From the article: Why Reform Health Care
Health care has been reformed, thanks to The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. If you have benefited from it, then you are probably in favor. But, if you are of the opinion that it is unconstitutional, then you might like to see Obamacare repealed. Maybe you've followed the timeline of health care reform since Obama's first "public option" proposal in 2008. Or, perhaps you'd like to learn more about why health care should be reformed. In any event, everyone feels strongly about this issue. What is your opinion on health care reform? Share Your Opinion
what about people on ss
- I am on ssi and my condition is getting worse and the doctors say there is nothing they can do to cure or help my condition. Me and my 3 children are on medicaid, so how does/will obamacare affect us? Being on a monthly fixed income and a single mom there is some serious concerns about obamacare, and how it affects not just me but other people that are on a fixed income?
- —Guest schneider
Why reform?
- The USA is the only country in the developed world without a comprehensive tax-funded health care system. In New Zealand - not a rich country - every citizen has complete access to whatever health care they need. Public hospitals are world class and without discrimination on wealth grounds. Doctors' fees and pharmaceutics are subsidised and free for the elderly and the poor. A no-fault accident compensation scheme is part employer and part government funded. The U.S. system is grossly inefficient, exorbitantly expensive and leaves millions of people with limited or no medical coverage. Medical costs are the no. 1 factor in U.S. bankruptcies. For peace of mind health care, a just system of provision available to all on the basis of need not wealth or the degree of insurance cover is a mark of a fair and civilized society. Obamacare is a small step in the direction most of the western world has taken for years - Go for it! John Marcon New Zealand
- —Guest John Marcon
"no tickie no washie"
- The main opposition to Obamacare seems to be that everyone must buy insurance.My question is what does a person who refuses to buy in do when they get cancer or another dibilitating disease?Like the chinese tailor says "no tickie no washie".Lock the hospital door and let them go home and die!
- —Guest Jon
hate to say it but
- We really need some sort of reform for such a modern and progressing nation our healthcare system sucks. Somewhere we should have the right for life liberty the persuit of happiness and healthcare. Most of the other (and ranked higher) nations of the world have it why can't we? Even if this ends badly it'll bring about a new reform we desperately need. Yes it will muck up the system for a bit, but when we get out of this like we always do. It'll be worth it. We really just hate change and fear of the unknown. Try it you might like it.
- —Guest Dr.R
Truth in bills
- I am glad the information is being spoken but there are some important facts missing. First yes the bill attempts to decrease medical cost in part by decreasing the amount that would be paid to medical professionals including hospitals and doctors and counselors etc. However, as medical professionals family practice, pedeatrics, counselors etc have had our salary decreased every year for the past fifteen by insurance companies. if the bill goes into total effect this will continue and doctors will make less money. Most assume doctors are rich to some degree however i can tell you truthfully that many are working two jobs just to meet bills becuase insurance will not pay what they owe the clinicians or have decreased the amount so much that what we get as medical professionals is not enough to pay for our busienss to run and a salary to feed our children. If I spend 15 years of my life to save lives why should I make a salary of no more then 40 to 60 thosand a year?
- —Guest Medical Professional
werdoomed
- I LOve how congress and a large majority of unions are exempt from such a great program! Look at nancy's friends in northern cali
- —Guest mpm
what everyone assumes
- the assumption is this, under the new bill, everyone will supposedly qualify for medicaid/medicare if they cannot afford insurance. this is not quite true. while most will, i fall into the catagory of those who do/will not. while the new law changes the amount u need 2 make 2 get help with insurance, they neglect 2 tell u about the many other clauses that stop people from getting medicaid/medicare. in order to get help, u must meet several other qualifications that actually have little 2 do with how much income u have, and have more 2 do with where that income comes from. as a single father, i can get medicaid for my children, but not for myself on the basis that i do not collect a child support check from my unemployed ex wife. while this is just 1 example out of the 1s that apply 2 me, it is also proof that the mandate for health insurance will not help the poor in the USA. while i agree that something must be done, this is not the way 2 do it. i dont care who fixes it, just fix it.
- —Guest k2
Reform yes, but needs a bit of work
- First this page is a little biased. Anyways though, this country is in need for a healthcare reform. How is it that a country who is on top cannot even provide affordable healthcare for its people. How is it possible that a vast amount of its citizens go without healthcare on a daily basis? Quite frankly I think publicly funded health care is the way to go. Yes we would pay more in taxes but the trade off I believe is worth it. I mean who can afford these high premiums! Not the majority, the working class who make under 50,000 a year. The only people benefiting from our healthcare system are the drug companies, and thats why they are always so against reform that helps the average joe.
- —Guest Erin
only speaking for myself
- We have insurance! I think people shouldnt be forced. js
- —Guest Mrs B
What is ObamaCare?
- My opinion of what we need for reform is to do away with Insurance companies all together. I'm sorry, but we are making this system way more complicated than it has to be. Doctors will have to work with patients on payments and move us back toward a free-market economy, just as we had in the past. It has proven to work in the past, in replacement of the system we are moving toward that has proven to fail.
- —Guest Dark Helmet
"I Got Mine" No You Don't
- Who do you think funds your medicare, Dick? We the taxpayer (even the taxpayers who don't qualify for medicare but still pay for your doctor bills). "I Got Mine", yeah, at the taxpayers' expense.
- —Guest Nick
Response to Jon (below)
- Hi Jon, I only edit reader responses if there is profanity, personal attacks on another reader, or spam. I'm guessing what happened is that your comment was automatically truncated. There is a 1,000 character limit on submissions. Why don't you resubmit what you wanted to say about a single-payer system? Thanks for your support of this website. Like you, I enjoy the discourse about important topics. Kimberly
- —US_Economy
healthcare
- Kim, Why bother commenting when you edit the script to suit your opinion.I suggested banning the advertising of drugs and hosptials.Big pharma spends 15% of its budget on superflous ads then passes the cost along to us.Isn't that what we pay our doctors to do?All big pharma wants to do is sell its most profitable drugs not the ones that help us the most.The same with hospitals the doctor sends us to the hospitals that he is affiliated with.I suggested a single payer system which you edited out even though the insurance companies charge a fee of 17% for administration while medicare does the same thing for 3%. I believe that something as crucial as a persons health should be a non-profit situation not predicated on an insurance companies bottom line. Otherwise I love your website because I believe there should be alot more discourse in this country regarding important issues. I
- —Guest Jon
The Individual Mandate
- Health care needs to be reformed, that much is obvious, but the idea of FORCING the people of America to pay for healthcare is an absurd and anti-American idea. The government forcing its citizens to pay for something is a thing you would see in a Socialist country: not in America. It goes against what America is known for: freedom and liberty. By mandating the citizens to pay for healthcare, it is not a difficult step to make us pay for another thing in the future, leading the government to take over more and more of our lives. This is not the path I want my country to take.
- —Guest Josh
Healthcare Reform
- The one thing I disapprove about the HC reform is individuals being fined; corporations should be fined if they don't offer affordable healthcare to their employees. Small businesses should be able to provide insurance for those who help to increase their revenue in order that those at the top can live high quality lives. Personal experience give me the opinion that a revision to the current health care system is needed. I am a full-time employee & have insurance through my employer. I see the difference in my benefits and deductibles from the executives and the higher paid salaried employees. I have become ill & now need extensive & expensive medical treatments because my insurance co. decided I could not have the medication I most needed to cure my illness because it would cost them more money. Insurance companies don't care about the health of people but about the wealth they can incur.
- —Guest Susan
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