Has anyone seen these polls?

[Vampyr]

You're failing to realize that the majority of average Americans really are against it for those reasons.

But enlightened me, why is universal health care a bad idea?

Just about every other nation that isn't a third world country has it, and they seem to be doing pretty well.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Vampyr

You're failing to realize that the majority of average Americans really are against it for those reasons.

But enlightened me, why is universal health care a bad idea?

Just about every other nation that isn't a third world country has it, and they seem to be doing pretty well.

1) I'm glad you and Bill Maher can speak for the average American who is against this.

2) As I stated, I and I know Bond have gone over it to the point of exhaustion. I'd ask you to do a forum search. Wouldn't be hard to find.

3) Well is a statement of relativity that we examine in point number two. Healthcare is a huge and complicated issue. The solution to every problem doesn't have to be "socialize it!" I'm more for re-regulation.

[Vampyr]

I'm just judging from my personal interactions with people I know and see from day to day. Maybe it has something to do with where I live, eastern Kentucky is not exactly a hub of social progression.

But since you guys have highlighted the evils of universal health care somewhere else and I don't want to track them all down and read them, I'll just pour through the reasons I think universal health care is good:

1. It would encourage people with long term chronic health conditions to seek care for something they may have been neglecting too because of cost.

2. France spends about $569 LESS per person for health care than the United States. France has universal health care, the US doesn't.

3. It would help get rid of evil insurance companies. I guess this is arguable, but I don't understand why health insurance companies have the right to invade your privacy on matters of your health.

4. Surveys have shown that the majority of Americans, both democrat and republican, would prefer universal health care to what we have now.

5. Administrative costs of the current US health system (overhead, paperwork) constitutes about 25% of health care spending in the united states. This is much, much higher than it is in other countries with universal health care.

6. In most cases it won't even raise your taxes!!! As it stands now, about 59% of the US health care system is funded by public money. About 20% is paid for by individuals, through deductibles, co-pays, the uninsured paying directly, etc. 21% is funded by private employers. In a new universal system all of that tax money being funneled into medicare/caid would be retained. Employers would pay about a 7% payroll tax, and people would pay a 2% income tax. The payroll tax would replace all other employer expenses for employees’ health care, which would be eliminated. The income tax would take the place of all current insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket payments. For most people, that 2% is less than what they pay now for out of pocket expenses, especially if someone in your family is seriously ill.

Obviously, employers who don't offer any coverage will be paying more with this system, but most employers who do offer coverage will be paying -less-. People without insurance will be paying more, but people with insurance will be paying less.

As it stands now, about 47 million people are uninsured. Hundreds of thousands of people who actually are insured are still bankrupted when something serious happens.

7. Labeling it 'socialized medicine' is false, it's actually 'socialized healthcare'. The government doesn't own the hospitals or manage them, contrary to a popular belief.

8. It would increase competition among doctors for patients. Doctors would no longer be guaranteed patients just because they belong to a provider group. This would probably increase the quality of care since they would be competition for patients. Man, competition. That's almost a free market word!

9. America spends a much higher GDP on health care than any other country, but we have worse ratings on quality of care, efficiency of care, access to care, safe care, equity, and wait times.

10. Last but not least, regardless of what anyone says, health care is a basic human right.