I just don`t get it,why are so many against universal healthcare?

[lefthandedlefty]

We all pay taxes to live in this country not just income tax we also pay sales taxes,fuel taxes,useage taxes,excise taxes,property taxes,etc.Shouldn`t we get something for all that money we pay sure we have schools and roads(although they are falling apart)cops,fire departments among some other things,but why not healthcare afterall it is our money lt`s not like it is really free.I just don`t lazy assed rich people should make proffit from other peoples misfortune.Maybe I`m stupid or naive,but that is just the way I feel.

[Lorien]

1. I believe that over 60% of Americans are FOR universal health care

but since our corporate media still stands on the side of the insurance corporations we may never know the true numbers.

[Marr]

5. That's really it. The whole thing was summed up very nicely by Max Baucus,

when he invited all the relevant corporate entities to discuss healthcare reform, and left Single Payer off the table. For corporate America and their toadies like Baucus, the only acceptable arrangements are ones they profit from immensely. That's the first and only real requirement.

[Greyhound]

22. And now it is codified at the national level...

[misterkhalil]

2. Quite simple, really

Many people are afraid (sometimes legitimately, but usually not) that the poor will not work for their "fair share". The unfortunate thing is that the poor and working class tend to work more than the rich in this country (usually), yet are not rewarded with a decent standard of health.

To answer your question: right-wing populism is the reason why uninformed people don't like universal health care.

[Donnachaidh]

3. the great american "F*ck y'all, I've got mine" syndrome

Gods forbid someone who is in more need of medical care get something from one of these grasping, spiteful people. Republicans play into the meanest, nastiest qualities of these people.

[doc03]

7. Bingo n/t

[mzteris]

24. +1

nailed it.

[Indydem]

4. Self reliance

There is still a lot of people in this country who think they should haVe to make their own way, and if they have to do without Helath care, so be it because they don't want to take charity from the gOvernment.

Fools.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. The general public is not informed in this country

many don't know what it entails. They are made to think that it is inferior.

[shaayecanaan]

8. Small-minded nationalism

1) Americans think that if Europe and the rest of the world do things differently to them, then the American way must be best. Therefore they end up paying more money for relatively shitty health services. In fact, Americans spend nearly as much on *public* healthcare as the Canadians and Australians do, but without actually getting comprehensive coverage.

2) American politics are complicated, labrynthine and hard to understand. There is the division of power between state local and federal governments and the separation of powers between the various branches of each government. This makes it very difficult to deliver social programs, compared with states that have a more unitary form of government. It also means that the average punter doesn't know who to complain to if governments fail to deliver services.

3) American politics cost a lot of money. You have presidential elections, midterm elections, primaries and caucuses, state and local elections, elections for various bureaucratic and judicial posts, recall elections, etc. This makes for a more or less permanent campaign cycle, which costs a lot of money, which makes politicians very dependent on people (such as the health industry) which can supply that money, in exchange for certain guarantees. Compare this with a country that has a parliament with fixed four year terms and a six week campaign. Sure the parties still need money but the opportunities for collusion and corruption are a lot less.

[muntrv]

9. 'Cuz their grandparents gave them that record were Raygun the actor

railed against Medicare.

[NC_Nurse]

10. Many people have never learned to share in this country. It's alll about ME to them.

What if I end up paying more taxes? What if I end up having to wait for care behind other people who were there first (whether they have more money or not)? What if someone gets just as good of care as me even though they don't work as hard as me (at least in my own mind)?

If they are covered now. Why should they care about anyone else?

That's the lovely attitude of many supposed "patriots" these days.

[muntrv]

11. 'Cuz Amurka is da land of ruggit induhvijoouhlizim.

[undeterred]

12. They believe the stupid arguments

like "in Canada people have to wait 6 months to see a doctor".

[Mariana]

That's exactly it.

They believe that socialized medicine is killing people wholesale in the countries that have it by denying them treatment. If you point out that those countries generally have a higher life expectancy, they claim it's not true, the numbers are fraudulent because they don't count everyone that dies or some such ridiculous bullshit.

[undeterred]

18. There's an irrational belief that everything American is superior.

And its great that we probably have the best medical training and technology, but we don't have the best system for delivering it to the population. Lots of Americans wait years to see a doctor in this country because they can't pay for it. And they die waiting.

[lib2DaBone]

13. In America..everything is rationed out..weighed..charged by the pound..inch..or gallon.

If the Bankers could find a way to bottle air and charge you for the air you breath.. believe me.. they would.

Comcast, Google and AT&T can't wait to carve up the internet and sell you tiers or "Premium Packages"... just like cable TV.

Let's see... for only $99.99 as month.. you get DU, Google, 4 relgious web sites,Amazon, EBAY and Home shopping Network. (But you will have to pay a National Sales Tax for all goods purchased on-line.)

It's for your own good. It will offer more choice and less cost.. just like "The Cable Enhancement Bill".

[Sgent]

14. Define universal health care

something like the Norwegian system or French and German systems which rely on private regulated insurance with a guarenteed minimum benefit -- I support entirely.

A top down system with huge bureaucracies leaving no room for individual choice in benefit package, etc. like Medicare, the NHS (UK System), or some others -- no thanks.

I'm for universally available care, its the payment system that makes the difference in holding down costs and providing options.

[Cleita]

15. Propaganda and it has been going on since

the Depression. The health care profiteers want people to believe our health care would deteriorate into a gulag of misery if the government ran things. They also want people to believe that they should be ashamed taking a handout like welfare or health care. It's their m/o. I try to get people to look at Canada, since they are closest to us both in distance and culturally and it's easier to check out the facts. Of course, there has been careful trashing of their system too by astro-turf organizations, so you have to knock down the myths one by one. I mean there's lots of examples of government health care systems through Europe that work very well and cost much less than our system but it's easier to introduce them to the Canadian system first since it's like our Medicare system except that it covers everyone and with few co-pays with the same quality health care that we get when we can afford it.

[bigwillq]

16. Because Obama is

:rofl:
:P

[w8liftinglady]

17. Because THIS is the kind of crap that's being thrown at Red USA

directed here by my own paper...


http://www.aapsonline.org/
http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/001109

clip-

Adding more pressure —as with the Democrats’ idea of saving money by covering everybody—is not the answer. It can only make things worse.

We have in fact already tried it– in Massachusetts. The one-state version of ObamaCare functions only because of heavy federal subsidies. Massachusetts has tried to limit fees, and still the state is hemorrhaging cash. Massachusetts Medicaid went from $1 billion to $1.75 billion in 4 short years and the federal government—actually the taxpayers from the other 49 states— subsidized half that increase.
Will it take a bomb to stop the leak before we are smothered in oil or debt that our grandchildren will never be able to repay? What will be the result of the looming 21% cut in Medicare payments to physicians?

Doctors who have been accepting steadily diminishing payments to care for the elderly are increasingly bolting out of the system. Savvy Medicare recipients will continue to secure their free Hoverounds, but the weaker, more confused, sicker, and more vulnerable will find that fewer physicians will be able to care for them. Once the nation is bankrupt, hospitals have closed, and physicians have found alternate ways to earn a living, real medical needs will not be met. The best medical care in the world will simply cease to exist. Then all Americans, young and old, will feel the pain.
There is a better answer, pointed out by Rep. Ron Paul, M.D. (R-TX):

“We need a system in America where patients pay cash for basic services, and carry insurance only for serious illnesses and accidents. ‘Health maintenance’ is the responsibility of each of us individually. We cannot continue to collectivize the costs of healthcare and expect things to get better.”

[Scuba]

19. Because they haven't read the Constitution....

...where it says the purpose of the government is to "promote the general Welfare".

Note that Welfare is capitalized. It was that important to the founders, but Fox News and the rest of the MSM has convinced many Americans that anyone wanting the government to serve the people is somehow un-American.

[Robeson]

20. People have been brainwashed in this country. We have the FREEDOM to not have...

...health care. We have the FREEDOM to not have infrastructure. We have the FREEDOM, to not have basic social services. That's what makes us the best country in the world. We have the FREEDOMS to not have what other conscious and self-respecting societies have. Ain't it grand?

[MadMaddie]

21. Cuz the talking heads told them so!

They can't think for themselves.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. they aren't. UHC is "off the table" - its the plutocracy.

[Posteritatis]

25. The Cold War. (nt)