I think it's time we start demanding

[EC]

socialized medicine. As I lay here sick, although it is only the flu, I can't help getting angry. You see, this year I join the ranks of no insurance, because my employer could no longer afford it, just as other small businesses. I keep wondering what would happen if this flu developed into complications? Or what if I fall from dizziness, and on and on...I've had it...I've waited through 4 elections now for this to become a main priority of this country. This mercenary system we have just sucks. Every time I want to switch employment, I can't chose the position that would make me want to go to work, I have to look at the one that offers benefits...if the employer I'm working for can no longer offer insurance,(such as happened once again with the job I have now, and the 2 prior positions) then I must start looking for other employment. This time I have been looking for over 9 months and haven't found one, there are less and less jobs offering insurance and ever less jobs offering a wage from which I could even purchase catastrophic insurance, much less a good plan. So what is this coming to? Only medical care for the rich? Do we all have to start dropping like flys before something is done? Small businesses, doctors, and countless uninsured are hurting and waiting. It's time to start screaming and demanding, we can't wait for "another good candidate" they'll just keep using this as a platform, doing nothing in the meantime...I don't know about you, but I'm starting a writing campaigne tonight and I'll keep on writing and emailing and anything I can think of, how about you?

[eleonora]

1. It *is* a major issue

Sometimes I'm debating whether yes or no I'm going to move back to Europe, just because of the healthcare system that sucks so bad here.

and Canada's just too cold ;p

[KT2000]

2. What people with insurance

do not realize, is that doctors will not make appointments with people who do not have insurance. The insured public believes that it is just a matter of writing a check for services from a doctor.
Going to the ER is for the purpose of stabilizing a patients condition. They tell the person to "make an appointment to see their doctor" when releasing them.

Oddly enough, one of the few places that will see women who do not have insurance is Planned Parenthood - for healthcare - but the RW never mentions that!

Here is another idea - quality healthcare depends on tax support for research and development. How can this country justify taxing everyone for that purpose and then delivering the healthcare to only those who have insurance.

Anyway - I am with you about making noise. I had health insurance for 27 years, 20 of those years I paid the full fare. Now with a chronic illness I can no longer afford it. The state program that was covering me the last 2 years will likely cut me in the next budget cuts because I don't have children.

Oh yeah - insurance is pretty good at ridding itself of the sick - as in many people with chronic illnesses have lost employment and insurance by the time a diagnosis is made.

[havocmom]

3. Another thing people with insurance don't often realize is that they

really have no guarantee they will get medical care. Many doctors just won't take any more patients with certain insurance cuz the payments do not really cover their costs. Many treatments/meds not covered by HMOs.

Insurance companies have a tendency to drag their feet about approving needed treatments/surgeries. Seems like they hope people give up or die off before forcing the companies to make good on their part of the bargain.

Many companies have a lot of hoops that have to be jumped through for any emergency treatment at ERs and heaven forbid someone should need to get to an ER when they are away from their home area approved hospital.
Have heard way too many tales of people who found their hospital bills were not gonna be covered because they didn't have prior approval before going to the hospital or didn't inform the insurer within their time limit. In an emergency, that just isn't always possible but some companies use the fine print as a way of avoiding their obligations.

Remember those TV ads against a national health care policy when Hillary was working on it as First Lady, that cute TV couple worried about 'rationed health care'? Well, they won the hearts of the people with their fear mongering about rationed care long enough to avoid any sort of real reform in health care. Then THEY got heavy into rationing that care themselves. Guess rationing is OK so long as they are the ones doing it.

[KnowerOfLogic]

17. Exactly; health "insurance" is not health CARE. We need an

actual *health care* system in this country; not just a system where insurance companies take people's money while offering no guarantee of providing health care.

[EC]

4. Most of the people I know

that do still have insurance, still cannot get in to see their doctors unless they are healthy...If they are sick, they are being told to call back and make an appointment when they are well and then it is usually 3 months down the road...

And I just told a friend recently, that I've been considering moving to Canada, just because of this...he asked me if there were any jobs in my field there, I told him, I didn't care, that I would be perfectly happy being a waitress, as long as I had health insurance...

[daduddaman]

5. Why?

This really sounds crazy  "If they are sick, they are
being told to call back and make an appointment when they are
well"

Is this true? Why?

[EC]

16. Yes it's true

and I don't know why...

When I was insured, I had a sinus infection that wasn't clearing up, so I called my provider doctor. I was told the earliest appointment was in 4 months, and I should go to the emergency room...I told her that according to the insurance plan of which she was my listed provider (doctor) that sinus infections were not covered for emergency room treatment...so I just suffered with it, until I finally could take some vacation time to stay in bed with Vick's etc. and then it finally cleared up...but when you are sick like that and continue to go to work and not get treated, you end up getting sicker.

[DaedelusNemo]

7. Killer argument, KT2000

"Here is another idea - quality healthcare depends on tax support for research and development. How can this country justify taxing everyone for that purpose and then delivering the healthcare to only those who have insurance."

[tngledwebb]

6. A sign of America's illness.

The world's richest industrialized country ( at one time a democracy ) doesn't have national health care or a single payer system.

[seabeyond]

8. as a small business owner was looking forward to kerry

doing something with insurance. my husband has always provided insurance for employees but sadly the other day he says, maybe i ought to cancel. it is bad, really really bad. and will take down a small business, between that and the taxes we pay,..........small business carries the burden, not the corporations. simple rape

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. This is why I am so glad I live in Maine. We are making some headway

on the health coverage issue here.

I hope you feel better soon! *hugs*

----------------------------------------------------------
Save our country one town, county, and state at a time!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm#...

[GOPBasher]

10. We in the Dem party failed to make that an issue in this election.

The right wingers were able to make gay marriage an issue. Why couldn't we get these bread-and-butter issues on the table? Is it the media?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. I bet you don't care to elaborate?

Nope. I didn't think so.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Is it better to have a privatized system that uses a Mengele triage

form of selecting who gets pro bono work?

[EC]

18. I think you had better

look at the statistics of what is real, you've swallowed a bit of propaganda I believe...Life expectancy,Healthy life expectancy at birth,Child mortality ,Adult mortality all down compared to other countries.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Medicaid is serving some people very well. I'm completely opposed

to privatizing it. Just in case you're confused by my position, since I was responding to a freeper who is now tombstoned, I don't believe in completely nationalizing, nor privatizing medicine.

The answer is to keep both options open so we can remain as flexible as possible to meet the different circumstances that might arise in a country of over 300,000,000 people.

[EC]

20. sorry

I hate when that happens...


Never know what they've said or who they are so I can look out for them...

[HeeBGBz]

12. This is my primary issue

There are things I need done that I can't afford. No insurance. My future worries me. Also, because I always feel like crap, my capacity as a functioning individual that puts into the economy is limited. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

It's why I basically don't give a shit about anything anymore and it is what drives my need to be here and do what I can to throw words out on the internet. Sometimes just posting to whoever reads it is my best option.

[ArkDem]

21. Everywhere you turn you'll feel the pain.

[eridani]

22. We need socialized insurance--

--publicly financed, privately delivered. Everybody in, nobody out.