UPDATE: So in the comments it was pointed out that maybe I should give you my own opinion on the issue of healtchare reform. So here it is.
My opinion is that reform needs to happen. The insurance companies have too much power over individuals when it comes to receiving healtchare. The fact that the insurance companies have employees whose sole purpose is to turn down claims based on pre-existing conditions is disgusting. While there is discussion about limiting excessive pay on Wall Street, there is no talk of limiting insurance companies abilities to turn away customers who have paid into the system but get cut from it when the insurance company feels a need to.
Next, the issue of the public option which sounds like medicare for everyone. Right now I don't have healthcare. I don't want to go to the doctor, but I do want to go to the dentist. So what should I do. A public option would allow me to be enrolled in a program which would hopefully allow me to go see a dentist. And maybe down the road go see a doctor if I would like. But how are we going to pay for it? I can tell you right now I can't afford more taxes or fees.
And finally, my last issue is with mandates. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. So how are we free when the government forces us to buy healthcare? In California we have a similar situation with car insurance. It is called the Compulsory Financial Responsibility Law. Healthcare reform should not include a mandate. It should be an individual's choice.
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Over the last month the blog has been experiencing some technical difficulties. Posts kept disappearing. Luckily I was able to repost them. This time though when they came back, the lost the comments.
So as I regroup and try to figure out what direction to take this blog, I would like to have an open thread. The discussion will be centered around what your individual opinion is on the issue of universal healthcare for America.
Leave a comment and tell me what you think about the healthcare issue. It has definetly been the biggest topic of the summer with all of the townhalls across the country. Do you want healthcare for all? Are you against it? Why are you against it? Why are you for it? Who do you think will pay for it? Was President Obama lying when he said illegal immigrants would not be covered? Will the country be able to afford it?
RE:Something I have been thinking of is why don't we have the oil companies pay for healthcare. Don't they usually have billions in profit each year?
Why don't we have the nations 2547 state and local government run retirement systems pay for the nations health care....
....according to the census bureau there are over 2500, with the biggest being CALPERS, retired california state employees and CALSTRS, retired california teachers
According to the census bureau, these 2547 government run retirement systems have $3 trillion stashed away in wall street, foreign markets, and worldwide real estate....even bankrupt city of ventura has $168 million stashed away for public employee retirement
the city of thousand oaks has $270 million stashed away(but i say the $270 million is to buy the current city manager his own private island to retire on....the city of thousand oaks voted life time health benefits for its last city manager)
No reason these 2547 government retirement systems, which never pay a single dime in taxes, can't finance america's health care...obama says all he needs is $90 billion a year
Here is the 2007 cash and investment holding by state:
california's 59 government retirement systems held $667 billion dollars
http://www.census.gov/govs/retire/2007ret04-1.html
Here is the census bureau's count of state and local government retirement systems:
pennsylvania has a whopping 903 government run retirement systems
http://www.census.gov/govs/retire/2007ret05.html
Why not start with telling us your opinion.
Also, I don't see any proposals on universal healthcare.None of the plans being pushed are a UK or Canadian style plan. I do see health insurance reform though and that's what I assume you mean.
Oil companies and every company that produces chemicals and/or agents that are proven to harm people's health should contribute to the new healthcare system.
Since Tony Strickland is an agent for tobacco companies he should pay taxes on the money he gets from them.
Why does healthcare for the American people have to be deficit neutral? All the Republicans stupid ideas that never help the American people aren't. Was Dean Kunicki's lobbyistâs deficit neutral? What about the Iraq war? Deficit neutral?
It's not too late to bring the Iraq war closer to being defect neutral. Bring the Republicans to justice.
RE:Also, I don't see any proposals on universal healthcare.None of the plans being pushed are a UK or Canadian style plan.
But we already have Universal Healthcare....the taxpayers, who can't afford their own health care, already universally give free health care to every public employees and poor person in the country, or heavily subsidize it....
I think the public option is the best part. If there is no public option in this bill then the whole thing should be scrapped.