Life worth more than money

does`nt really work in canada or britain , I have friends there ,so dont go telling me what a great system they have ! the only place it seems to be working is france , and from my understanding obama care is not based on the french system ! so yeah , we dont need it !

This is what happens when you vote for a communist community organizer. We get what we vote for.

Our health care insurance companies are all profit based, whether they call themselves HMO’s or not (except for that which serves our military, a system based – ironically enough - on England's. Oh, my!). That is one of the differences between various health care systems (and there are a number of them) in other developed countries and ours. There's an excellent book out - "The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care" by T. R. Reid - that you might find interesting; it gives the pros, but also the cons, of a number of them. Your letter indicates you could use the education. We all could – but because there's so much fear ("Obamacare!"), anger, and just plain lazy mindedness (more “Obamacare!”), we have yet to have a real, national conversation about this huge topic, a topic that is getting more important and more complicated as health care costs escalate here and abroad - and our population gets top-heavy with us older folks.

For example, for better or worse, I've had my employer's insurance company regulate my medication through cost analysis, and limit my doctor to what he could prescribe. This does not mean that I can't get certain meds - it simply means the insurance company will not help me pay for them; may mean that as I age, a greater percentage of my retirement funds may have to go toward such. Is that fair or not? We don’t talk about it, do we? It’s so much easier to spill out generalizations that stoke the fires of misconception and preconception than to take the time to think, discuss, argue civilly, and come up with a system that may need constant adjustments (ain’t nothin’ perfect – it’s called politics, it’s called being human), but might actually help our loved ones, other Americans, and ourselves. And, hey, maybe even the economy.

And those against socialized programs should, of course, also be against Medicare, Social Security, etc.- right?

The problem with your theory is that "OBAMA" doesn't want to discuss anything. It's his way or the highway. Doesn't matter if 95% of the people want something different, he is right and you are wrong. Haven't you figured this out yet.

Smith and Jones wrote:

And those against socialized programs should, of course, also be against Medicare, Social Security, etc.- right?

How sad that liberals often stoop to suggesting that those against obamacare are hypocritical for not bashing or refusing Social Security and Medicare. These are existing programs that most working people have paid into via the MANDATORY withholding of earned income by the government. Not to say that we will ever actually collect Social Security or participate in Medicare - becuase both are near bankruptcy, due to corrupted congressional looting of trust funds and making new laws that grant benefits to people who have never paid a dime into the program, such as the children of illegal aliens, drug abusers and the like.

Further, obamacare is little more than a scam to gift the welfare class with health care at out expense - which is often described as perpetual reparations for the underachievers. I believe that health care is not a right, but more like a house, car or other necessities, but if you choose to not participate in your educational process so that you can find reasonable employment, you do not have the right to expect everyone to pay for what you want or need.

First I have been a member of an HMO and know many others who are or have been on an HMO and don't know of any such denials like you talk about.
On the other hand many insurances (like the one that "Smith" talks about) do deny some forms of health care. I too have been there.
What "Rick" refers to is not necessarily true. I know of many people who are gainfully employed but do not have health insurance. They are not "working the system" to take advantage of the system but trying to do things right. But yes there are and will be some who will just take advantage. The same holds true with any such system weather it's by the government or not.
Also Obama did not write the law, congress did. He signed it and said at that time it was not the perfect law and had some problems but it was a start.
Yes, some people need an education on what the law actully says and what it does. Instead they spout off about things they don't know or understand. There are millions of hard working people in this country that don't have and can't afford health insurance and they should have some kind of medical care they can afford.

reader from abbottstown wrote:

First I have been a member of an HMO and know many others who are or have been on an HMO and don't know of any such denials like you talk about.
On the other hand many insurances (like the one that "Smith" talks about) do deny some forms of health care. I too have been there.
What "Rick" refers to is not necessarily true. I know of many people who are gainfully employed but do not have health insurance. They are not "working the system" to take advantage of the system but trying to do things right. But yes there are and will be some who will just take advantage. The same holds true with any such system weather it's by the government or not.
Also Obama did not write the law, congress did. He signed it and said at that time it was not the perfect law and had some problems but it was a start.
Yes, some people need an education on what the law actully says and what it does. Instead they spout off about things they don't know or understand. There are millions of hard working people in this country that don't have and can't afford health insurance and they should have some kind of medical care they can afford.

You, madam, are what is known as an "enabler". You think that the working part of society who plan for their futures, owes things to people who are ill-equipped by their own doing. I say there are reasonable limits to the gifting of goods and services to those who are unwilling to prepare themselves for the necessities of life. The more you prop up these perpetual poor performers, the more they will expect from us. Worse yet, others will see how easy it is to sit back and let others give them things that they have not earned. This problem is magnified by corrupt liberal leadership and we will do well to limit the damage they do and remove them from office as soon as possible.

Rick - I agree! People should refuse to accept more than what they put into medicare and social security...you could add in the interest on the money put in and that's it, if that doesn't cover you for retirement - get a job!

Thankful wrote:

Rick - I agree! People should refuse to accept more than what they put into medicare and social security...you could add in the interest on the money put in and that's it, if that doesn't cover you for retirement - get a job!

Don't try to put your words in my mouth, otherwise, you risk being judged as some sort of liberal creep.

Rick wrote:

<quoted text>
Don't try to put your words in my mouth, otherwise, you risk being judged as some sort of liberal creep.

Just agreeing with you sir. People should not expect a free ride - no matter their age. If you don't earn it - don't accept it.

Thankful wrote:

<quoted text>
Just agreeing with you sir. People should not expect a free ride - no matter their age. If you don't earn it - don't accept it.

Your initial comment seemed to say something that liberals often offer as if it were an actual rebuttal to negative comments regarding obamacare. If I have misread, I offer my apology. Liberals suggest that obamacare detractors should abandon their right to Social Security and Medicare. I say that if these programs do not go bankrupt, those that paid into these programs througout the decades of their employment, they are certainly entitled to use those programs. In contrast, obamacare is like a gift to every underachiever, who never worked a day in their life, including illegal aliens and others. Obama and his enabling liberal minions think nothing of forcing the middle class to pay higher taxes to support this perpetual robbery.

Rick - my statement is simply that no one should expect a free ride - I work hard and save for my retirement, planning for medical expenses and such. Why should I, also, expect to get paid more than what I put into social security and medicare. I will do what my parents and grandparents did with their Social Security - take what they put in over the years and send the rest pack and the same with Medicare. We are not entitled to more than we put in and people have to stop thinking that they are. If they have not planned ahead for retirement - why should I be responsible to pay for them as well?

MaryAnn
I have found that Henshoff's claims are often shakey on the facts. He is a died on the wool libertarian and sees the world through an ideological lens. I would not put too much store in his weekly chicken little stories. Sometimes his writing makes it seem as though he could be senile---disjointed and almost incoherent. This guy's really past it