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Why Do So Many Americans Still Defend Their Corporate Healthcare System?

Kerry offered everyone a choice of keeping their existing insurance or opting into the medicare system. The republicans squealed like pigs. Any suggestion for making healthcare more accessible and more fair for the self employed and suggesting that insurance companies not be able to exclude people for pre-existing conditions is met with a chorus of pig squeals. Of course, the really loud squealers have yet to face exclusions in their insurance or had to liquidate there life savings to pay a doctor. I'm about to hit the submit button. Listen for the squeals!

Public Comments

1. That's how they are always on the defensive and cynical.
2. probably because they are too doped up on prescription pills to fight back. or even think for themselves.
3. Have you ever been to a VA hospital? I have. I've seen first hand what happens when the government gets involved in health care. I do not want them involved in health care in any way.
4. Maybe it's because European universal heathcare system is bankrupting their governments.
5. LOL medicare is short 50 trillion dolars. Lets increase that.
6. because national health care is crap
7. I don't know any Americans who defend Corporate Health care ... I am all for Health Care like what they have in Germany... I lived there and loved it!! American Health Care is the worst!!!
8. sounds like your the one squealing! get a better job or career.being stuck in a situation and not doing anything about it is the problem.
9. because the center of the country believes whatever the GOP spins
10. Any hint at socialized medicine and the conservatives will eat you alive. They would hate to think some liberal could be getting medical attention when they'd prefer they died from drugs or some other thing attributed to liberal commies.
11. the way to fix medical & retirement programs is to make Congress and Senate have the same programs as the average citizen. With the special benefits they have they are out of touch with reality.
12. I love my country but my husband is self employed and I agree that health care is a problem. However, if you go to some other places around the world, you have no chance of even seeing a dr., let alone have insurance. If someone could come up with a reasonable solution, I'd be happy, in the meantime we have to pay alot of money if we get sick.
13. Cause they are stupid. They have been conditioned to believe that everything american is the best, and are reluctant to change, especially in the face of media blitzes by the insurance companies.
14. I don't defend it. I think it needs an overhall. I just don't want the government running it.I think congress should concentrate on ways to reduce cost rather than how to take it over.
15. Having dealt with government agencies,There is no way i want them in charge of my healthcare.
16. Remember, our retirement plans were saved by Ralph Nader. He took on the corporations and changed empty promises to vested pensions with proper funding of the employee's money. And the GOP squealed like a pig. However, most Republicans do know the medical system is failing America. Even Mitt Romney got some changes to it.
17. When many health conditions are caused or at least influenced by preventable behavior, I don't feel that it's fair that my tax dollars have to go to pay for others' poor, unhealthy choices. Also, the minute the government gets involved, watch health prices soar, as doctors and hospitals realize that they can charge whatever they want to if it's "covered by insurance" and the government will have to pay it. Trust me, regardless of how much they say they will try to control costs, it won't work like that in reality, and we will all pay more not less. While I empathize with people who have pre-existing conditions that make it hard for them to get or afford insurance, I still believe that there are other ways to cut costs and provide insurance. I would be receptive to a plan that included tax breaks for people who have to purchase their own insurance (not in a group employee plan) and/or who cannot afford reasonable health insurance due to their health. Socialized medicine will lead to some very scary consequences, with decisions about what health care we have access to and leveling the playing field to where we all have access to sorry health care instead of good health care. They would obviously have to try and legislate unhealthy behaviors to control costs, probably fining people for smoking or obesity, putting extra taxes on producers of junk food, and possibly even limiting how many children they would pay for or even mandating abortions for those over the limit or testing positive for severe birth defects. Do we really want that brave new world? I don't think so. If this response counts as "squealing", then I guess I'm a pig, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking this way.
18. Why do some Americans, including myself, defend the corporate health care system? It is quite simple, it's the best way for a nation of this size to have healthcare. You see, the American healthcare system allows for good doctors to want to strive to be better doctors. In national systems, good doctors wont make more if they do better so why try? People from all over the world come to the United States when they need serious healthcare because they know this is where the good doctors are. They don't want to go to their national healthcare doctor because he wont do a good job. I do feel that there should be easier health insurance for people that are self employeed and I also think that an insurance company should not be able to drop you. (I am personally self employeed and do understand how hard this is.) You seem to think that Kerry's idea was good, that we should let everyone keep their own system or go to medicare. Here is the problem, I want to keep my healthcare system so I keep paying for it. Now, I have to pay the government what they ask for but because medicare just got another couple billion people, they want more. So now I have just lost more money. I am still paying the same (or more because the insurance company I use just lost a bunch of customers) and now am being asked to pay even more money to the government so that I can help Joe Shmoe get his cold taken care of. Not my idea of fair. Responses: OZChristianGuy-I find it interesting that you think that you don't pay more. You see, that 1.5% is much more than your average person in the US pays for their medical care, both for the national Medicare and for their private insurance, the only time that this does not play out is when someone like me is self employed and doesn't have access to a group discount.
19. All I can say is thank goodness I live in a country with universal health care. For all those people declaring it would add to cost rather than reduce it - In Australia you can go to hospital for any non-voluntary procedure and you don't have to pay a cent. It is paid for by the federal governments Medicare system. The catch? You don't get to choose your own doctor and there can be waiting lists. The solution to waiting lists and doctor choice? Simple you pay for private health insurance which is much more affordable than in the US as the insurer only has to cover the costs in excess of what Medicare pays for. (for example I pay $128 a month for full family hospital and ambulance cover) It is also subsidised by the Government who provide a 30% rebate on private health cover to encourage people who can afford it to use it. - thus lessening the burden on the public system. It allows you to choose your own doctor and be treated in a private hospital allowing you to bypass any possible waiting list in the public system. How can the government afford to pay for this universal health care system? They charge all Australian tax payers a 1.5% levy (based on your annual taxable income) and for those who earn above a set threshold ($50,000 in 2007-08 tax year for a single adult) they charge an additional 1% if you don't have private insurance. You can be exempted from the levy if you are in receipt of government sickness or disability payments and have it reduced if you are on a low income. EDIT theatrrap >> I suggest you do your sums again. Do you seriously suggest that a single american adult earning $50,000 a year would only have to pay $750.00 per year in private health insurance and funding medicare? The fact is that here in Australia that single person is guarenteed free medical care - no matter what the medical condition (pre-existing or not) and no matter what the cost for 750.00 a year. There is no compulsion for them to spend any more than that unless they want to. But it gets even better as the Government has raised the thresholds for both singles and families before you are liable for the extra 1%. A single person is now exempt from paying the surcharge until their income reaches $100,000, and couples/families are exempt until the family income reaces $200,000
20. Yes, I think most of us would like a more nationalized type of health care system, but the upside to our current system is that our medical care is top notch, and MANY medical discoveries, cures, and advancements have come from the ridiculous prices we pay. A lot of countries that have nationalized plans have not had the same opportunities to take part in finding new cures, procedures, medicines, and advancements in general. Not all, but most. What makes a lot of Americans weary of a nationalized plan, is all the complaints we hear from places like Canada, and the UK that have had similar plans in places for a long time. We always hear of how long you have to wait to see a doctor, how sub-par the care is, and so on. France seems to be one of the few European countries that has it all figured out. I'm all for a plan that works, and is as good as current standards in terms of quality of care, and promptness, but I don't want to down-grade to a Canadian style plan. I'll suck it up and pay the money for better quality care if I have to......but then again, major surgeries and emergency treatments also drive a lot of people to the poorhouse, so it's a hard choice to make. Maybe having a nationalized plan with different options available would be the best route?