THE HEALTHCARE DEBATE

I recently had a discussion on my Facebook site about universal healthcare and there was a lot of disagreement between my friends on how we should approach healthcare. I wanted to share our discussion and where I think healthcare needs to go.

CHAD: Healthcare… I cannot stress enough why healthcare should be a God given right for everyone in this country to obtain and to afford basic healthcare. There should not be one individual in this country that think that they cannot seek treatment for illness from any hospital because they simply cannot afford it. This is wrong and inhumane! Healthcare is not a political issue, it is a moral issue that we as a society is obligated to support and advance.

JASON: Agreed, but why should I and every other hard working citizen be forced to pay for those who refuse to make something of themselves? Btw.. if Obama thinks he is going to force me to pay for healthcare for the people who work for me, then I will close my doors, just as most other small businesses will.

RICHARD: I agree but to be honest we screwed ourselves in healthcare spending by going to war during the Bush administration. Our country no longer has the means of supporting national healthcare because we're spending trillions on the national debt. Many Americans seem to think that the US has unlimited funds to go around. A newsflash: National, healthcare will have to wait until we stop spending on useless wars, non-government related private jet flights for members of congress and bailouts to companies who are spending them on bonuses for executives... among other things, of course.

JASON: Richard.. The national deficit has existed since the civil war. Health Care reform has been an ongoing debate since Kennedy was in office. Quit blaming Bush for everything from the economy to the rash on your butt. Bush has been gone for almost 8 months now! Btw, Obama has spent his way into an additional $1 TRILLION dollars in deficit spending in his first seven months and yet unemployment keeps rising. Sorry to say, but Obama is slowly self imploding and it will make me quite happy when all of his supporters see him for what he truly is: a socialist community organizer.

CHAD: Sitting aside why the deficit is where it is... because we’re not going to get anywhere by doing nothing but blaming Bush or Obama. It is clear that our system as it stands is broken. There are millions of people in this country (that btw do work hard) that still cannot afford healthcare. I for one, have a full time job with no insurance. I cannot afford to get sick because I live paycheck to paycheck and if I chose to get insurance as it is now then I would lose almost 300.00 a month out of my income because my employer will not cover me. I make right under a 1,000 a month. I cannot afford everyday living with insurance because of the outlandish amounts of money the insurance companies are soaking up! It's disgusting and vile what the insurance companies are doing to so many American citizens. I feel for one that there is nothing wrong with helping each other as a society because it will benefit all of us in the long run.

RICHARD: Politics discussions are always so fun. Chad, I myself do have healthcare but I can't afford to go to the doctor for a visit even if I do get sick. It's either one extreme or another. God I love it. Jason, psshaww- I have too much to say and too little time to make a reply. Only 4 hours left of my day and a lot to do still. Haven't heard of how Canada or the UK is doing.
JASON: Canada added like 327,000 jobs in July...and they didn't spend $787 billion dollars trying to do it.

ANGELA: Jason... you would only hurt yourself by closing your doors! :(

CHAD: Did anybody watch Obama's speech? Have any opinions changed or did you learn something new about the current situation as it stands? Sidenote: I'm so glad that the first hijacked airplane in North America since 9/11 ended without anyone getting hurt today.

JASON: I Was at the ballgame drinking beer… missed the speech… oh darn! lol

JUSTIN: Jason… Canada also has universal health care. I guess you're right. We should look at what they are doing and try to implement it into our own government. Not to mention you and every other hard working citizen already pays for the healthcare of those who cannot afford it. Who do you think covers medical fees when uninsured citizens have emergencies that they cannot afford? Do you think the hospital just eats those expenses? And let me get this straight, instead of helping your employees out by getting them even low level insurance, you would just shut your doors? That really helps the free market economy system.

JASON: Justin, The problem with implementing Canada’s plan in the USA is this... can YOU afford an overnight increase of 15% in everything your purchase? Didn't think so... It would bring the economy to a halt.

CHAD: I just got done watching the President's speech and I can say his plan is clear and I believe it will move forward with or without the support of those that want the status quo. 95% of all small business will receive a waiver if they cannot support insurance for their employees... (Jason, I'm sure this would include your company) I also want to say again that this is a moral obligation that we have not only to ourselves but to others! We cannot continue on the path of self centered ideology that does not include taking care of our brothers and sisters. It was made very clear tonight that the public option of this plan would be self efficient and the bill would include a segment that would prohibit the raise of taxes to support the public plan.

JUSTIN: Yet, the minimum wage is getting increased every six months, causing prices to skyrocket so that employers can pay the higher wages to their employees, gas prices soared an average of a dollar a gallon from 2007 to 2008, cigarettes have already been bumped up 38 cents a pack, sales tax in Illinois has gone from 6.75 to 7.25 percent, etc. All of these supposed overnight increases in taxes are already taking place and have been taking place for decades now. Where is the money going? What is more important: making sure every American citizen is insured or contracting the construction of more tanks, bombs, and guns for our Army? You can say don't blame everything on Bush, but the last eight years of completely unnecessary military spending are more to blame for our jilted economy than price increases.

JASON: The money is flying out the window thanks to the tax and spend dems. Ronald Regan was more than right when he said jokingly " I am from the government, and I am here to help you'. What ever happened to personal responsibility and we the people? If we say NO to the insurance co's, then they will have no choice but to make it affordable. Its simple business sense. Also if we vote out these FOOLS in office, and if some of us quit falling for the smoke and mirrors unqualified politicians (yes this means Mr. community organizer himself) who will say anything to get elected, then we will be in a much better position as a whole. BTW Justin, thanks to Osama, cigs went up almost $10 a carton in MO. That’s $1 a pack thanks to his 'giveaway healthcare' for the welfare queens who keep getting knocked up.

JUSTIN: So wait, your idea of "saying NO to the insurance companies" is to NOT provide universal health care, thereby allowing them to continue to price gouge consumers. Explain yourself. It also is laughable that you bring up the current economic state, then cite the man whose "trickle-down economic" system is arguably what started American into a recessive state in the first place. Also, whatever happened to "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal..." If insurance costs so much that nearly 16 percentage of the population cannot afford it, obviously we aren't working on a level playing field. But that's ok, that's just 48 million Americans who aren't working hard enough.

CHRISTINA: Our nation needed health reform yesterday. It's ridiculous and sad that people are struggling to survive, both financially and physically, on a daily basis. Health care should not just be available to those you are able to afford it. Health ca...re should not be a privilege, but a right provided to everyone.

JASON: Justin wrote "then cite the man whose "trickle-down economic" system is arguably what started American into a More recessive state in the first place" Well lets go to www.cnbc.com, and look at the past 10 years of stock market daily closing numbers (I think the markets are a great indicator of the economic condition of the country) You will see that during Bush the markets hit ALL TIME HIGHS, people's retirement accounts were earning money, CD's and money market accounts were getting decent returns on investment (4-6%) Now lets look at Nov 5, the day after Osama, I mean Obama was elected. See the nice big drop? How about on Jan 20, see another big drop? Want to know what my money market account is currently yielding? A whopping 1%! Yes health care needs reformed. I do not disagree. I had emergency surgery just 2 months ago. Total bill $19k for 11 hours at the hospital. I have no insurance (sorry, $500 a month is not currently in my budget). But I do not expect tax payers to flip the bill for my medical costs. Nor do I think anyone should be mandated to provide coverage (or face fines). Last time I checked this was a free country, and I will be damned if the government is going to put one more obstacle in my face that prohibits growth of small businesses. We already have more than our fair share of laws, regulations, and taxes. I could go on and on, but unless you own, or have tried to start a small biz, you have no idea about all the red tape that goes along with it. This bill will kill jobs. Mark my word on it!

CHRISTINA: Point taken...I haven't owned a new business and am not trying to start up one. However, I am interning at a cancer center and see people struggling on a daily basis. They didn't have to ask cancer and do not ask for monthly CO-PAYS of $4000 (that is not a typo). Plus there are people losing their lives because they cannot afford the necessary care leaving them with their illnesses to progress, to become worse and in most cases contribute to their premature death. Yes it will cost a lot, to say the least, for this reform....but I like to think lives are worth it.

JUSTIN: I am failing to understand how you can acknowledge that health care needs to be reformed and you also acknowledge that insurance rates are too high, yet be against universal health care. You keep presenting point A and point B without realizing that B contradicts A. I also like how this is a free country for you as a business owner, but not for someone who just wants to make sure his kid doesn't have a terminal illness but can't because insurance is 500 dollars a month. I'm not even going to touch on your stock market "point" as you cherry pick two dates from Obama's term and compare it to annual averages for the eight years prior. Are we just going to forget that under Clinton, this country had a multi-billion dollar surplus that was erased by eight years of the bumbling Bush administration?
　
CHAD: Healthcare is a decisive issue but sometimes we need to choose between the difference between what’s right and what is easy. Hillary Clinton once said whenever a person speaks powerfully about change, then the forces of status quo attack. There are those in this country in the position of power that would do anything to prevent universal healthcare for the masses. That is why it’s so important that each of us stand up and fight for this because Christina is right when she said lives are at stake. This country must embrace universal healthcare for the sake of our future, our children, and our economy. None of us should have to worry about money when it comes to our health. We are all equal and protected under the guidelines of the constitution; that all men are created equal and that each of us reserve the right to the pursuit of happiness Our differences are deep but we must find common ground and take the right road… the moral road.