All the polls and survey’s show that expanding health insurance coverage, curbing health care costs and reforming Medicare are top concern for the American people and should be priorities for the new congress.
The back door. Is it not time for U.S. universities to grant "C" average college students doctors degrees? This is not computer or rocket science. Supply should more equal demand and not be frozen by AMA monopoly practices. If socialized medicine wins out we’ll need more doctors. If it doesn’t, a larger supply of doctors should bring more competitive rates.
Foreign universities allow "C" average American students to get their Doctor degrees. They then get back into the U.S. along with foreign born doctors and enter the lucrative profession.
** US health care costs are surging and soon the aging population will spend 1 out of 5 dollars on health care costs according to government analysts.
By 2015, health care bills are estimated to reach over $4 trillion dollars. Medicare spending will double , from $309 billion in 2004 to $792 billion in 2015. Spending on nursing homes is projection to grow from $121.7 billion in 2005 to $216.8 billion in 20015. Home health (the largest growing sector in health care) is expected do increase form $49 billion in 2004 to $103.7 billion in 20015 — IBD 2/23/06
Can you imagine having to wait and an average of 5 1/2 weeks for treatment after you were referred by your family doctor to an oncologist? Or, 1-year waits for hip replacement surgery? The Canadian Medical Association Journal cites these long wait times and other equally astounding waits.
The ending of private health insurance in favor of mandatory public health insurance has resulted in overcrowded hospitals, substandard care, an exit of doctors and nurses, shortages of modern equipment, accelerating costs and a clumsy bureaucratic system because they have a public health care system.
Canada’s ban on private health care services is an experimental failure. Perhaps our nationalized public education system is a similar fiasco? Perhaps a free market insurance and health program where each person is alloted a certain number of dollars that have to be spent as they see fit on either health care, or in the education arena would work.
Can you imagine having to wait and an average of 5 1/2 weeks for treatment after you were referred by your family doctor to an oncologist? Or, 1-year waits for hip replacement surgery? The Canadian Medical Association Journal cites these long wait times and other equally astounding waits.
The ending of private health insurance in favor of mandatory public health insurance has resulted in overcrowded hospitals, substandard care, an exit of doctors and nurses, shortages of modern equipment, accelerating costs and a clumsy bureaucratic system because they have a public health care system.
Canada’s ban on private health care services is an experimental failure. Perhaps our nationalized public education system is a similar fiasco? Perhaps a free market insurance and health program where each person is alloted a certain number of dollars that have to be spent as they see fit on either health care, or in the education arena would work.
Health insurance expenses can break the budget for self employed or non-health compensated employees. The system is absolutely too expensive. Institution and doctors routinely price gouge and ruin the concept of affordable health care for the entire country.
My father once told me that if I was in need of expensive and serious medical attention and couldn’t afford the cost, to pick out a bank window, throw a brick through the window and wait for the cops to arrive. He said they’ll give you free room and board and fix your medical problems at no cost.
For those who won’t take my fathers advice and can’t afford high health insurance premiums, these are other alternatives:
Medicaid
Medicaid is a jointly-funded, Federal-State health insurance program for certain low-income and needy people. It covers approximately 36 million individuals including children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled, and people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments.
The Medicaid program varies considerably from State to State. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offers more information.
SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the Insure Kids Now! campaign to link the nation’s 10 million uninsured children to free and low-cost health insurance.
Every state has a health insurance program for infants, children and teens whose families do not qualify for Medicaid. Many families simply don’t know their children are eligible.
The states have different eligibility rules, but in most states, uninsured children 18 years old and younger, whose families earn up to $34,100 a year (for a family of four) are eligible.
