Health Care Reform

[Harvest]

Somebody PLEASE tell me what the fuck is going on with this?  This bill, what does it do.  Before I do any debating, tell me..is it giving free healthcare for all?  Or what?

Is this universal healthcare?  Or just reduced costs?

The news is making republicans look like fucking pricks with their protests. 

[kotorfanboy]

It's just a public option. So if you don't have private health care, you can get some from the government. It's basically medicare and medicaid expanded so everyone can get it if they want. So you can keep your private health care system if you want to, or switch to the public health care system if you want to.

The republican objections are typically

1. It will eventually lead to complete universal health care, because no business can keep up with the government. I personally find this point to be a bit self-defeating, because the rich could still use their "higher quality" health care because the price differences between government health care and private health care would be negligible to them. And if they are switching to government health care because it's just as good quality for cheaper prices...then how is that a bad thing? If there is a distinct quality difference, then government will never "take over," because the upper class will always have enough income to get the "better quality." If there is no quality difference, then yea, government will take over health care, and that will be a good thing, because really the only qualm republicans have about universal health care is poor quality.

2. Part of the bill, and a source of many protests, is that current health insurance obligates that the elderly in need of an organ transplant get that organ transplant immediately. The new bill makes that no longer obligatory, and basically says the doctor and patient talk over whether the organ transplant is worth it, or should they proverbially "pull the plug." Because organ transplants are cost a lot, and an insured 90-year-old might get an organ transplant before an uninsured 18-year-old. Basically, it talks things over first instead of obligated to do it immediately. At least, this is what I believe all this fuss is; someone else may need to clarify.

3. Raised taxes.

[Jamaha]

The American healthcare seems messed up anyway.

[Harvest]

Sarah Palin apparently said (or so my dad told me) that it will be like a panel of government judges deciding on whether someone is going to live or die.

To me it seems like thats the way it is now, a panel of insurance judges deciding if they should let you live.

In Canada, if you get sick, you go to the hospital, you get treated for free, hooray.  Of course, some people do die waiting for operations etc.

The Canadian government is debating however on whether to let the rich and semi rich to pay for their own healthcare to bring down the wait times.  It would seem in the states its just rich people protesting letting poor people get health care.

[KefkaticFanatic]

tl;dr

Republicans are paranoid morons, everything will be fine.

[Cobraroll]

^There's also a lot of lobbyism in there. Insurance companies earn lots of money on the current system.

Also, people, watch Michael Moore's Sicko. Now, I hadn't seen the other side's arguments, but the way Moore presented it, the American system looks very skewed. Also, the parts from Norway were taken out of the film, because Moore thought people wouldn't believe it

By the way, what is the average/typical income tax rate in the USA? Percentage-wise, I mean? Ours is upwards to 40%, but as it raises with the person's income, it can theoretically get up to 4-500%, with every bit of tax included.

[Roz~]

In Canada, if you get sick, you go to the hospital, you get treated for free, hooray.  Of course, some people do die waiting for operations etc.

Yes, it is free here, but our system definetly needs improvments. Some people are going to the hospital just because they have a cold... I don't really think that it is acceptable, because it penalizes the really sick persons. As for de delays for operations, it usually is from 6 months to 2 years, so that's why a lot of people die waiting for an organ. And it usually takes time at the hospital, too. Once I was an "emergency case", and I waited for 3 hours. I also had to wait 9 hours straight to know I had a bronchitis. Hooray.

[Harvest]

Yes there are idiots who think a cold is serious.  They need to go to the walk in clinics, like I did when I had bronchitis.  I just went to a clinic and waited maybe 15 minutes.

[Dude]

tl;dr

Republicans are paranoid morons, everything will be fine.

Somehow I doubt that.

[Davey]

>Canadians
>Worried about American Healthcare

[Harvest]

Yes thats exactly me.

Also, fuck, the amount of retarded fucking idiots in the world is astounding.  People are calling Obama a Socialist, Marxist, and stupidest of all, a Nazi.  If you say he is a Nazi, I honestly think you should have your balls cut off or your tubes tide to prevent any reproduction.

[Davey]

Sounds like you're getting trolled.

[KefkaticFanatic]

No, people actually think that.  See: southern US.

[Davey]

No, people actually think that.  See: southern US.

I still think people can't be that illogical. They're doing it for the lulz, I can feel it.

[KefkaticFanatic]

Then you need to take a visit there.  People really are that stupid.