Everyone should question a policy that will never happen. Broken hopes. instead of working on a health care reform...obama spent his time this week "pardoning" black panthers accused of voter intimidation. figures about the outcome. thats where the time is being spent; rather then trying to find a cure for D1 or other diseases.
he loosened the restrictions on stem cell research which has the potential for a cure (for other debilitating diseases as well as diabetes). if you want to get REALLY technical about it... bush put major restrictions on stem cell research, which some would say hindered the advancement of a possible cure.
i don't feel we can look to a president (or any policital leader) to find a cure for a specific disease. while they can show their support in funding and research, it will ultimately be up to the scientists behind it.
i'm not saying i agree either way, but i'm simply bringing up a point to be the devil's advocate :o)
Can someone direct me to a link or site where I can read the 1018 page version? I will read it. I already have a hard time sleeping, so this probably won't interfere with that any more.
Thank you.
HA.
have fun with that one.
[quote user="Crochet Nut"]
Can someone direct me to a link or site where I can read the 1018 page version? I will read it. I already have a hard time sleeping, so this probably won't interfere with that any more.
Thank you.
[/quote]
Hopefully this works
http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
I too am skeptical. The gov'mnt can't do social security or medicare/caid so what makes us think they'll get healthcare right. I agree costs are high - but that's more bc the medicare is not paying enough, too many people are suing drs and hospitals for stupid stuff (you know, ambulance chasers??) and they have to pay for that some how so they raise costs...a lot is b/c we as a nation are so spoiled and wasteful.
I saw a story about a dr. in the midwest who doesn't take any insurance and his costs are really low. They asked how and he said, bc he didn't have to pay three clerical people to process the insurance paperwork!! hmmm???
What if, instead of depending on insurance, we all had savings so that we could pay cash for our healthcare - it would cost less and we it would be our money instead of flushing down the toilet of insurance premiums - my employer pays $600+ for my insurance every month - fortunately, I don't have health issues...but what if I got that money in my pay check - put it in an HSA and then that money would be MINE!!! not the insurance company's and if I need it for health care I have it!!
AND people go to the dr. for everything!!! this is wasteful!! you don't have to go for every runny nose and every sore throat...come on!! if we quit abusing the benefit, - once again - the few ruin it for the many!! and I don't think anybody understands what a true emergency is!! And someone answer this - why are people from other countries coming here for medical care? bc at home, their waiting list is 6 months!! if you have cancer, 6 months could be too late!! If this new reform goes into effect, who's going to want to pay $400,000 for medical school and then get nothing!!! we won't have any drs.!!!!!! that will be a problem...a huge problem....there's no easy answer here.
And i don't remember who said it, but what about obesity?? It's an epidemic of selfish and costly proportions!! I don't want to pay for someone's health issues b/c they can't control their eating habits!!! seriously!! There are some huge consequences w/ obesity!!!! If i were a dr. and my patient was morbidly obese, if I didn't see some progress - i would not help that person. My midwife asked if i smoked and told me she would not see me if I did..b/c smoking is bad and devastating for pregnancy...same with overeating!!!
speaking of soap boxes....i'm done
This has been an interesting post to follow. I know there are many opinions. I agree with Lauren that I will be p***ed if I have to pay for health care for people who are morbidly obese and don't do anything about it. Similar to the little cartoon at the top of the page - I will be the person taking cupcakes away from morbidly obese people if this thing passes! The only way to control costs in this bill will be to get people to take better care of themselves according to some standard and do you really want some beareaucrat telling you that your A1C is not low enough, or that you should be doing x, y, z to manage your T1?
I agree with Paul (and others) that we do need health care reform - and we need it now. But I believe this really means insurance reform. Stop letting the insurance industry be the ones to ration care. Really give us a free market to purchase our own insurance instead of relying on our employers and the 1-3 choices they decide to offer. (Think Auto insurance! And we don't need a government option in there.) Let each person/family decide what is best for them - not what is cheapest for the employer. And then give them a certain amount of income that is tax free to apply toward health insurance. You can pay more for health insurance if you need or want more, but then the difference can be taxed. And finally, yes, the US Government should provide catastrophic health insurance for everyone and we can keep Medicaid (hopefully with some improvements) for the poor. I believe this would naturally equalize rates because insurancy companies would want the biggest pools of customers and would drop rates and or increase benefits to get them!
My beef with Obama is that to date NO ONE has really explained what problems his plan solves, what its downsides are, and what it will cost. Every decision has pros and cons and we are not getting a clear picture with his - just continued repetition of "We need reform now! We can't afford to wait! No one else has a viable plan!" Well then explain why none of the other plans that have been offered are not viable - and that can't be because they don't meet some pre-conceived notion determined by Obama (like there MUST be a public option or I won't consider your plan!)
OK - someone else's turn now...the soap box is free.
I'll take the reins........
President Obama's Healthcare reform initiative is something we should all be able to get behind as Diabetics, or family members of people with ANY medical condition. We live in the most affluent country in the world, but can't seem to get something so simple correct as healthcare. This is people's lives we are talking about! Enough of the NOBAMA, mis-information, hate smearing, and hoping the man will fail. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but when I hear people take these courses on this issue I know to turn them off, they simply aren't intelligent enough to participate in this important issue. Bottom line, we live in America where we have have the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. How anyone can be denied healthcare is absolutly insane. My parents have tried to find my health insurance every since I was diagnosed, insurance companies do not want to take on a diabetic! We can only lose money for them. This is only one reason why we need a change to the healthcare system today. Have you heard of people with "pre-exisiting conditions" being denied coverage? Everyone living breathing human being should be insured. No one, while being rushed to the emergency room, should have to say to the ambulence crew "I'am not insured! I don't know if I can afford to go to the hospital!" <True story, real life family friend> I would argue that it is a basic human right at this point. People like to call this Obama's "Socialized Medicine", but what they fail to realize is that we already have a socialized education system, a socialized police force and a socialized fire force. These are all basic human needs that we HAVE realized should not be for profit. Ever heard of Medi-care? Social Security? Healthcare should not be about making money!
To sum up. President Obama is trying to make this country a better place. Here are some things he is NOT going to do, despite what any ignorant person mgith say:
He is not trying to kill your grandparents by taking away their doctors.
He is not ever going to setup a system where the government picks your doctor.
This is not the government takeover of America.
This will not mandate abortion or sex change operations.
<These are just a few things Ive heard, even from naive family members>
What is being proposed right now is not government run healthcare, this is HEALTHCARE REFORM.
Here are some facts:
If you are currently not insured, you will be insured under Obama's plan.
Those who simply can't afford health insurance, will now be insured.
If you are currently insured, you will continue to be insured.
If you are currently insured, you will now have OPTIONS for your insurance.
If your company makes more then 250,000 a year, you are required to insure your employees. <This was in the last version I read, something my father, as a small business owner is not happy about.>
We are all currently being exploited to the fullest by the medical industry. Take a quick look at how healthcare is handeled in some of the European countries, you'll think you are reading about a different world. Here's a quick story for you. A friend of mine was vacationing in the UK last summer, had an accident while biking, and broke her arm. She went to the emergency room, was asked her name, what the problem was, and was immediatly admited and taken care of. Several hours later she walked out with a pat on the back, a prescripion for pain meds, and NO BILL WHATSOEVER. She isn't even a British citizen......Not saying we need to pay for the healthcare of other countries as well, but some world huh?
Here is my last little tidbit, though I'm sure I'll be back to comment on this thread <this issue has kind of become my personal crusade>. There are more people out there being paid big money to kill this legislation for no legitimate reason then anything else in America right now. There are multi billion dollar companies who are set to lose big money should we reform our healthcare industry. They will pay and do ANYTHING to keep the world the way it is, to prevent change, and to contiue to make money off of other people suffering. The sicker we are, the more money they make. At the very least it should be the opposite. I don't think anyone could disagree with me on that. Thank you for your time reading this. I hope it was thoughtfully presented.
My congressman, Jay Inslee hosted conference call Wednesday night on this very subject. I wasn't able to listen because I was at the Seattle Sounders FC vs. Barcelona soccer game. We got killed 4-0 in case anyone was interested. Anyway, he has posted the call on youtube where anyone can listen to it. Then he opens it up for questions and some ask questions very similar to the ones asked here. So, if you got a little time, give it a listen. I did and it's very informative. Knowledge is power.
[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=428W7_aMCVA]
Personally I want Socalized Medicine, but I would take an insurance plan(which is basically what this health care reform is) just because once I hit 24, getting insurance without my parents is gonna be a pain. If I work in a place where they dont offer insurance, and I have to get it on my own I'm gonna be paying a shit ton of extra money and thats only if I get accepted which being a Diabetic is rare since it is seen as uninsurable.
Also The united states are the only ONLY industrialized country that doesnt have some form of socalized medicine. Whats up with that?
well, we're not a socialist country- although, I guess if that's what everyone wants...i guess we will be. and again, i want to restate, that medicaid and medicare and social security are broken and a pain...we'll spend more time missing work b/c we have to go fill out paper work to maybe some day get coverage...and see a doctor - these systems are NOT WORKING!
we currently get 'government care' for T1...yeah - it's "free" but nothing is free...it takes all day to see a doctor - that's a day off work - unpaid if you dont have PTO...then you're told you can only see an endo twice...period!!! There's no nurse on call we can contact if we have questions, we don't get to call and talk to the dr. we don't get any support what so ever. do you get that!!!???? we now have to go private to see dr (out of our pocket) if we want him to see an endo...and how many of you know that endo care is critical to T1?? Then b/c he has kidney damage - we have to drive 2 hours (another whole day off and travel) to go to the clinic that has a dr...i'm just sayin'... you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out....
If the government could run the programs that they already have and do it well..i might not be as skeptical..however, they're not.
I agree, things need to change - but let's make the right change.
I find it interesting that many of us are concerned about the state of healthcare, but we are only concerned about OUR healthcare. Many seem to be concerned about helping to pay the bills for obese individuals, because obesity "must" be a conscious decision. What about other conditions? Some would take this logic further to declare type 2 diabetics should not be covered because it is a lifestyle issue. How do you draw the line? Why do we support improving quality of life for all in theory, but not in application? As a whole country, we lose efficiency if individuals cannot take time off to see a doctor. This leads to long term conditions that could be relieved had they been treated sooner. This results in more health spending and more days off, a double whammy.
I am somewhat confused about the concern over socialist elements...minimum wage is a socialist concept, should we get rid of that too?
I think most of the time the general public is paying attention to Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly rather than figuring out for themselves how universal healthcare works and what the gov'ts plan is. They fail to realize that we already have social programs here in the US and have had them for decades but for some strange reason you mention universal healthcare and people start doing backflips and screaming that the "Evil Empire" is back. Sometimes I think it is 1985 again when these discussions come up.
[quote user="Laurel"]
we currently get 'government care' for T1...yeah - it's "free" but nothing is free...it takes all day to see a doctor - that's a day off work - unpaid if you dont have PTO...then you're told you can only see an endo twice...period!!! There's no nurse on call we can contact if we have questions, we don't get to call and talk to the dr. we don't get any support what so ever. do you get that!!!???? we now have to go private to see dr (out of our pocket) if we want him to see an endo...and how many of you know that endo care is critical to T1?? Then b/c he has kidney damage - we have to drive 2 hours (another whole day off and travel) to go to the clinic that has a dr...i'm just sayin'... you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out....
[/quote]
VA right? I used to go to the VA hospital in Dallas for my D care. I could still go to the VA now if I wanted to. But ever since I got a job with health insurance in 1987, I haven't been back. Laurel is right, it's bad. I used to spend half a day a the VA hospital which was 60 miles from my house for what a private doctor does in less than an hour. You wait a lot. Bring a good book. (This was in the day before iPods!) In the past when government health care plans were discussed that if you think you want socialized medicine, go visit a VA hospital and tell me what you think. This is how we treat our "heros".
That said, the plan congress is discussing is NOT the same thing. But I must admit I'm also nervous about it. But really, we have to do something so that people can move freely from job to job or even get laid off and not have to worry about providing health care for them and their family. What would any of us do if we lost our job and insurance and had to start buying all this stuff out of pocket with no income? Scary. I could go back to the VA, but most can't even do that.
I can add to this. My significant other goes to the VA. He got copies of his blood work. His cholesterol is sky high. I wept with frustration. No one called him. He is thin, very, by the way. Eric_Carpenter, thank you for your words and your thoughts. I needed to read that.
I just saw the posted link. Thank you. Also, I have culled out half of this post because I went and read it again, and it was offensive. I hope no one was in the 4 a.m. awake zone with me and saw it. If you did, just forget it, please...
So I am on p 18 which seems to be mostly a discussion of the conditions under which an insurance policy which was carried out before the change of insurance procedures was put into effect in 2013, or Y1 (year 1, under this language), would be allowed. If a person wants to keep the insurance he/she currently has, this can be done, if it meets certain standards of operation, including allowing dependents including spouses to be covered and keeping the same rates in application for those grandfathered as those who were included with the new insurance. I think this is to prevent disparities in care. Anyway. More later. I am still reading. Thanks again for the wonderful link.
I LOVE page 19. I think there are loopholes in the grace period and grandfather coverage pages for health insurance companies. 19 has to do with no pre existing condition stipulations. I still don't see the part where insurance companies can simply refuse to cover people. I think it's better to just completely forbid health insurance companies entirely. My idea's not realistic, though...too many politicians have been bought.
I have to disagree with you as a person with type 1 diabetes that has lived in a universal health care system that is very similiar to Obama's reform plan. Here are my issues.
After becoming ill and having a few hospital stays where I was, I feel very stongly about it. Unfortunately, when nurses become employees of the government, you would be surprised how many nurses stop caring about their quality of care. They are not likely to lose their job so why care? There is already a nursing shortage so how are we going to cover more care and still maintain quality? I remember being told by another diabetic there that you pay for quality by upping the quantity. I ended up staying in the hospital an extra week because of poor care on basic diabetes knowledge. I wonder what that cost the country.
I also had issues with what the universal coverage would ACTUALLY pay for as far as supplies. I was allowed the bare minimum because they had to pay for everyone, even people who are fairly healthy, to have insurance. So someone like me, with a chronic illness, gets sub par care because I can still live without my continuos glucose monitor. Since diabetes leads to so many complications that probably cost the country more than any other disease, I would hope that more would be done do go above and being treating it and paying for supplies instead of just giving me the basics. This is a set back, not moving forward.
I also had to go an extra 30 minutes to a hospital because the one I would normally go to had to be shut down because the government has to make cuts to afford the universal care.
The downside here is that the long term effecs in care for type 1 diabetics will suffer while the country cannot afford it either. While I think it would be great to offer it to everyone, healthcare is a privelege. Despite the flaws and complexities of our system, the US still has the best health industry in the world. I voted for our president and am not some right wing nut who is just using scare tactics. I think there are some serious posiives, such as the pre exisiting conditons not deny you health insurance. But I think overall the plan is a disaster waiting to happen. We need to fix it some other way.
Laura where wer you that you had this experience in enar universal healthcare?
laurakate, thanks for sharing your story. Sounds horrible.
What Obama and congress are working on is nothing like this though. No one is proposing that the government set up it's own hospitals and employ it's own hospitals and doctors and nurses. What you experienced is nothing and in no way like Obama's reform plan.
I find it interesting that you join this site and on your very first post you tell us that "healthcare is a privelege". I'm not sure what to think when you say "the US still has the best health industry in the world". That may be true but we have far from best health care. Look up where we stand in regards to infant mortality rate and life expectancy. You might be surprised.