I had an idea of why Republicans don't want universal health coverage

[gadjitfreek]

And it's tied into the union battle that is being fought all over this country. Since health coverage is tied to employment, for the most part, if you quit your job, you lose your insurance. It's too expensive for the unemployed to afford on their own. If everyone had health coverage, a Medicare for All, as it were, then people would be free to leave their jobs and find better working conditions elsewhere. You would not be tied down because of insurance. You would not have to put up with increasingly hostile working environments, cuts in pay and mistreatment by management. You would be free to start your own small business (offering competition the large corporations don't want) or find employment elsewhere where you will actually be treated with dignity and respect. The Republicans and their corporate paymasters don't want Americans to have that kind of freedom. They want them kept in a perpetual state of fear that will make them agree to whatever concessions management demands of them. That is a large part of the union-busting movement...unions are the last place one can get some kind of workplace protections. Employer-based health insurance and the exponential rise in health care costs have essentially turned the American worker into little more than a slave.

Want to create jobs and opportunities for Americans? Universal health coverage. Want to cut medical costs? Stop spending billions of dollars to prolong the life of a dying person by "just one more month". Want to create real competition and a free market? Stop large corporations from buying out the smaller competition and killing it. Enforce anti-trust laws. Stop giving tax breaks to companies that already pay no taxes and ship our jobs overseas. Impose tariffs on imports from American companies manufacturing abroad. Invest in rebuilding our own country instead of bombing everyone else's. The solutions are not hard, but they will cost those who profit the most from our current banana republic the most. They want people to sacrifice? Then start with those who can afford to sacrifice the most instead of exempting them from sacrifice.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. I've ad pretty much the same thoughts over the years.

Best thing that could happen to startup business in this country would be universal health coverage.

[canoeist52]

2. My father-in-law said the same back in the 70's.

Said that health insurance through companies would one day be considered the worst thing that could have happened to us. I thought he was wrong at the time but has now come to pass.

[Turbineguy]

3. It goes to that thing George Carlin said

about "obedient workers".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jQT7_rVxAE&feature=related

As for the banana republic, a guy I worked with told me that part of the denial process in alcoholics is to be clean (well shaved!) and nicely dressed ("I can't be a drunk, I don't look like one!"). The USA is a banana republic in denial.

[SmileyRose]

4. You hit on one of the reasons - I think without realizing it.

Stop spending billions of dollars to prolong the life of a dying person by "just one more month

Actually they don't prolong life - they prolong dying.

Throw together a doctor's fear of being sued if they tell a patient "you are dying" with the pure greed in our medical delivery system. Nearly 80% of the profits realized by big pharm is made in the last year of people's lives. Any attempt to end that gravy train and the greedy are going to start screaming "death panels" to scare the shit out of those folks who think everyone has a right to spend a $Million or more in the last year of life to buy a few more days on earth.

This idea that Democrats want to pull the plug on grandma is just insane. But there's a balance between "kill off grandma" and "pull out all the stops". We need to have a reasoned discussion in this country and until we do, medical costs are going to continue to escalate - and profits for the providers as well.

[Martin Eden]

5. Republican Anti-Freedom agenda

Part of it is shackling people to their jobs because they can't risk losing health insurance.

[MatthewStLouis]

6. First we have to force congress to buy their own coverage!

We should drop health care coverage for everyone in congress. Make them buy their own health insurance on the supposed 'free market'. What an eye opener that would be! Better yet, in a sort of scorched earth kind of vein, maybe everyone should be forced to buy coverage on the 'free market'. Wouldn't that make people pay attention!

I currently have to buy my own coverage and it raises my blood pressure every time I think of how my public option was taken away by a bunch of self serving !@#@#@^#!&!#&^*%*(#^&(*(%@^@(%@^@*!@#$^#$&#!$&!#$&!#$&!#%&!$&!$%&!$&''s!!!!!!!!!

[WingDinger]

7. Or to use correct terminology, UHC would increase wage pressure.

Wage pressure being the thing that all or most FED action is aimed to curtail.