How would healthcare change under a D admin?

[Truthiness Inspector]

[Party Line]

1. Other

I don't know if it would change in 2 or 8yrs but, it would become a serious political issue that none could ignore if one of our party members were elected. Of course, it would once again become a non-issue if the 3rd party yahoo's around here elect another republican.

Why do I say that it wouldn't be ignored? The mainstream conservative press wouldn't allow it. They would constantly harp on the president to "put up or shut up."

Change doesn't always come from violent revolution, sometimes it requires swallowing your pride and toeing the party line.

[Tunkamerica]

2. It's hard to believe in much these days

except that the government is controlled by big business. I'm old enough now to realize that true revolutions are few and far between, but I think it would take a real dyed-in-the-wool revolution to relieve us of the burdens that mega-corporations have placed on our form of government. Unfortunately the main obstacle to that type of revolution is big business itself which has more power than most of us combined.

[leftofthedial]

3. more people might be covered, BUT

the "democrats," if anything, are even MORE in bed with the predatory financial companies (credit cards, mortgages, insurance companies) than are the repukes.

pharmaceuticals would likely be the losers in a "democratic" shift

[SoCalDem]

4. Sorry, but we are not getting universal health care in our lifetimes

To GET it would require pretty spiffy biometric IDs and remember, many people are absolutely paranoid about IDs..

Without them there would be NO way to ensure that only "deserving" people got access to health care.. Republicans are schizophrenic on this issue.. the libertarians among them will NEVER vote for the ID necessary to do it, even if they were personally in favor of it, and the rest of them would never vote for it if they thought even ONE "illegal" might get a free appendectomy,,

It's just good discussion material, but it's never gonna happen,, at least until all of us Boomers check out.. Once that happens, the demographics might allow for a modest and slightly messed up hybrid of insurance-run coverage..but never fear..it will still be less than necessary, and just enough for the legislators to pat themselves on the back..

[sandnsea]

5. Subsidized insurance

Very doable. I would bet you'd even get a lot of working class Repubicans demanding it. But if you want to hold out for single payer, well, then, no, probably won't happen in 2 years or 8 years of 20 years.

[madokie]

6. health care in america will remain the same for the most part as long as we have

the separation of classes that we have today. the haves, the have mores, the less fortunate and the downtrodden.

[Pyrzqxgl]

7. I don't know how it would change. I do know how it should change.

We need a single payer system (similar to the Canadian & French systems). We need Socialized medicine & health care.

[Rosemary2205]

8. WHY WHY WHY do people keep saying FREE.

Healthcare CANNOT be free. Healthcare is EXPENSIVE. All we are talking about here is a different system of paying for it. SOMEONE will pay for it. I understand there are Americans who think it should be SOMEONE ELSE. But in the end we will ALL pay for it in some fashion, either through taxation or higher prices on everything we buy.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. We're already paying the highest per capita...to put us in 37th place in health care.

It's not the health care that's so expensive. It's the overpriced health industry that is.

[Rosemary2205]

10. Health care will never be free.

You won't get any argument from me that health insurance and big pharm are sucking the life right out of our entire healthcare delivery system. But there are systemic problems in our society that greatly contribute to the cost of healthcare delivery in this country. We have to address the ENTIRE way we view delivering medical care.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. We have to reprioritize how our taxes are spent.

The truth is, that we could afford universal health care for all if we were willing to give up some of our other priorities..like a bloated military budget and our endless dabbling in other countries affairs to "protect our vital national interests" (aka - the empire).

[Rosemary2205]

12. IMHO it's not just about how much money we spend.

Anyone who owns a home will tell you it's much cheaper to pay for regular maintainance on the HVAC than it is to fix it when it breaks down on the coldest/hottest day of the year (which always seems to be a Saturday afternoon) :)

This country does not think of medical care in terms of wellness. We think of medical care in terms of fixing it AFTER it goes wrong. Americans need to start thinking about lifestyle changes that will help them avoid expensive medical issues longer.

From all the soda we drink, to all the sidewalks we don't build, to the schools so afraid of lawsuits that they outlaw playing tag. We have a systemic problem when it comes to health. Changing the way we think about that and what we do about that is not just about money. It's also about not buying the kids indoor games and buying them outdoor games instead. It's about teaching kids to like water instead of sweet tasting drinks. It's about dessert being a rare treat instead of a daily thing. Its about building community recreation centers with a wide variety of family based physical activities. It's about building safe and secure parks where people can get out and enjoy physical activities other than baseball and soccer fields (those are nice too).

We can't keep having half the country 50# or more overweight and expect medical care to stay affordable. IMHO we need to incrementally change the focus on medical care. Instead of throwing a $200 a month Zocor prescription at an obese person we need to be throwing a $50 a month rec center membership at them with prepaid trainers and REAL nutrition counseling. (For example)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. I'll have to leave the country to get affordable healthcare.