A fair number of the people who post on this board will be dead before their health care lot in life

[Stinky The Clown]

will be dramatically improved.

I am probably one of them.

The reasons are as varied as are people. But mostly, it is about cans being kicked down roads. Claiming a win while actually doing little.

[Dinger]

1. Clear And Concise

Thank you Stinky.

[gratuitous]

2. Nobody calls ME fair!

Sir, defend yourself.

[blogslut]

3. Actually, this reform will extend my life

I will now be eligible for Medicare. I wasn't before.

[DURHAM D]

8. What do you mean?

How were you not eligible before?

[blogslut]

10. I'm 49

[Oregone]

11. Do you honestly feel it will increase the average age in the US?

[DURHAM D]

14. I think you got it wrong. nt

[blogslut]

23. You are correct. I got it wrong

I meant MEDICAID. I will be eligible for MEDICAID - for which my age is irrelevant but my employment status is relevant. When this bill passes, I will be automatically eligible for MEDICAID:

[Cal Carpenter]

24. Medicare and Medicaid are vastly different

Have you ever tried to find a doctor who accepts Medicaid? Let alone Medicaid -AND- new patients?

You'll probably want to get on some waiting lists now. When does it kick in based on the bill? In 2 years? 4 years? Yeah, get on a list now and you may find one before you DO qualify for Medicare.

[blogslut]

25. I am familiar with Medicaid

My child was on it for a very long time while her mother (me) was ineligible. I know the problems, thank you.

[CountAllVotes]

18. I think you have to be 65

or disabled and have to have paid into for quite some time.

Never heard about being 49 a qualification. ?

[aquart]

9. Tell me how. I know too little about what's in it.

(Which doesn't stop me from loathing the bill, but I would be very happy to hear reasons to rejoice or just not hyperventilate.)

[EFerrari]

13. If the Medicare "fix" had materialized, you would have Medicare

and so would I @ 54.

[Cal Carpenter]

4. I'm starting to think that the people

who will belittle you for saying this (and they will) are so far removed from this, so far from ever having lack of health care (not insurance but CARE) be their life-and-death situation that this whole debate is completely abstract to them, that its more about the political game than the real life effects of this bill.

I wish you luck Stinky. Because with or without this bill that's about all you've got.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Invest in coffins!

:think:

[aquart]

6. Yep.

The insurance companies will now have a license to kill many more of us once it does kick in as well.

Unless I'm missing the parts where HEALTHCARE is guaranteed and not simply worthless "insurance."

[LWolf]

7. K & R

[EFerrari]

12. There's more than one thing going on here.

I don't believe there is any contingent of members at DU that want to see the Republicans or anyone else defeat the Democrats on this issue. And, there's pretty much an open class war going on in the party itself. Maybe it's always been there. It just seems a little more naked to me right now, whatever.

These are two different struggles, one superimposed on the other, a palimpsest. Collapsing them is to miss the point of having an opposition party or even, of considering having a "left" at all.

If Medicare had been "fixed" the way it was supposed to have been fixed, I'd have health care right now. Funny, how time slips away. I hope my kids do/get better.

[tridim]

15. You seem to be ignoring the reality of medical progress.

Ever hear of stem cells? Federally funded stem cells BTW. How about nano-medicine? Both will be in use within the decade, and they will change everything.

How much do you want to pay for your dirt-cheap-to-produce stem cell injection? $50,000 or $50. The status quo guarantees the former, federal regulation at least guarantees that we will finally have our say in the matter. Overall, this bill will mesh nicely with the massive medical breakthroughs that are right around the corner.

You seem stuck in yesterday, it's time to dump the 'tude and pro-gress with the rest humanity.

[EFerrari]

17. Medical progress is not equal to the delivery of medical care.

You seem stuck somewhere in "S".

[tridim]

19. I want it to be available to everyone, at an affordable, regulated cost.

Without these new regulations, it wont be.

[EFerrari]

21. Agreed. Where I can't agree is that any first step starting with insurance companies,

who have made it their goal in business to deny healthcare, will go anywhere good.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Hey Stewie

Thanks for making part of my point.

By the way, who'll pay my Plavix bill for next month?

Who'll pay for my next heart thingus?

Who'll pay for your neighbor's stroke rehab?

See ..... those are the tings that will kill us long before real help arrives.

[tridim]

22. I take it you're unemployed like myself?

If so, I'm sorry. Life sucks sometimes, I'm right there with ya.

If not, who did you want to pay for your Plavix? Assuming you preferred single-payer or the PO, you would still be paying for your prescriptions. Single payer and the PO aren't free health care.

I think prescriptions are $4.00 at Costco. Can you try there? We'll probably both be exploring the new clinics that Bernie Sanders made certain remained in the bill.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. Ah .... single payer

See, here's the thing. No one who has half a brain ever thought single payer was free. Please give me at least that much credit, okay?

If I pay $1.00 for health *care*, I would be thrilled to get back 95¢ in actual care.

I would be better off than I am now if I got back 85¢ in actual care.

When I get back 65¢ in actual care and have to go through a for-profit gatekeeper for it, I am not happy.

Single payer would have gotten every single one of us someplace in the 85¢ to 95¢ range.

I have great health care. I am quite happy with it. I pay THROUGH THE NOSE for it. And here's my secret: if I could afford more, I would **gladly** pay for your health care, too.

But I am hopping fucking mad that I have to pay to enrichen an industry that contributes NOTHING to your health care or mine. And yet pay them we must. And you're still unemployed and uninsured. And *that* my friend, is not improved with what we are about to "get".

[NashVegas]

26. You Are Talking About a Utopian Dream

That isn't going to come to pass. How could you possibly imagine the health care industry, which just won its way with legislation and invents diseases to treat, would even consider a $50 miracle cure?

[tridim]

30. Stem cells research is now federally funded.

And HC will be federally regulated in a week.

Do some reading about the promise of stem cell therapy.

[NashVegas]

34. More Wishful Thinking

The possible treatments with stem cell therapy do not compute to a $50 cost. You are smoking crack if you even imagine health care providers will offer treatment at a cost less than $25k.

[Echo In Light]

16. .

k/r

[Johonny]

28. I don't think anyone on the DUs health care lot will improve

after their death. Just going out on a limb there.

Just take two of these and you'll soon be living in the morning.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. :snort:

Comprehension issues, huh?

There's no pill for that.

[treestar]

31. We are all subject to history

Imagine being a black slave who lived 1800-1845 and never saw freedom at all. Or an African American who lived 1900-1963 and never saw anything but Jim Crow Laws.

We are all captives of history. One must look at what one has and work for a better future. That is life.

[tridim]

32. Very well said.

[Stinky The Clown]

33. That's what a lot of us did in the last election cycle

What do we do now?

The streets with pitchforks and torches?

[tallahasseedem]

35. Here we go again...

this is like your third OP today. You hate it, we get it already. Stinky indeed.

[Stinky The Clown]

36. Say that to the ones who love it.

And who is "we"?