"Universal Health Care" is a misnomer...DAMN IT!

[SHRED]

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It's "Universal Health INSURANCE".

So many good intentioned folks, even on our side, use the former phrase and it has got to stop in my opinion.

The RW loves nothing better than for us to leave out the word "Insurance".
It gives them cover to continue their false allegations of "government run health care".

STOP IT!

thank you
;-)

[Warpy]

1. As people with bad health insurance are now finding out

health insurance that doesn't deliver adequate health care is worse than useless, it's a ripoff.

However, I do see your point. One leaves us open to "you want everything FREE?" while the other points out it's just a different insurance option.

[SHRED]

2. exactly

Doctors and health care givers remain private.

The means to pay them gets spread to our buying power as a huge group ran by a governmental "bean counter".
Not split up into private pockets of rip-offs.

[knixphan]

3. well put!

[Delphinus]

4. Is Medicare insurance?

If so, then OK - I'll start saying Universal Health Insurance.

What I'm working for is health care - not health insurance. There is a HUGE difference between the two.

[Why Syzygy]

5. Medicare is insurance.

It has premiums, deductibles and copays. I guess it would be classified as an HMO because only some doctors participate. What we need is universal coverage, where all doctors can file ANY insurance. (I refer you to the Sicko scene in which Nixon cooks up the HMO scam to favor insurance companies at the expense of US citizens.)

[Sgent]

6. More like a PPO

you don't have to get referrals from a primary care physician to see a specialist, etc.

That being said, any doctor (except those that have been removed from Medicare for abuse issues) can file Medicare if they choose. Some have opted out (although not many still).

I don't see any way that you are going to force physicians to take Medicare or a similar payer. The vote would be 80-20 against a scheme that required that.

[Why Syzygy]

7. Many HAVE opted out.

I don't understand your parenthetical statement.

The way to have them all accept all coverages, is to match all coverages! There were recent news stories of some of the largest insurers price fixing, etc. I see it as very doable and very necessary for fair coverage of all.