Reply #28: What I see from my dad... [View All]

[saddemocrat]

A card carrying bank-roller of swift boat veterans for truth :o (the shame, the shame!) is that he feels that he has paid so much in taxes that he is deserving. I can sort of understand that sentiment in a way...but...I happen to feel that healthcare is a 'right' that should be provided to all hard-working americans. I'm not sure how I feel about the chronic abusers of the system.

I do have some reservations based on some of the things I've witnessed over the years. I do believe there has to be some personal responsibility in there...

I lived in Germany for years and I had a low-income job. I got govt. insurance and paid a small premium every month. It was directly taken from my check and it gave me a sense of security...AND...I wasn't getting something for nothing. My employer also paid a small amount.

My husband had private insurance at the time and he paid a higher premium as did his employer.

Differences in care?

DH was able to see the 'head of the dept.' for procedures and would have gotten a private room if hospitalized.

I saw the regular docs and when I had my son was in a room with 3 other women.

Quality of care....good....I also got same-day appointments and was never made to feel like my insurance was something to be ashamed of. It was a completely acceptable alternative because...I paid a small portion of my paycheck each month to get it...

I think something similar can and should be instituted over here. I'm opposed to the Canadian and British healthcare systmes because of my experience living in the UK. DH was called to many emergencies where they didn't have the medicines needed (and yes, people died!) because of budget problems and the waiting lists were sometimes a huge problem. I remember him fighting despertaely to get a scan for a young person suspected of having brain cancer. It was worse than any insurance battle here to get through the beuracracy.

There are good and bad parts of all systems and we need to find a good middle ground.

I'm so off topic here.