Check out this article from USA TODAY:
I almost died of sepsis without insurance. Medicaid saves lives like mine. | Opinion
Best Wishes and Hugs,
Scottie
I almost died of sepsis without insurance. Medicaid saves lives like mine. | Opinion
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
I almost died of sepsis without insurance. Medicaid saves lives like mine. | Opinion
Best Wishes and Hugs,
Scottie
Scottie's Playtime 
It’s stories such as this that reminds me to be grateful that I was born into a country with a publicly funded universal health system. The US should be expanding Medicaid, not cutting its funding.
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Hi Barry. I agree. I wish I had been born there also. However what I don’t understand is why the people in this country do not rise up enmass to demand that we get it. We buy the line that the US can’t afford it at the same time they are trying to reduce government revenues by giving huge tax breaks. That is like a family trying to afford more stuff by lowering the hours they work or by quitting their job. It is the opposite of what needs to be done. We must raise revenue in the country for the government to provide services. Yet republicans constantly attack government workers since 1080. Ronald Reagan came to office claiming government was not taxing too little but spending too much. His quote “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the government, and I’m here to help” Is famous. Of course this is all dogma repeated by the wealthy to keep the poor from demanding more from our government. Best wishes
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I think it goes back well before Reagan’s time when most Americans were unable to distinguish between social/liberal democracy and communism. And I don’t think the Democrats were any better at it than the Republicans. Somehow many Americans are afraid of ‘Big government” but not “Big business”. Both can be inefficient and wasteful, but either can be efficient and flexible with good management. But Big Government is answerable to the people whereas Big business is answerable to their shareholders.
And while Big business might be better in some roles, Big Government is better taking on roles such as health and education for example. One only need look at the spending on health per capita and health outcomes in the US compared to places such as NZ, the UK and Europe to realise what a very poor deal Americans have compared to other developed nations. NZ generally has better health outcomes than the US yet we spend only US$6000 per capita per year compared to US$12,555 (in 2022).
As long as the myth about publicly funded services being wasteful and reducing personal choice is pushed by big business, then I don’t see Americans opting for such a system any time soon. Just look at the criticism Bernie Sanders has faced because he promotes a system similar to just about every other developed nation.
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Hi Barry. You are correct. See the people in the US have a constant propaganda of pro business and pro capitalism in the abstract pushed from every right wing media outlet to them. They are not seeing the other side or given it in the US now. Kids today in public school know less about civics and common good than at any time before. For over 40 years the young in the US have had it said to them in schools, in the shows they watch, and the stuff they hear in Sunday School at their parents church that anything other than full throated capitalism is evil, that all other types of government especially the socialist countries that give healthcare along with other benefits to the public are totally wrong, evil, and out to destroy the US way of freedom for everyone. Hugs
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And this is what I’ve written and said in phone calls to my Rep and Senators: that keeping people healthy by covering their care keeps everyone healthy. Making people wait for care until they’re emergent simply makes yet more sick people, and makes those who pay have to pay more for their own care.
I can’t figure out why people can’t see why there should be a national health system, with everyone covered. I just don’t get it. There are no true reasons to not have full coverage for all.
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Hi Ali; Folks have made a great deal of money denying health care to the very people who pay them for that health care. Such folks have no interest in changing that, and they are the ones wealthy enough to buy congress.
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Indeed, they have made money, but those people are not the majority of voters; that’s who I’m talking about. We could have universal care if we really wanted it. There are people who are snobby enough to deny others food and health care. Thing is, though, the money to be made this way is limited: eventually, the CEOs are gonna have to start selling off office furniture, etc., or close up shop. Then no one makes money. And the whole country is sick.
We the people should be talking about this more in real-life public. But, as mentioned above, there are those voters who want to be able to look down on someone else, and deny them the very essentials of life. Shame on them.
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Hi Randy. So true you are. Plus they get tax breaks by shifting the burden of paying the cost of keeping the government on to the lower incomes who can least afford to pay. It is all in the goal of capitalism. Total capitalism needs a desperate lower class workforce that will take any job at any wage under any unsafe working environment. Hugs
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Hi Ali. As I explained to Barry above, if the government did that two groups would suffer lost of income. The medical insurance companies that made millions on premium that they use to pay themselves while denying the needed medical care you paid for, and the wealthy people who won’t get their millions from their stocks or their huge tax breaks. The entire republican mantra is the government shouldn’t help the public. Remember the 9 scariest words from Reagan? “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the government, and I’m here to help”. Hugs.
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Well, but it seems that in other countries who have universal health care coverage, people find other ways to make money; Europe doesn’t have starving insurance co. CEOs begging on corners. If these CEOs are so brilliant that claims are denied in order to pay them multi-millions, certainly they can make a living doing other things. US health insurance is a racket, and has been since forever in the US.
(I know what you’re saying. It’s just that we the people ought to talk more about how things can be, rather than conceding it all to the other side, who are a definite minority, with a few thousand people fooled into thinking they’re better than some other people. It’s just maddening that we the people don’t participate in real life, to make things better.)
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