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F'ing incredible that the USA doesn't have universal healthcare yet. We lose so much efficiency, productivity, and creativity because of it. One of the primar
by kevmo 3y ago
F'ing incredible that the USA doesn't have universal healthcare yet. We lose so much efficiency, productivity, and creativity because of it. One of the primary reasons our average living standards keep going down.
- pohl 3y agoGot to fight tooth and nail to protect tax cuts for bajillionaires, yo. Who knows, any one of us might be one someday.
- kevmo 3y agoI always scoff at all of the endless "How will we pay for it???" crap. We'll pay for it by cutting out massive inefficiencies like the insurance system (which is basically a giant RICO scam), which would introduce an incredible burst of innovation and efficiency, as Americans got unshackled from jobs they were only in for insurance benefits & were able to take more creative risks and move into jobs more suited for them. Also, the way we do healthcare straight up costs twice as much while also producing less care.
- keithnz 3y agoyeah, I find it odd, just add up the revenue of the health insurance industry, that's how much you americans are paying, then see how much profit and overheads they have, that's how much health care money is directly not going to actual health outcomes, and then work out if you can do a better system. Should be a case that overall, everyone pays less and you get better outcomes. But, I can't see it ever happening for you guys. Americans are weird, they seem ok when americans let americans die and suffer, but if anyone else trys it, they spend whatever they have to show the world not to mess with America.
- hnbad 3y agoLiterally. What is called "profit" in a private industry is what would be called "waste" in a public service. It's literally money that runs through the system and accumulates rather than being used. Ironically when politicians want to run a public service more "like a business", they will try to squeeze the budget to cut costs to in turn justify further cuts until the service fails to do what it was originally meant to do and has to be replaced by a for-profit industry that generates an even larger overhead at even more cost to society once you factor in the fees, subsidies and other factors.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3y agoWe were just one Senate vote away (Joe Lieberman) from getting a public option during the Obama administration. The law essentially needed a 60% supermajority to pass and it had 59% support of our legislature. Quite tragic - the next generation may get to try again.
- dbg31415 3y agoYup. The guy from Connecticut had to side with the insurance lobby. He had been on the ticket with Gore in 2000, so this was a total betrayal by a democrat. He didn’t even run for reelection after that vote, so he just burned everyone for no reason other than he wanted to keep the system we have today that hurts people and helps insurance companies. This guy is trash.
- dbg31415 3y agohttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/16/joe-lieberman-barack-obama-us-healthcare https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/16/joe-lieberman-...
- kevmo 3y agoYou can try right now.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3y agoIt will not stand a chance without a filibuster-proof majority. Time is better spent pursuing policy changes that actually stand a realistic chance of passing.
- dpkirchner 3y agoPoliticians claim they're in favor of small business and then refuse to enact the simplest changes (as in, reducing the age of eligibility for Medicare) that would reduce business overhead.
- samstave 3y agoOOH LOOK a shiny new proxy war we can grift off - lets make sure senators with no business there get to go schmooze with the top brass as we siphon through the MIC! - The US is a plastic Imperialist joke of "democracy" -- its Oligarchs all the way down. Always has been.
- berniedurfee 3y agoBootstraps and all that…
- stcroixx 3y agoLots of people don't want universal health care for reasons that are not incredible. I've had employer provided insurance I'm happy with ever since I left my student insurance plan over 25 years ago and have few complaints about it. I'd prefer not to risk transitioning to a universal system that might provide worse care than what I've always had. Kaiser in CA for example is the worst insurance I've had - would not want to return to anything like that where there is a single network of providers. That was my mistake though - I didn't have to choose Kaiser, I had other options.
- neongodzilla 3y agoSo millions of Americans don't have access to healthcare and die early because they can't afford it, but you don't want things to change because you're comfortable? Got it.
- stcroixx 3y agoI advocate for myself, others should do the same. Medicaid is there for retirees and disabled folks and the rest of us should be working. I don't know what these millions you mention are doing where they can't afford healthcare, but there are plenty of job and education opportunities out there that will provide insurance if you're willing to study and work, which I think is fair.
- s5300 3y ago[dead]
- hotpotamus 3y agoWhat if someone trying to pay for their kid's chemo hit you over the head with a hammer to take your wallet and left you unable to continue your current line of work?
- OfSanguineFire 3y agoUniversal health care doesn’t preclude the existence of private care. A number of countries have universal public health care, but if you want to pay extra, there is also private insurance and a private network of physicians and hospitals.
- adamredwoods 3y agoAn easier first step would be to force all healthcare and hospitals to be non-profit, and never enter the stock market. Shareholders want profit, and an easy way to profit on healthcare is to deny benefits.