Is Obamacare right for America ?

[limpyhobbler]

Or should we have Medicare for all, like in Canada?

Or public clinics like in the UK ?

Health expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy, and most of those are people with health insurance.

Now it turns out Obamacare's already expensive out-of-pocket max is being delayed too.
Which I just saw here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023459468


How come the Democrats didn't fight for single payer in the health care debates? Why do working class families always get screwed in this country?

[Half-Century Man]

1. The ACA is the first step, come the third of january...

...push for single payer state sponsored health care

[pam4water]

3. Will godzillz help with that. I think he is are only chance at single payer XD

[Half-Century Man]

4. Nope

Just a CONVENTION, a states convention for Constitutional amendment
Go to wolf-pac.com and work like hell to get your state to fight for campaign finance reform. We spring the universal health care thing in a gorilla attack thing while the representatives are drunk on good feeling of camaraderie. Kill two birds with one stone.

I figure a 5 month window is doable and works out nicely with the implementation of the ACA.

[pam4water]

2. I'm glade to hear a doctor speak out about these issues of medical expenses and bankruptcy.

[Kablooie]

5. Obamacare is not the end of the road, it's just the first step

You can't often reach your goal in one huge step but if you take several smaller steps you will get there in time.

If we had not accepted a compromise and limited ourselves to single payer or nothing, we would have nothing right now.
That's the Tea Party strategy and it's not working too well.

It takes patience, unfortunately, but that's the only way it can get done.

[limpyhobbler]

6. It's not like 'we' started by proposing single-payer and then compromised to end up with this.

They started with a certain proposal and ended up with something pretty close to what they proposed, as far as the general principles. Minus a public option.

IIRC Obama actually had a pretty good deal worked out with Sen Snowe to bring it to 60 votes, that had a triggered public-option that would have kicked in if certain cost results were not met within a certain time.

But then it went to the Senate and some people killed it.

[RC]

7. Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America:

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Section 8.
"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and PROVIDE FOR THE common defense and GENERAL WELFARE of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;..."

Twice in our Constitution it mentions "general welfare" What constitutes 'General Welfare'?
The old-age benefits provisions of the Social Security Act of 1935 is an example of providing for the 'general welfare'. Medicaid/Medicare are 2 more examples of providing for the 'general welfare'.
Government controlled, Single Payer, Universal health care for the people of the United States IS covered by the Constitution, because the relative health of our citizens does affect the general welfare of the Nation. 45,000 dead people a year are proof the profit driven, privately run systems we have in place now are not working to provide the necessary health care for our nation.
How can our present private health insurance system, with its many insurance companies (each with its own way of doing things), its own highly paid management, its own attention to the bottom line for its share holders, its own claims requirements, its own forms for submitting claims, each trying to maximize profits, etc., be more efficient than any government controlled single Payer system, with its single set of rules and forms?

With Obama Care, we are trying to jump a chasm by playing hop-scotch across it. Every other industrialized nation has a form of Universal Health Care. None of those other countries want to go back to what they had before. And for sure, absolutely none of them want what we have now for health care in this country.
So why is it so hard to go with the most obvious, the most humane course of action, which is what every other industrialized nation on the planet has already done? Single Payer, Universal Health Care. The hard work has already been done by these countries. All we have to do is cherry pick what works. What is so hard about that?
The United States pays twice as much for health care than any other country. (See chart below)
And yet 45,000 people a year are still dying for lack of access to basic health care. People are losing their homes, going deep into debt, going bankrupt for basic health care.

[center]How can we be the Greatest nation on earth,
if we can't/won't even take care of our own citizens?[/center]

How is it the same people that do not have a problem with however many wars we are engaged in at the moment, that are costing us, US, $16.5 trillion so far, have a problem with health care reform that will save us billions?

Health care in other countries is a social service. Here in the United States, it's big business. Your money or your life. No money? Die and get out of the way for someone with money.

[limpyhobbler]

8. Great post. If it had a rec button I would click it.

[RC]

9. Rec'd the OP. You've already kicked it.

That'll help more people to see it.

[DhhD]

10. Single payer for temporally handicapped women being refused the ACA Medicaid Expansion.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/107811094

Every American could fill out an application for Medicare. The application is turned over to the State Medicaid Office who looks at your monetary situation and to see if you have private insurance coverage already.

It is a back door into a single payer system. It could force the State of Texas to implement the ACA and perhaps the ACA's Medicaid Expansion. I believe that refusing the Medicaid Expansion discriminates against pregnant women how can not afford private health care.