My one and only response here: The President is acting to prevent a financial catastrophe. The current INSURANCE situation is untenable and unsustainable. Period.

This is about health INSURANCE reform.

You will have a choice you currently do not have: It will have options in it.

IT WILL DRIVE THE COST OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE DOWN.

It isn't about the lies bought and paid for by Insurance Co.'s and their bought politicians.

You can listen to someone who has worked in healthcare for more than thirty years here and abroad, or bought and paid for politicians (good ones...they stayed bought) and whacko lies designed to panic already frightened people who don't take the time to go beyond sophistry and fodder.

I would not lie to you. That would be unethical.

Uhuh... right...

HR 3200 does nothing to prevent catastrophe.

We're not talking about some ideal bill here, we should be talking about the actual bill that has been put up there and it will almost certainly lead to more financial problems than it solves due to the basic issue of insuring everyone with no plan on how to fund that (again: we're not talking about how they COULD fund it, we are talking about how they actually state it in HR 3200).

It's quite obvious how they're going to pay for it; well, to be fair, I should say how *you're* going to pay for it. I fall in that category that gets hosed for taxes (single, no dependants, no morgage, really no deductions whatsoever) but my income is low enough that the standard deduction is a significant factor in my taxes. I'm willing to bet you are the only person in this topic that falls in the top 5% income bracket that pays 60% of the total income tax. 

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html

I'm sure you don't for a moment believe you are lying.  But you are trying to pass off your opinion as certitude, while insulting the intelligence of everyone who doesn't agree with you, and we are legion.  It's good that your response is a one-off.

That's from a fellow physician (assuming that's what 'worked in healthcare' means, given your avatar) who entered practice 31 years ago.

I've worked in two wholly-government-run healthcare systems - the military & the VA - as well as the evil 'private sector.'  To say I'm not too sanguine about our government moving even a teeny bit closer to control of all of healthcare would be a gross understatement.

Optimal control over what *CAN* be altered to minimize some costs (as in, profits out of incorporated greedy hands) for all & every American citizens.

Government is not exactly a mechanism under democratic variations (there are permanent staff, bureaucracy, advisors, etc), it's a device constantly used by elected officials which, once in power, can offer, suggest, implement, manage solutions.

Decisions MUST be taken (or recommended, btw) when problems lead to such absolutely overwhelming deficits of operation -- caused by lack of control.

Rationalize Health Care now or keep stashing debts.

Motive enough for anyone, including the current administration.

I've got a better idea, stop funding everything through the government and people can make their own choices how they spend their own money.  Novel idea, ain't it?  Out of control costs are a product of out of control spending, something Uncle does really well.

I'll gladly pass on my own social security and medicare to end the cycle of nonsense at my generation.  Problem solved.

If your mind were present, you'd be scary.  It obviously doesn't function at that level though.  Your great aunt would never have gotten five years of top notch care anywhere else in the world.  Top notch has never been affordable in anything.  You get to have one or the other, there is no both.  Medicare has demonstrated this abundantly by giving us a rapidly expanding budget shortfall.

Very interesting point. 

When it comes down to it anyone with common sense knows that's true and if the Republicans tried to end Medicare they would lose elections for the next decade at least, so while it may be fun to approach the issue from an abstract Randian or libertarian perspective, I'd be much interested in hearing about a politically viable solution beyond just tort reform.

The reason the government wants to control healthcare is because of political power. What is the number one voting demographic in this country? Old people! What is the one thing they pay attention to most? Medicaid and Medicare! If they are made to believe that one political group is going to take away something from them, they will come out in droves to vote that person(s) down. For as long as I can remember that is one political talking point that has been in every election, with one side saying "They are going to cut your medicare". The other side having to repeat that "We will not cut or take away your medicare".

Now imagine an entire country now needing healthcare from the goverment. The balance of power will shift permanently to one side, Democrats, they give no matter what the cost is. Look at the foolish spending now? Do you really think it's going to end anytime soon? The White House just released the 10 year debt projection and now it's topping 9 trillion and they still want to pass this 1 trillion + heathcare bill at any cost. Even if if costs some seats in both houses!

Ask yourself why? Why would they be willing to give up seats and power? Because they know if this passes, they will get them back, they will just promise us some more when we run out. Level heads will try to fix the problem by saying we need to cut back, but once you become dependant on something, cut is one thing you never want to hear. Welfare is another good example of this. Who do the poor typically vote for? The group that gives the most. Bet you can't guess who that is?

Now understand, not all dems are this way, just the far left, who have become the controlling power in both houses and the White House. This is there tool to cement the power that they will need in future elections. Social Security, welfare and now heathcare for all, thats quite a lot of control over a lot of people who will need it. Think of all the votes they will be harnessing.

All three of those programs go against every conserative view in principle. It doesn't belong in a capitalistic society. Our founding fathers went to great lengths to insure that government was not going to take control of its people, for god sakes it's the first line of our constitution. WE THE PEOPLE not we the government!

This is my personal opinion on why healthcare is being rammed down our throat. They are taking advantage of tough times and know people are upset because healthcare costs too much. I do believe healthcare needs to be fixed, but tweek it in small pieces. That way if it doesn't work, we can change it without having to go through hell. It's time to stand up and tell those leftys that we don't want government control, we want to be able to do things ourselves! Remove restrictions on state to state insurance and reduce the amount of lawsuits the doctors must be subject to. Alow us to shop around to get better plans and rates and maybe finally we will get to own our own plans and not have it be up to our employer who we are insured with.

I want anyone here to name me a country where government healthcare works as well as our free system does here. To the degree of care and time it takes to get care. Does this country deny certain treatments or drugs for aliments that we could get here because we have the power to go elsewhere if we want. Does this country have others from other countries coming to it for treatment, because it's the best in the world? That country shouldn't be going broke from its healthcare and not costing its people an arm and a leg for. If that country fits all that criteria, I want to know about it.

Tort reform is a good starting point.

So, why do so many people think that this 'high cost of health care' should be paid for by anyone other than themselves?

What is the RIGHT!!! to have the highest cost health care, if you can not afford it?

What is the RIGHT!!! to MAKE!!! someone else pay for you?

This is such a stupid argument.

Every 'right' has exceptions.

The right to life, except if you have murdered someone - for example. Even the Bible has certain exceptions. And the Bible calls upon the charity of others, first and foremost, over the mandated requirement. (something which the U.S. has been at the forefront of (the charity aspect, up to now, is that of which I speak))

The 'right' to health care? I don't think so. The hope for, yes. But not the right.

Because in demanding the right you are taking away certain other rights of others for your own personal gain. You are taking away their liberty because you are forcibly taking away their earnings, and thus making them a slave to your own desires. You are taking away their pursuit of happiness because they will only know that with the more they make and pursue, the more that will be taken away from them for your own happiness.

Universal health care should be something that everyone agrees on, and with. It should not be something that is forced upon anyone. Because with force, the rights of many are lost.

I have used public health care to fix me. But I never considered it, and will never consider it, a RIGHT!!!.

To me, it was a blessing.

And a blessing is good for both parties, not only for one side.

Interesting spin.

Do i also have the right to work and, as a result, gain enough money to PURCHASE a healthy, stable, progressive, reasonably solid condition to keep working?

That IS the entire issue, in fact.

The wealthy HAVE the financial (or fiscal context at the society principles level) capacity to be covered from bad luck (because, becoming ill or sick is either the effect of work (yes, accidents and risks DO happen) or life/habit/food/pattern/etc personal **AND** collective choices.

While the RIGHTS for life are protected under constitution, anything slightly less "important" would be considered slow death?

I mean, get real. The poverty slaughtering and execution firing squads OF unemployment isn't obvious enough to you all, by now?

Well you see, society is a contribution model...  some are part of its success, others lack (somehow) what it takes to reach it -- namely; crippled by minimal education, handicapped by the PHYSICS of their body, parsed by cumulative cash figures, looped in a struggle like everyone else.

You have the rights to remain silent but the mute can't answer back UNLE$$ given the chance.