Countries with Universal Health Care

[RCprince]

http://www.gadling.com/2007/07/05/what-countries-have-universal-health-care/

[Steven Vaccaro]

Oh boy! I feel another heated topic coming!

[Dr. Jet]

Start Heated Debate Here

And just where do the "Wealthy" people from those blue countries go when they need a heart transplant or some other complicated medical procedure? I can tell you they don't go to Cuba. And how many of the poor schmucks in the blue countries have to wait for weeks/months for medical attention; or worse yet, get told they are too old and the procedure isn't cost-effective for someone their age?

Government isn't the solution, it's the PROBLEM.

[AndyKunz]

I can tell you they don't go to Cuba.

Did you see An American Carol? That Cuba scene was so funny. Unfortunately, it's based on reality.

Government isn't the solution, it's the PROBLEM.

A certain amount of government is good. Excess government is the problem.

Remember, the Anarchists want anarchy so they can have "change" and install a socialist/communist government at the first crisis.

Rahm Emanuel: “Never Allow a Crisis to Go to Waste”

Andy

[Bill-SOCAL]

It's funny, but Republicans have no issue at all with the Gubbermint doing some things and will fund them to the max. They have no issue with paying $2.2 BILLION per B-2, but health care for all of us, nope, won't have any part of that.

And again, coming back to my religious theme, why is it so many hard right people profess to be God-Fearin' folk, but abandon the teachings of Jesus when it suits them?

Jesus said:

Whatever you do for the least of these my brothers, you do it for me. (Matthew 25:40)

I would rather see my money go to keep our people healthy than go to keeping defense contractors healthy. After all, it is exactly what Jesus would do.

[Steven Vaccaro]

It's funny, but Republicans have no issue at all with the Gubbermint doing some things and will fund them to the max. They have no issue with paying $2.2 BILLION per B-2, but health care for all of us, nope, won't have any part of that.

And again, coming back to my religious theme, why is it so many hard right people profess to be God-Fearin' folk, but abandon the teachings of Jesus when it suits them?

Jesus said:



I would rather see my money go to keep our people healthy than go to keeping defense contractors healthy. After all, it is exactly what Jesus would do.

I'd like to see a balance. I personally don't want to disarm, for the simple fact that there are still nations out there that would love to kill us all.

[Bill-SOCAL]

Sadly the US has been unable to readjust to the threats of a post Cold War World. I sincerely doubt that more strategic bombers or anti-missile satellites are going to increase our national security.

Keep in mind that the single greatest loss of life on US soil was done by 19 guys with box cutters.

I wonder how much body armor and properly armored HumVees $2.2 BILLION would buy??

As far as balance goes, the US is projected to spend about $741 billion on defense in 2009. To put that in perspective it is:

12 times more than education spending
14 times more than health care spending
67 times more than Medicare and Social Security spending

Put another way, defense spending is about 54% of the total discretionary US budget. Health and education combined are only 11.5%

So it seems that maybe, just maybe, there might be some room to work in a little more "balance".

[Dr. Jet]

Providing for the common defense IS specifically mentioned in the Constitution, and is spelled-out as a primary function and responsibility of the Federal Government. Providing for public healthcare isn't in the Constitution, nor is public education, universal healthcare or Social Security.

I want my tax dollars going for that B-2 bomber. I don't want to pay for some illegal alien's in-vitro fertilization procedure, your retirement plan (if you were irresponsible enough not to create one for yourself), or your government-sponsored (and thereby government-approved) "education" (indoctrination would be more appropriate here - listen to SoCal Bill for examples of that indoctrination).

[Bill-SOCAL]

Yes Bill, we all know your xenophobic fear of illegal aliens. But the fact is that it is your fellow citizens who are the ones who would benefit most from access to health care.

And if you want to use the Constitution as a defense for your ideas you might want stop cherry picking only the phrases that support your ideas.

From the Preamble:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.

So I suggest to you that insuring that ALL citizens can get health care is the very definition of "General Welfare". And then lets consider the meaning of "Domestic Tranquility". Having health care available only to those rich enough to afford it is unlikely to contribute to that either.

[Simon.O.]

We have two types of health care here.
All accident and emergency care including hospital stays and surgury are all free.
Not quite free as I pay my taxes and an additional levy(tax) is slotted in there to cover all these costs.
Visits to the local doctor cost me, I believe those on welfare get is a lot cheaper.
Dentists are thieveing sh1tbags who I avoid If I can.
My wife has private healthcare cover which can and will cover a lot of costs.

Last year I spent 2 weeks in hospital and have no real complaints with our system.
There are waiting lists for certain things. My mother in law is waiting for a cataract removal.

Bottom line is we have the choice to go with the public or use private healthcare and pay for it. You still get to pay the levy that covers the public system.
So private healthcare for me is out.

[Doby]

Doesn't "General Welfare" mean paying to keep unemployed people to stay at home?
Or am I reading this incorrectly

[ghostofpf1]

Any one else find it ironic that according to the chart we are funding UHC for Iraq and Afghanistan yet we have people dying in the streets here in our own country due to lack of that same health care...

Steve

[Steven Vaccaro]

I would be interested to know how much of our tax dollars goes to making sure we stay in good terms other countries each year?

[Darin Jordan]

It doesn't work ANYWHERE else...

Only a bunch of MORONS would think that it would THEREFORE work HERE...

Same deal can be said about the Porkulous bill, and basically NATIONALIZATION in general... None of it has been shown to work ANYWHERE else in the world... Example after example after example of the failures of these policies and strategies exist over the past 100-years...

When Vladimir Putin comes out and suggests to the USA to NOT go down this road becuase it doesn't work... (just look at where it got the USSR...) MAYBE, JUST MAYBE... someone ought to stop and think about what we are doing...

Or are we all just too stupid or too good to learn from the mistakes of others??

[RCprince]

I
And again, coming back to my religious theme, why is it so many hard right people profess to be God-Fearin' folk, but abandon the teachings of Jesus when it suits them?

Jesus said:



I would rather see my money go to keep our people healthy than go to keeping defense contractors healthy. After all, it is exactly what Jesus would do.

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most respected leaders of modern history. A Hindu, Ghandi nevertheless admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"

Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."