|
Post by Mat Helmer on Jul 1, 2007 0:04:35 GMT -5
It's all good Steve. ;D I know what you meant. I only posted that information as background reading. You seem very knowledgeable on this subject. I agree, BOTH systems need fixing!
|
|
|
Post by Ian "The Grippler" Carnegie on Jul 1, 2007 10:45:24 GMT -5
Steve! I understand your feeling, work hard pay for your health insurance. I agree to a point. I can also buy more medical insurance and attend private Clinics for the big operations that i might have to wait for . I am just glad that our hospitals aren't turning away children who's parents can't afford the Medicare system or the less fortunate. I believe that bad luck can fall on the good and that it's not just the lazy who cant afford Medicare.
Tell me this because I don't know! is Medicare in the states even expensive? because if it's not and yo get better service than maybe our country should switch.
could a man with little or no education who works at MC D's or Walmart afford decent health care. My uncle has duel citizenship from the day's that that was still allowed. however he come back to Canada during the summer months so that he can maintain his OHIP Card Ontario Health Insurance Plan Card.which is our Medicare card in Ontario. Why would he have to do that if it was at par in the states?
Not trying to be smart just trying to get educated. I might be moving to the states if I can get a job lined up by my cousin 75 g's American beats my 50'gs I make now. plus my 5 year old son is a freak of nature and I want him to play football a a high level without having to drive a hour and a half for each practice. 4'7 125lbs Yes he just started armwresling.
Things to consider before moving to U.S. 75 g's annually will that be enough to buy property and a nice house with. Housing cost compared to here. How much Of my 75g's will be put to wards Health care for 3 kids 2 adults. Cost of living comparisons.
Do I have an expert out their!
Grippler out!
|
|
|
Post by CHRISTIAN BINNIE on Jul 1, 2007 13:03:34 GMT -5
Medicare ( for retired and disabled) and medicaid ( for those who can't afford ins) are Gov't provided insurance.....See the "EVIL" U.S DOES provide Ins. for those that need it...Its those who work for Companies that WON'T, for whatever reason (usually costs) provide Ins. for their employees...Who then have to go buy their own Ins., which by doing so is VERY expensive....Or "SOME" people, AGAIN, for whatever reason, (AGAIN the cost, or greed) don't "buy" their own Ins. when NOT provided, NOTICE THE WORD...PROVIDED (sometimes at a minor cost to them by their employers) FOR THEM.....
Also, IF "LAZY" AMERICAN people would search, there are other avenues in which to find programs to help PROVIDE, AGAIN that word PROVIDE, Ins. for them and their families sometimes for free or at a VERY minimal cost depending on income....
Ex: My Dental (BTW: I'm retired) Plan $UCKS, so I went and searched and found a dental plan thats sudsizes my own plan at a nominal cost to me....
BTW: AHEM to what Steve is saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by STEVE PHIPPS on Jul 1, 2007 21:02:09 GMT -5
Christian gave a great review of Medicare and Medicaid.
We also now have Medicare Part D which is a gov't program for drugs. They found that people would go see the MD when they had a problem because the Medicare or Medicaid would pay for the MD visit, but many people would not buy the medicine that the MD RX'ed for them to help solve the problem.
Example: Pt has an MI, goes to ER and Hospital, lives and the MD tells them they need to start taking a statin to reduce the LDL. The pt gets the ER and Hospital visit covered by the gov't but doesn't buy the statin because it would be money out of his or her pocket. They then get sicker and end up back in the ER and Hospital. The gov't realized they were being penny wise and $$$$ foolish. So Medicare part D is an attempt to get the pt to take the medicine as well.
Again, it's not a perfect system ...I could tell you lot's of problems with it...but it is a step in the right direction. If the gov't is going to use our tax $$$ to provide healthcare..let's do it in a manor that works at least a little bit. ;-)
|
|
|
Post by STEVE PHIPPS on Jul 1, 2007 21:12:15 GMT -5
By the way...I work for one of those Big Bad Pharma Companies that Michael Moore wanted to make look bad in his movie...SICKO. I don't think he mentioned that we gave away $4 Billion of free drugs during the last 5 years to people who are low income in an attempt to improve healthcare.
During WWII the company I work for figured out how to mass produce penicillen. It ended up saving a ton of lives and extended the average life span by about 10 years. It also changed the top 10 list of what people died from. Had been various kinds of infections...changed to MI, Stroke, etc because people lived longer. We now are striving to increase the average life span by another 10 years, with the proper use of statins and move MI and Stroke off the top 10 list. The next major step will be to stop cancer and improve life span by another 10 years.
We will end up being a group of 100 year old armwrestlers if all goes well! ;-)
|
|
|
Post by CHRISTIAN BINNIE on Jul 8, 2007 11:43:28 GMT -5
I am curious as to why when Micheal Moore needed treatment for his overweight problem, why he didn't go to CANADA, FRANCE, OR EVEN CUBA...HE enrolled at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Fla., where rates start at $3,500 a week ( double occupancy) to lose weight!
What a HYPOCRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by Toddzilla on Jul 13, 2007 14:02:06 GMT -5
Getting back to the people who can't "afford" health insurance. www.heritage.org/Research/PoliticalPhilosophy/BG791.cfmBeing "poor" in America is not so bad. * 38 percent of the persons whom the Census Bureau identifies as "poor" own their own homes with a median value of $39,200.
* Nearly half of all "poor" households have air-conditioning; 31 percent have microwave ovens.
Better Off Than Europeans, Japanese The average "poor" American lives in a larger house or apartment than does the average West European (This is the average West European, not poor West Europeans). Poor Americans eat far more meat, are more likely to own cars and dishwashers, and are more likely to have basic modern amenities such as indoor toilets than is the general West European population.
|
|
|
Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 13, 2007 14:58:25 GMT -5
Well you can't believe everything the Census Bureau tells you. I have always been poor an not because I choose to be cause I work hard an I am trying to find a good job now but I either need schooling or the military to get one. Well my mom was making around 16,000 a year an she is a single mother we can't get foodstamps or anything because she makes to much they said. She doesn't own a home couldn't afford the rent on her trailer so she had to move in with her dad. Ok if it wasn't for her mom getting killed in SC an them SUING the state then I wouldn't have a car. If it wasn't for my great grandmother I wouldn't be able to have eaten half the time. So yeah it kinda does suck to be poor. I feel you get closer bonds with your family but it still sucks cause you never have money to do anything. You work jobs that lead to nowheres for crappy wages an don't get good benefits an you still can't ever afford to do anything. An as far as eating far more meat..... well maybe like a steak once a month is a lot or just a ham sandwich or something. Indoor toliets im thankful for. But as far as being poor if it wasn't for other family members I wouldn't have any of that. An the only person that was poor in our family that I know that "OWNS" a house is my great grandmother who I live with an it took her about 26 years to pay it off. She raised 5 kids by herself an made hardly nothing so it can work even if your poor but it DOES suck. I just thought I would let ya'll know what it's like from someone that doesn't have a lot of money. Oh an this internet my uncle pays for it. Does anyone know a good company I could look into to get a job? Just pm with details.
|
|
|
Post by STEVE PHIPPS on Jul 13, 2007 18:36:41 GMT -5
Johnny,
I wish you luck in your job search. But in most cases, you need to have a skill set or education to qualify for a "good job". Just being a hard worker isn't going to get you anywhere quickly, but can pay off in the long run. Much better than being a lazy worker if you know what I mean.
You might consider getting a regular entry level job and going to school as well. I worked each summer to save money for college and also workded 20 hours a week while going to college. It was long hours 6am to 11: pm every day, with attending school, working and studies. But it paid off with a degree, a B+ average in grades, and a good job. Can't say that it was easy, but it was better than digging ditches on the farm, where I grew up.
|
|
|
Post by Gary Roberts on Jul 14, 2007 22:09:43 GMT -5
I saw the movie today and quite enjoyed it. I was skeptical of his last movie F911 because the agenda and propaganda were a bit too obvious and being a person that doesn't know the facts..it is hard to tell with the last film how much the truth is stretched.
With this one, it starts out with just asking people to tell there stories about being denied service. This is something much easier to relate to and believe. We have all been there or do know someone that has been there.
I left the film feeling that I have a bigger understanding as to the problems we have with our HC system. To show a different system, they do go to Canada, Brittain, France, and then Cuba but Michael Moore seems to play the straight man always being surprised to the stories as they unfold. Clearly those systems may not be perfect either but it seems to work for them.
Glen Beck did leave out a major point about going to cuba as Bob said. he was trying to get medical care for the 911 workers at Guantanemo Bay. "they would just like the same service al queda gets!!" It was kind of funny.
IS he unamerican- There was a point in the movie where a group of americans seem to be telling all of the different reasons why it is better to work in France...
It was at this point the movie seemed to get off topic and I was thinking...here is where the unamerican stuff that I was reading about was going to come in...
but it was Michael Moore, in the movie, who says to the group, "enough is enough...I don't want to hear anymore."
I say, like anything else, see it for yourself before you judge someone.
The doc caused my awareness level to rise and for me to start asking some questions which is the goal I guess. is it un american? the goal of the movie...as I took it to be, 90% of the time, is that the current leaders do not seem to be looking out for the patient first. The pocket book is the priority.
one medical professional in the US system put it this way.
The more "denial of care" insurance letters I sent out. The more money I make.
It is not the goal to give the best medical service but to help the hospital spend less money.
gary
|
|
|
Post by Toddzilla on Jul 19, 2007 6:19:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Gary Roberts on Jul 19, 2007 14:15:13 GMT -5
interesting Todd...so if that system were here...just how much taxes would be raised??
|
|
|
Post by Toddzilla on Jul 20, 2007 7:10:31 GMT -5
Canada, which has a friendlier lighter version of Socialism, has income tax rates similar to the US. But you get hammered on sales and use taxes. Even when the dollar is strong, gasoline costs $0.50 - $0.80 a gallon more. Even though their gasoline is made from the same oil as ours. Canada is the United States largest source of oil.
The short answer to your question:
In the United States Tax Freedom Day is April 30th. That is the day when you satisfy your tax obligations if you were to apply 100% of your salary to taxes.
In Canada it is June 28th. Remember Canada does not have true Socialism. The Canadian government pays about 70% of health care costs.
In Norway Tax Freedom Day is sometime in August.
|
|
|
Post by CHRISTIAN BINNIE on Jul 20, 2007 9:10:57 GMT -5
Gary: Maybe in the way prices of many products are going up due to the production of ethanol as an alternative fuel source for gas......
|
|
|
Post by Erick "Zap" Szczap on Jul 20, 2007 9:40:41 GMT -5
Gary: Maybe in the way prices of many products are going up due to the production of ethanol as an alternative fuel source for gas...... And that extra money we're spending? It's going right back into the pockets of American farmers and the American economy, instead of into the pockets of a terrorist-sponsoring middle eastern nation.
|
|