why am I not suprised.

[Iason Ouabache]

So anyway, I've been thinking about Obama's bizarre and impossible health care plan, which appears to mandate health insurance for everyone. There is no no fucking possible way to enforce this. It's simply not possible. He's not stupid... he knows this. This is only the first step of a multi-part plan, the end goal of which is fully socialized health care... which he knows he cannot achieve in one step. This health care plan is, simply, bullshit to convince the right-leaning folk to let him put the first foot on the slippery slope toward socialized medicine.

Ah yes, the only "Just the tip, baby" ploy.

[Jenne]

So anyway, I've been thinking about Obama's bizarre and impossible health care plan, which appears to mandate health insurance for everyone. There is no no fucking possible way to enforce this. It's simply not possible. He's not stupid... he knows this. This is only the first step of a multi-part plan, the end goal of which is fully socialized health care... which he knows he cannot achieve in one step. This health care plan is, simply, bullshit to convince the right-leaning folk to let him put the first foot on the slippery slope toward socialized medicine.

I had thought this too, initially, over the weekend...but a part of me just rejected it outright.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So anyway, I've been thinking about Obama's bizarre and impossible health care plan, which appears to mandate health insurance for everyone. There is no no fucking possible way to enforce this. It's simply not possible. He's not stupid... he knows this. This is only the first step of a multi-part plan, the end goal of which is fully socialized health care... which he knows he cannot achieve in one step. This health care plan is, simply, bullshit to convince the right-leaning folk to let him put the first foot on the slippery slope toward socialized medicine.

Ah yes, the only "Just the tip, baby" ploy.

Totally.

[Template]

So anyway, I've been thinking about Obama's bizarre and impossible health care plan, which appears to mandate health insurance for everyone. There is no no fucking possible way to enforce this. It's simply not possible. He's not stupid... he knows this. This is only the first step of a multi-part plan, the end goal of which is fully socialized health care... which he knows he cannot achieve in one step. This health care plan is, simply, bullshit to convince the right-leaning folk to let him put the first foot on the slippery slope toward socialized medicine.

Ah yes, the only "Just the tip, baby" ploy.

Acceptable if and only if opposing politicians are the target, and behind the tip lie vibrating, rotating, and lots of protrusions.

[Triple Zero]

Mode income in the USA is $19,900/year.  Yeah, they can afford health care.

No, they couldn't afford it the way the GOP wants them to afford it.  And that's where I think a hardship waiver should come into play.  Or a public option with a sliding fee scale.  Someone making 19,900 a year certainly can't afford the premium I pay for my insurance.  But they could contribute something to a public option where the premium was based upon your earnings.  So someone who is making a pittance pays a pittance of a premium but still gets the same kind of coverage.  Of course this would have to be subsidized in some way so that it doesn't constantly run in the red. 

I think you may have missed a hint of sarcasm.

now maybe I shouldnt involve myself in this cause I dont know too much about it,

but I always understood that the US spends the most % GNP $$$ on healthcare per person compared to ANY other country in the world, yet they still have this extremely crappy healthcare.

seems to me that "affording" doesn't have shit all to do with it, and neither does socialism (mandatory state insurance) versus capitalism (free market woop-tee-doo) as they both have been shown to work fine in the right conditions. But as long as somewhere in this whole health business all these huge amounts of money go down the shitter without actually increasing the healthcare, THAT is the part where you need improvement.

universal healthcare isnt going to do shitfuckall if the entire health system is inefficient as fuck.

because whichever way you go about it, some crooks in the system somewhere are going to have to start making less $$$$ moneys over the health and lives of american citizens before things improve.

I mean, not until you got THAT bit (general efficiency) at least SORT OF right, arguing about socialism vs capitalism is about as useful as arguing about pie versus cake is the filling is shit.


but as far as I understand "affording" shouldn't have much to do with it.

[Requia ☣]

Socialized healthcare should drop the amount we pay, at least initially.  Typical private insurance overhead/profit is around 20%, the best private nonprofit is 13%, Medicare is 4% (according to NPR).  Even more money can be shaved off thanks to hospitals not needing trained specialists to fill out insurance paperwork.

This wouldn't stop the meteoric rise in costs that took the cost of healthcare from 7% GNP to 17.6% GNP though (cost is projected to double in the next 9 years).