take as
much as they can home with them. The electronic thermometers belong
to them, right? They must wear their gowns home and they try to take
the bedding and the flashlights and anything that is not bolted down.
Yeah, let's have the government take it over and it will just become a
real nightmare. If you want to help people get good health
care...donate some of your money for a health policy for them, but
don't force everyone to pay for a government run health care program.
It is a total waste of money.
I see companies advertising that they will get you a motorized chair
through Medicare without paying a dime. I have seen patients get
those chairs, sell them and use their old wheel chair as they always
have. We are being ripped off big time because of government programs
like this and all people want to do is pretend it isn't happening and
maybe government programs will work if we just give them another
chance to solve our problems for us. The definition of insanity is to
keep trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different
result.
On Jun 30, 9:26 am, Frederick The Moderate
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Right okay Richard. Our healthcare system is just peachy. Drinking a
> bit of the kool-aid are you?
>
> On Jun 30, 8:59 am, RICHARD BROWN <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> > France? Isn't that the country where the kids went on vacation in
> > August and a heat wave hit and 10,0000 elderly folks died? I guess
> > their socialized medicine almost worked...give it another chance. We
> > have a form of socialized medicine. It is called Medicare. When we
> > were sold on it we were told by the "experts" that by this time we
> > could expect that it would cost $1.2 billion. So, thirty years or so
> > later, how are we doing? What? The cost is $120 billion? Well, it
> > is just a slight miscalculation right? Not to worry, the government
> > will handle it, like everything else they handle.
> > I lived in a very expensive country. Ten years ago it cost $120 for a
> > pair of Levi jeans, $30 for a medium cheese pizza at Pizza Hut. The
> > de facto minimum wage was about $25 per hour though. The government
> > there did not set minimum wage standards. They also did not get
> > involved with medical care, so there were not a lot of rules and
> > regulations and paperwork to file. They simply required that all
> > people have a health insurance policy and that it would cover
> > everything, including alternative health care treatments. Of course
> > your premiums would be low if you lived a healthy life style and your
> > co-pay was high. If you were unable to pay for your insurance, the
> > local government would pay the premiums for you. That's it. That
> > country has the best health care in the world. When Gorbachev needed
> > to be cared for, he went there. So you can imagine how very expensive
> > their health care is compared to ours right? It is 70% of what we
> > pay. Why? Because, for the most part, government stays the hell out
> > of the business of health care. It also stays the hell out of the
> > business of the people it represents. Wouldn't it be nice if ours did
> > the same? But we have people who want the government to be involved
> > in every aspect of their lives or other people's lives. When will we
> > ever learn?
>
> > On Jun 29, 2:12 pm, Frederick The Moderate
>
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > From personal experience: France, Germany (by far!). Vicariously from
> > > I've heard from friends who live there, Spain. I also lived in the
> > > Ukraine for a short while and I would say that (shamefully) they are
> > > close to the US in ER and all non-critical / complex care.
>
> > > On Jun 29, 1:59 pm, Keith In Tampa <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > What Nation-State is it that you believe has more quality health care,
> > > > or a
> > > > superior health care system than the United States??
>
> > > > On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 2:17 PM, Frederick The Moderate <
>
> > > > [email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > I can't stand Nancy Pelosi. I'm not happy with the cap & trade bill. I
> > > > > want healthcare legislation and I want single payor. I have lived in
> > > > > countries that have much lower standards of living and yet, much
> > > > > better healthcare than America. So I'm all for that.
> > > > > But like you say, this is a far cry from transparency.
>
> > > > > On Jun 29, 10:35 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > From: *Travis*
> > > > > > Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009
> > > > > > Subject: Pelosi Won't Give Public a Chance to Review Text of
> > > > > > Health-Care
> > > > > > Bill Before House Votes on It.
>
> > > > > > Of course not...that would be too democratic for the arrogant bitch!
>
> > > > > > B
>
> > > > > >http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=...
>
> > > > > > Pelosi Won't Give Public a Week to Review Text of Health-Care Bill
> > > > > > Before
> > > > > > House Votes on It
> > > > > > Monday, June 29, 2009
> > > > > > By Marie Magleby and Monica Gabriel
>
> > > > > > *(CNSNews.com) *- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) will not
> > > > > > give
> > > > > the
> > > > > > public a week to review the final text of a health-care reform bill
> > > > > before
> > > > > > it is voted on later this year.
>
> > > > > > Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) has also declined to
> > > > > > commit
> > > > > to
> > > > > > giving the public a week to read and consider the final health-care
> > > > > > bill.
>
> > > > > > At her press briefing on Thursday, Pelosi was asked whether the
> > > > > health-care
> > > > > > bill would be handled differently than the stimulus bill, which
> > > > > > came up
> > > > > in
> > > > > > February. The 1,071-page final text of that bill was posted on the
> > > > > > House
> > > > > > Appropriations Committee’s Web site late on a Thursday night and
> > > > > > then
> > > > > voted
> > > > > > on the next day.
>
> > > > > > “When the stimulus bill came out earlier this year, members and
> > > > > > citizens
> > > > > had
> > > > > > less than two days to review the final version that came out of the
> > > > > > conference committee before it was voted on,” CNSNews.com asked
> > > > > > Pelosi on
> > > > > > Thursday. “Will you commit to giving Americans at least a week to
> > > > > > review
> > > > > the
> > > > > > full conference version of the health care bill before it is voted
> > > > > > on?
> > > > > And
> > > > > > also will you commit to submitting the final version to the CBO
> > > > > > [Congressional Budget Office] so that they can report the cost to
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > public?”
>
> > > > > > Pelosi would not commit to giving the public a week to review the
> > > > > > bill,
> > > > > and
> > > > > > did not respond to the question of having the CBO report on the
> > > > > > cost of
> > > > > the
> > > > > > final bill.
>
> > > > > > “Well, we will abide by the regular order. You heard the question,”
> > > > > > she
> > > > > > said. “It was about having the health care bill out there a week in
> > > > > advance.
> > > > > > We will have the regular order in terms of the appropriate amount of
> > > > > time,
> > > > > > 48 hours in advance for amendments before you file the bill,
> > > > > > another day
> > > > > > before you can take up the bill.
>
> > > > > > “But this bill is something that has been unfolding before the
> > > > > > American
> > > > > > people for a long time now. The areas of controversy are well
> > > > > > known,”
> > > > > said
> > > > > > Pelosi.
>
> > > > > > “The issue of a public option is probably the most significant
> > > > > > debate
> > > > > that
> > > > > > we will have in the House on the legislation, as I see it now. But
> > > > > > the
> > > > > bill
> > > > > > will come forth under the regular order, and that's why the three
> > > > > chairmen
> > > > > > put out the draft now,” she said. “They put out some principles
> > > > > > earlier
> > > > > on.
> > > > > > The President put out his principles. We had a month before the
> > > > > > Memorial
> > > > > Day
> > > > > > break for everyone to see what was happening there to take ideas
> > > > > > from our
> > > > > > members.
>
> > > > > > “So it was in the public domain, but not as a bill,” said Pelosi,
> > > > > continuing
> > > > > > to respond to the question of whether she would give the public a
> > > > > > week to
> > > > > > review the final bill. “Now they have put out this draft which has
> > > > > > been
> > > > > well
> > > > > > received, and I'm very proud of the work. It's a well managed
> > > > > > approach to
> > > > > > how we go forward. And when we are ready with a draft then we will
> > > > > > put
> > > > > that
> > > > > > forth, but as I say, it will be under the regular order.”
>
> > > > > > The three House committees working on the health-care plan have
> > > > > > released
> > > > > > what they call a “discussion draft” of the legislation. It is 850
> > > > > > pages
> > > > > > long.
>
> > > > > > The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has
> > > > > > produced
> > > > > its
> > > > > > own 615-page draft that is missing key sections, including the
> > > > > > section
> > > > > that
> > > > > > would explain the “public option”—or government-run health insurance
> > > > > > organization.
>
> > > > > > After the House and Senate actually pass bills, the two versions of
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > legislation will go to a House-Senate conference committee where
> > > > > > they
> > > > > will
> > > > > > be reconciled and where entirely new provisions can be added. The
> > > > > > final
> > > > > > version of the bill that emerges from this conference committee
> > > > > > will be
> > > > > > voted on by both houses, and if passed, sent to the president for
> > > > > > his
> > > > > > signature before it can become law.
>
> > > > > > This final bill is likely to be well over 1,000 pages long and will
> > > > > include
> > > > > > mandates and regulations that could permanently transform the U.S.
> > > > > > health
> > > > > > care system.
>
> > > > > > Like Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also said last week
> > > > > > that
> > > > > he
> > > > > > would not commit to giving the public a week to review the final
> > > > > > text of
> > > > > the
> > > > > > health-care bill.
>
> > > > > > “We are going to follow the rules and do the best we can so that
> > > > > > the new
> > > > > > rules we have for transparency will be effective,” Reid said at his
> > > > > > own
> > > > > > Thursday news briefing when asked about giving the public a week to
> > > > > > read
> > > > > the
> > > > > > final health-care bill.
>
> > > > > > “We have been putting things online. We’re doing so much more than
> > > > > > we did
> > > > > > just a year or two ago, so I think there’s no secrets, we try to be
> > > > > > as
> > > > > > upfront as we can, give everyone as much opportunity as we can to
> > > > > > move
> > > > > > forward,” he said.
>
> > > > > > House and Senate rules differ slightly, but basically the House
> > > > > > allows a
> > > > > > vote three calendar days after the conference committee’s report is
> > > > > posted
> > > > > > and the Senate allows a vote after 48 hours.
>
> > > > > > House Rule XIII, section 4. (a)(1), says: “. . . it shall not be in
> > > > > > order
> > > > > to
> > > > > > consider in the House a measure or matter reported by a committee
> > > > > > until
> > > > > the
> > > > > > third calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays
> > > > > except
> > > > > > when the House is in session on such a day) on which each report of
> > > > > > a
> > > > > > committee on that measure
>
> ...
>
> read more »
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