This story was previously titled "Whistleblower Tells Of Americas Nightmare For It's Sick Poor"
Whistleblower Tells Of Americas Nightmare For It's Sick Poor »
Posted By Mikunited 4 months ago in Political NewsWhen an insurance firm boss saw a field hospital for the poor in Virginia, he knew he had to speak out
Read Full Story at guardian.co.uk »
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Mikunited
I'm 49 and work as a painter and decorator.I live in London,with my long time partner,she is a teacher.We have ...
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Mikunited4 months ago
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If Canada,The UK,France,Germany,the Scandinavian nations,Australia,New Zealand and just about every other advanced nation,has universal healthcare,why hasn't a mighty nation like the USA.
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I am an Englishman living in London,here 95% of people see our National health system, as the"jewel in our crown"It is one area of our lives, where the profit motive only exists at the fringes.For instance one can buy better food etc.The European average spent on healthcare is less than 10% of GNP.An average Western European lives longer than the average American.So why does the USA persist in a corrupt system,where shareholders profits are of more importance than citizens healthcare,at least by the health insurers.
The USA has so much going for it,it does many things better than anyone else.My G_d,here in the UK we have anachronisms like a monarchy,so I'm not playing the"my country is better than yours game"Yet here even the conservatives are proud of out NHS,as are all the other nations I mentioned at the start of this post,of their universal health systems.
What Obama is trying to do is very moderate,but a positive step.You just cant have upwards of 15% of the population on 3rd World medicine.Don't be scared of by the right-wings scaremongering about socialized medicine.I think Obama doesn't go far enough,but it is a good start.
Just e-mail,phone,write or in someway communicate to your representatives and insist they vote for this bill-
sonofreasonComment removed: Hard Banned8 Replies
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JohnGaultComment removed: Spam
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JohnGaultComment removed: Spam
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JohnGault4 months ago
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I'll try this again.
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As I had this discussion with another propeller member what makes your horror stories better or worse than my horror stories. And if our goals is choosing between the lesser of two evils, then wouldn't mean we are looking in the wrong direction?
One of the reasons, that this is a special country is we have the ability to de-centralize the power structure, as we push, the power out to the local level, we the INDIVIDUAL have more control locally. So I say that, to say this, This should be a State issue, being the states have the greatest ability to meet the needs of its constituents. This would also be the greatest clearing house of finding out what works and what doesn't without risking a complete collapse. We are not in the best place fiscally to make such a large gamble on a system, which itself is flawed.
Painting people who oppose this bill as people who don't care about the poor or other nonsense is stupid.
Two final points. Whomever said " This could be Obama's waterloo" is just the type of comment that politicize an issue that should not be politicized. Making this a win-lose is a lose-lose discussion, its about coming up with the best solution period.
Whatever bill comes out needs to be DEBATED by the creators of the bill and its opposition section by section. Instead of all the misinformation that distracts us, tell us plainly what this bill is, and is not. In their own words and on the record. -
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Icantwait4 months ago
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My Fellow Americans: We are reading the script of Obama telling us how wonderful Health Care is for Countries that have pathetic Health Care. Convince our representatives on the word of a Limy.
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Our Health Care is Second to None and no matter what Obama or the English, French, Russians, Germans, Scandinavians, Australians, or Martians tell you don't believe on single word of that Trash Talk.
Yes, it needs a little fixing. Get the useless illegal invaders off of it along with those that refuse to work. It will go back to be the same wonderful plan it was been before the Liberals decided to Baby Sit all those Freeloaders. The Real American -
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ettucatk4 months ago
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Mikunited, who said: "I am an Englishman living in London,here 95% of people see our National health system, as the"jewel in our crown"It is one area of our lives, where the profit motive only exists at the fringes".............Sure, and I am the Pope living in the Vatican. If 95% are so happy, why do those who can afford it come to the USA when they need tests and procedures that they cannot get in England, either because their number has popped up yet, or they are deemed too old or not worth the money? Bet you are from ACORN.
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calitennflo4 months ago
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Amendment XIV
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Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Equal protection of the laws, require we have the same benefits as Oboma or anyone else there in Washington has, they do not deserve more...they get only what is just compensation...and they have to do something that is not diminishing...or they are not paid! -
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orndorffter4 months ago
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This Senate and Congress forget, we voted them in and we can vote them out. they to are working for the people of america and I know on each side Dem and Reps well be voted out. they have good haelth care why should they worrie about us to them we are juse peaunts but these peaunts can ane well vote them out.
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Charlson4 months ago
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The Republicans and blue-dog Democrats really don't care about the poor and their lack of health care. They pay lip service but never back it up with action unless it benefits the companies who lobby them (pay-offs) for their veto votes. It's up to the PEOPLE to tell them that if they vote against the interests of health care for all Americans, we'll vote them out of office in 2010.
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sonofreasonComment removed: Hard Banned9 Replies
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aceofspades14 months ago
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Unless you are using hospital facilities for elective care, I doubt that anyone in the US has been able to get that care without first having to go through the indignities of being admitted through the emergency room.
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The emergency room has also become the de facto primary care facility , at a huge price, I might add, for any illness or complaint a person might have that was previously done by a general practitioner. Can a national health care system be any worse? -
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jallplaynowork4 months ago
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It's not just the poor who go without (or very limited) health care!! What about those of us who actually pay for insurance yet still cannot afford to go to the doctor when we need? We pay $1000.00 a month for health "insurance", yet beginning this year, we have NO co-pays, everything is out of pocked unti we reach a $5000.00 deductible. That puts us in between a rock and a hard place! Cannot build up deductible unless you visit the doc., yet cannot afford to pay 100% of the bill so you limit your visits and prescriptions! Not only that, unless you can afford to carry two plans for a month, you are stuck since it is very hard to get coverage (and no coverage for pre-excisting conditions) with any break in insurance coverage! What about people like us, it's not just the poor suffering!!!
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rimbaud4 months ago
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Really high deductibles make the insurance premium affordable: you pay for most of your care but feel protected in case something catastrophic happens quickly using up your deductible. Just be sure the lifetime limit on your policy is very high, otherwise your sacrifice in giving your insurance company a free ride on your non-catastrophic care, will not pay off should you get really sick.
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sonofreasonComment removed: Hard Banned3 Replies
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DarkWizard4 months ago
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FTA - "Last month he testified in Congress, becoming one of the few industry executives to admit that what its critics say is true: healthcare insurance firms push up costs, buy politicians and refuse to pay out when many patients actually get sick. In chilling words he told a Senate committee: 'I worked as a senior executive at health insurance companies and I saw how they confuse their customers and dump the sick: all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors.'"
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How many times will "Wall Street" have to pop up in a congressional hearing for them to understand where the problems lie? Our economic issues keep coming back to a morally bankrupt business system that has no investment in the human side of the equation. Of course, "buying politicians" shows why our government turns a deaf ear to public outcries and rage.-
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joeblowe4 months ago
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Corruption is bad for everyone - EXCEPT the persons involved (until they get caught). If we could get rid of corruption in government AND business, we would be so much better off it would be amazing. I do think that instead of all this government takeover PERHAPS an option to consider would be REQUIRING all health insurance companies to be non-profit corporations. They would still employ just as many people, costs would be less, and the quality of care wouldn't suffer. The only ones would would "loose" would be those currently holding stock in high-profit health insurers. I guess the government could screw them over the same way they screwed over the bondholders at GM, right?
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Hidenfinkle4 months ago
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Insurance lobbies are huge and the political ****** that take their money have no interest in giving up the health insurance cash cow that they have been milking for years. Insurance companies charge whatever they want for premiums and they raise those premiums at will. They also exclude anybody they want from coverage. There has to be some competition for your health care dollar and the US government is the only entity big enough and with pockets deep enough to provide that competition....only then will insurance companies learn that they aren't the only game in town. Our Congressman and Senators have the very best health insurance available and they pay NOTHING for it. We the people pay for it and if it is good enough for them it should be made available to the rest of us for a reasonable price....If not, let them start PAYING
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for their coverage maybe then they will wake up and vote for national health care. -
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jb0702724 months ago
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The scare tactics that we are hearing now are the same used for the last 40 years. I remember when my employer sponsored health insurance was paid by my employer 100% and I had a 0 deductable. In later years the deductable was 20% and I paid $20.00 per month. Now my employer give me $500.00 and tells me to find the best coverage. I'm greatful to get the $500.00 and very glad I'm able to put another $500.00 per month for coverage but I worry as I am getting older there will come a time when either I will not be able to afford coverage or most likely the insurance simply will not offer a 59 year old coverage. Meanwhile I notice the health care company stock prices are increasing in value along with the amount of "contributions" made to their favorite congressman and or senator.
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teeballComment removed: Hard Banned
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aceofspades14 months ago
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My 94 year old mother inlaw was taken by ambulance (volunteer corps no cost) to the hospital this morning at 9 A.M. due to difficulty in breathing
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It is now 9:30 PM & she has been lying on a gurney in the emergency room all this time.
The doctors who are treating her are unknown to her. Their abilities unknown.
She has medicare- which she paid for her during her working life & now as deductions from her SS check. She has AARP secondary insurance with a high premium- yet she's still lying there on that gurney.
What the hell would be any different if we had a national health plan? Would the emergency room still be charging about $6000 for the last 12 1/2 hours? Would she still have to give up some little pleasures in life so that she could pay her current insurance premiums?
Would the residents treating right now be any different?
GET REAL- WE NEED A NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN-- hope some of the critics here can live to be 94 & enjoy those days in the emergency room -
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elmabryant4 months ago
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I was complaing about my experiance in the emergncy room and the massive bill I got afterwards and a woman jumped in and said this....
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"5 hours crying out in pain on a hospital chair just to be seen for 15 minutes to be told I could not be treated because I have no insurance and sent a $7,000 bill. I got medicade and found out that if I was treated then things would have been difrrent. Now can not have children. I don't smoke, don't drink, I live clean, go to work, go to school, Please tell me exactly what it is that I have done wrong to deserve this fate?"
The only ones that don't need a national health care plan are the rich. And I say rich cause you are if you can just pull that money out up front to get seen, you are.
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