Discuss: Share in Our Policy Ideas

i feel that health care should be a moral right. its not a choice, to get sick and find a way to take the huge profit out of health care. A single payer plan would work. If they would stop playing politics with pepoles lives. do your job in congress. Obama plan is not a 100 precent right but at least its a start. The european county s have a health plan that works with no problems. why cant we adopt the same policy? I believe its because of politics!!! Your are not working for your party you are working for the people. Get out of bed with the big corporations and do whats right!!!


P.s For the people and do whats right it should not be about money,

I like the idea that no one would be turned down for insurance. A hospital can not sue you but they can ruin your credit if you don't pay the bill. So you are saying that you would rather run up medical bills and not have them paid. Typical of some business owners. You know it is us middle and lower class people that don't have all this money to pay cash for things. We rely on our credit to be good so that we can have things in life. With insurance being available to everyone regardless would help the economy. Alot of business owners don't give a darn about their employee's. It is all about the upper management. Corporate world sucks now days. We have hard workers out there trying to make a living while you owners think about yourself. You know money is a materialistic thing and you can not take it with you when you die. At least we can do is have insurance for anyone who wants it. With nobody being denied because of a stupid pre-existing condition.

The democratic leaders are giants for doing this. I am so proud of them and our president. There are a lot of people out there who are hurting and have no other way to get health care. Millions of new jobs will be created. Congratulations to all who made this happen.

Both Nathan and Will make good points: healthcare is expensive because of existing regulations that prevent both the providers and insurers from cutting costs and increasing revenues. Over-regulation of trade, even across state lines inhibits growth and increases costs in any business.

While healthcare can be considered a "moral right", it is not an inalienable right. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the only God granted rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Legislation should be passed that lifts the regulations already pointed out while addressing issues such as pre-existing conditions. I agree that insurance companies should not be able to turn down applicants based on pre-existing conditions, and I can see a need for children to remain on their parents insurance for a longer period of time (although 26 seems high).

The issues is that the government should not be in the healthcare business (or any business), and granting them the power to decide for you is sacrificing your liberty for a system that will drive this economy into a tailspin. Dina pointed out that hospitals will benefit by collecting on bad debt, however it is the American taxpayer that will ultimately absorb that debt in higher taxes. So while you may never need extended or expensive healthcare that would wipe out your savings, you will pay for it in higher taxes regardless.

As far as the European (and the Canadian) healthcare systems, do some research on how effective and efficient they really are.

Changes need to be made to the healthcare system, however you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I agree with kimberly. I beg to differ on the europen healthcare collapsing because of the economy. I have friends in the UK, and they like the universal healthcare system (aka govenment run system if you will). What they didnt like... is that alot of the doctors they were given were crappy. "That was thier words not mine." I imagine though, once you get to know the good from the bad doctors then you avoid the bad doctors. (just a thought).

If someone is offended by being giving "Obama Care": I say if you don't want health insurance and the government gives it to you then look at it as a gift and just dont ever go to a doctor or maybe try being a naturalist and visit a naturopathic doctor. That maynot be covored by "Obama Care or the Affordable Care Act".

Nathan Banta...Sadly, just because theres Laws against or about somethings, it still happens. A relative of mine was refused service by a hospital close by & he needed the ER! He was unresponisve in his front lawn & they wouldnt come pick him up.

People say Obama Care will damage Healthcare? How? it cant get anyworse...It's expensive, my place of business switches healthplans every year just to save themselves some money and in the end it making hard for me to keep the same doctors and I have a pre-exsisting condition. I have been struggleing just going to get my degree because I always have to have insurance. OH.. im over 26 (Thank You).And how is the Affordable Care Act hurting us?

I think that it should be up to me whether I want coverage or not. I go to the doctor maybe once a year if that. A doctor visit is $70. I am on an antidepressant known as venlafaxine and it costs about $120 a month from wal-mart pharmacy (cheapest pharmacy I've found). After years of paying that price I tried to use a discount card from my doctor's office and the girl said "Oh, we have our own." She scanned it and the price went down to below $20. That is just ridiculous! I was happy and p'ed off at the same time. How could she (been the same girl forever working there) just look at me and let me hand her $120 every time before that knowing she had access to this wal-mart pharmacy "discount" card. The fact that the price dropped down that much means that they were making AT LEAST a hundred dollar profit off of me. They still have to make some profit so what do they pay for the drug? $10? $5? So don't blame trade agreements when they are messing up lives at the counter as well. Thats a hundred dollars that could have gone to feeding my sons. They need to regulate the prices pharmacies and hospitals are allowed to charge. The United States is full of greedy doctors and pharmaceutical companies who don't care about anyone so long as they make a buck off of them. I used to think people who said the government is hiding cures for cancer, obesity, AIDS, and other fatal diseases in order for pharmaceutical companies to make money were crazy. Now not so much. Anything is possible. Theres a reason our hospitals are full of foreign doctors. Other countries have free education and don't overpay their doctors and hospital staff. Im not saying they don't deserve to be paid more, but it shouldn't be about money that motivates one to become a doctor. Think about it. If you think Obamacare is meant to benefit the indigenous think again. This is just another way for a politician to scratch the back of lobbyists and corporations. Anyway, I bet insurance will cost more than what I pay now for healthcare no matter how cheap obamacare makes it. And even if I qualified for medicaid under the new act I wouldn't want it. I don't want hand outs. However, I do think programs that we have in place already for children, elderly or otherwise disabled people (medicaid, medicare, etc) are necessary. Leave it up to the working class whether they want insurance or not. Grrr I am so upset with my country over this nonsense. Gonna tell me I HAVE to pay for something I'm doing just fine without. I don't make much money and struggle as it is and now I will have to pay more. RIDICULOUS

Many people are making a serious error in thinking this is going to help them. Maybe the AIDS patient it will help, but the real winners are the insurance companies. Now you HAVE to pay them. World domination.

I have a lot of questions about obamacare. The first question I have is it true that insurence companies now cannot turn you down for insurance? Second question for people that are purchasing their own insurance is their a way anything in place for these companies to keep the companies from making their rates so high that people cannot afford them or their restrictions so strict that the insurance wouldn't be worth the cost? Is obamacare increasing our government debt or helping it?

I am seeking the truth not a fight between the parties. Thank you.

JUST SAW A TV TRAILER THAT MEDICAL COLLEGES INDICATES THAT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WILL CUT THE ENROLLMENTS OF FUTURE MEDICAL STUDENTS THEYBY LIMITING NEEDED FURTURE DR'S. CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THIS IS SUPPOSE TO DO THAT?
THANKS, BILL

There is too much about Obama Care that remains unknown. What I have heard is that it will provide insurance to all non-US residents even if they are here illegally. The Government can also have access to lyour bank account and will have authority to make electronic fund transfers from those accounts. Cancer hospital will ration care according to the patient's age. Anytime the government gets into issues that they should not -- becomes a disaster for the American people.

We are a family owned private company that has been in business 20 years. We had no insurance for our family during our three C-sections and paid off every hospital bill and doctor bill, may have only been $10.00 a month but as long as you were making a payment of any kind they couldn't ruin your credit or anything else. We did that before we started our own business 20 years ago. Since all the companies we worked for never offered health insurance we wanted to offer that to our employees. So until 3 years ago we paid 100% of the major medical for our employees. Then as cost began to rise higher than we could afford we had to require the employees pay 10% and now 25% of the cost. Last year to due Obama care our insurance company completely got out of the health insurance altogether and our rates went up 68%.
To Jennifer: Companies don't switch insurance every year to save money, they do it to keep insurance for their employees and stay competetive in their market. Our product along with everyone else's cannot afford to keep tacking on higher cost. You the consumer will just go by a foreign made product. And then gripe about our cost! The change in insurance companies affects everyone in the company including the owner and guess what we don't want to change either but we have to.

To Brent: If you have HIV because of a blood transfusion (out of your control) that is one thing. But if you have it because of personal choice why should I have to pay for your choices?

To Rachel: If you went to the ER for mono you waited to late, I would have gotten another doctor and in our area there are plenty of am/pm clinics that don't cost as much.

The so called rebate from insurance companies that Obama Care made them pay back to people due to not paying out 80% in premiums. We got the rebate for our employees and it was a whole $6.99, We gave that back to each employee but it cost us an additional $7.68 per employee to do that. Our government doesn't ask what it takes to run a business and how best can we help, that is why we need a businessman in the white house and no more politicians anywhere in our government. We need business people.

Due you know that Nancy Pelosi stated "You have to pass it to see what's in it"? With that said her and Harry Reid have given more waivers to their district and state for companies to be exempt from Obama Care. Harry Reid got the whole state of Nevada exempt per one listing. And they themselves are exempt because they are a elected official. Get Real! What's good for the gander ought to be good for the goose, don't you think?

Due to out of control workers comp in our state, the increased unemployment due to extensions, the health care rates going out of control, the EPA and Osha and other federal mandates that have been imposed on small businesess for the last 3 1/2 yearss we are struggling with a decision to make. That is whether to try to stay in business as is and raise cost to the consumer even more or send all our hourly employees through a temp service.

This is a very hard decision but something has to give, the consumers don't want to pay more and we don't blame them because even though we are a business owners we are all consumers as well. I just paid $2.69 for a head of lettuce last night that used to cost 69cents. Come on people please stop thinking that the government can solve all your problems. We need to get back to the fundamentals our country was started on. Think of when the colonies started and when they realized some people were just lazy and wanted everything given to them, the fixed it and they either worked or didn't eat. It was their choice. We have to get our country on the right road and letting government run everything is not the way to do it!

If you enjoy the privledge of owning a gun in order to defend your family, your property or just feed your family you will not vote for Obama! Everyone knows there are nuts out there with guns! And taking away all guns will not change that. Because they don't get them legally anyway. You just take away the right to defend yourself. Our founding fathers knew what we might do to ourselves and that is why they wrote the Constitution and we need to have it upheld by our elected officials. If we don't start now it is going to be to late.
Just for the record I don't vote any party lines, I vote for who I believe is the right candidate to get the job done!

I was recently sued for over 2000 dollars and have lost over 3000 dollars due to our insurance not paying our bills. I do not know what to do and we have had no major illnesses or hospital stays. The state of Nebraska allows attorneys to take your money out of your account and payroll. I hate our healthcare system amd dont really see anything changing with Obamacare. My wife needs some major surguries but is trying to hold out until she is able to get medicare. But i am wondering if that will even be there for us. I have been working and paying for SS and medicare ever since i was 16
and now i am sick that the government thinks they have the right to take iy away. I am sick of both parties. You have to be either rich or poor to make it in this country. The good news is I guess i am going to make it!

1) Lacey it is called planned parenthood, $11 a month for birth control, This is the organization Romney is trying to shut down.
2) Canadian Chris I was raised in New Zealand so I know the benefits of free health care.
And yes people, tax money will pay for it. Taxes should go back to the people thats what it is for.
Obamacare is not exactly free medicine and there is a lot of improvements that need to be made. honestly I have not read it word for word.
It is sad that so many countries are killing their own with sadistic rulers but what America is blind to is the fact that America is killing its own everyday by suppressing cures and having big pharmaceutical and insurance companies rule who lives and who dies.
Disability is a joke, I know a couple who get $5000 a month on disability, one is on it because she had a heart attack while doing illegal drugs so she never has to work again and he works full time cash money while getting disability. I say mandatory drug testing and more rules be set.
Single parents use the system for food and medical for their children mainly in part because the estranged parent skips out on paying child support. For a single parent to get these benefits they have to have a fulltime job.
Romney scares the crap out of me as he has ruined so many lives to line his pockets.
SAY YES TO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE AND REGULATE BIG BANKS AND CORPORATIONS FROM STEALING FROM US.

I work in the healthcare industry, and have already seen some negitave effects of ObamaCare set in. Healthcare employers have stopped hiring so many new employees, doctors are bracing themselves, hoping they don't end up in the food pantry because of ObamaCare's "cost cutting" provisions.

Do I think the Health Insurance system needs overhauled? heck yes
Do I think Socialized Medicine is the answer? Heck NO!

The Socialized Medicine in England, that ObamaCare was modeled after, is not working AT ALL! It takes 3 months to see a doctor for anything. You're screwed if you have a serious condition because you're most likely going to die waiting to be seen.

And, I just had to add my two cents to Kimberly's Comment... Where do you get off saying business owners don't care about their employees? You, my friend, have obviously never worked in upper management. When I started my own company 4 years ago (which I might add, failed because of the Obama Administration), I cared deeply about all of my employees. I knew all of them by name, and had an open door policy. I'm not the only one doing this, either. Of course, theres the 5% rule in every crowd, but for the most part, upper management truely does care.

So anyway, I've said my piece. Down with ObamaCare!

Have some of you even read about this?

Obama Care guarantees that Health Care is available to any legal U.S. resident who cannot otherwise obtain "good" healthcare through their employer. Your access to health care is no longer in the hands of health care and insurance companies.

ObamaCare requires that all Americans have health insurance either through a private provider or by the Health Care for America Plan.

• Obama Health Care isn't a mandate it's a tax (you can opt out and pay a tax if you don't want health insurance). What ObamaCare does do however is give all Americans the option to be covered regardless of income or preexisting conditions and can't be dropped from their insurance when sick.

You can opt out but why would you? You either pay for it through work or a health care plan. I do not see how any of this is bad!

Natural disasters left us needing entitlement programs and broke. Thanks to Obamacare we are still on our farm and in our home. Without it we would be bankrupt. If you want a really long story how you have helped just ask. We love the fact we have not been forgotton. I am disabled and the drought nearly took everything we had. Also think about the farm bill for rich investors that take advantage of woodland tax credits. It is really unfair and I can explain why. I voluntered for the Wisconsin Dept of Agriculture for many years and do not participate in some programs since they are abused by no resident farmers.

Linda Tesley Lehman

I am disabled, recently started receiving disability. My issue is this we have a system put in place for people who are perminatly disabled however there is medicine and serguries that can assist them with there disabilities. i have worked since I was 17 years old i have paid for the right to get health care and anything else I should need. Now i'm at a point in my life I have no choice but to receive this help and even noe I am denied health care because i make a few dollars on disability than what they require. I still cant afford to pay for my own health care and you have to wait two years before medicare even kicks in. You know I'd rather have the health care the the money, I'm tired of hurting, tied of know one caring, tired of no one helping.
I'd rather get the help i need so that i can at least work part time, then to know i have to spend 90% of my time in bed. because i don't have the medicine and surgery that can allow me to have a life again.