SCOTUS holds up Obamacare individual mandate

"better than anything the GOP has offered since Theodore Roosevelt"

I suppose it could be argued that Eisenhower was a fairly good president, so I'd be willing to change this to "better than anything the GOP has offered since Eisenhower".

... Perry leading Texas to the brink of destruction

Really? Texas is one of the better states with a AA++ credit ratings. Illinois and California have the worst credit ratings.

How is Romney corrupt? Did he issue an executive order to cover up "Fast and Furious"?

Finally, a trivia question ... who recently stated the following?

"A man who's been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold."

Obamacare left items 1, 2, and 4 unchanged or worse (per link in previous post) as reasons for the excessive cost of healthcare in the US:

1. higher prices for the same health care goods and services than are paid in other countries for the same goods and services;
2. significantly higher administrative overhead costs than are incurred in other countries with simpler health-insurance systems;
3. more widespread use of high-cost, high-tech equipment and procedures than are used in other countries;
4. higher treatment costs triggered by our uniquely American tort laws, which in the context of medicine can lead to “defensive medicine” — that is, the application of tests and procedures mainly as a defense against possible malpractice litigation, rather than as a clinical imperative.

My comments ...

1.  The healthcare industry wrote the Obamacare to their advantage.  Americans still can not buy prescription drugs from Canada.  Americans still can not buy insurance over state lines (still overly regulated to discourage competition).
2.  Obamacare will add even more administrative costs.
3.  USA!  USA!
4.  No tort reform was enacted to protect doctors.  Slimeball lawyers like John Edwards can still earn millions (at the expense of the vast majority of Americans) from the "lawsuit lottery" American justice system (more than enough to finance a presidential campaign).

Obamacare needs to be repealed and eventually replaced (without further following in the footsteps of Greece) with cost-effective legislation that covers all Americans AND significantly reduces the massive non-value added costs of the present healthcare system.

Instead of complaining about what's wrong ...

Can someone provide a better solution?

Given the current system where the overwhelming majority of health care is provided by the private sector, what else could Obama have done to ensure every American receives health care?

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]
Instead of complaining about what's wrong ...
Can someone provide a better solution?
Given the current system where the overwhelming majority of health care is provided by the private sector, what else could Obama have done to ensure every American receives health care?[/QUOTE]

Naturally he should have cut the taxes of the richest 1% of the population, which would in the future have trickled down to create millions of new jobs and make every American wealthy enough to afford the private medical care of their choice.

It's worked so well until now!

[QUOTE] [b]tero! 48531 wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]
Instead of complaining about what's wrong ...
Can someone provide a better solution?
Given the current system where the overwhelming majority of health care is provided by the private sector, what else could Obama have done to ensure every American receives health care?[/QUOTE]
Naturally he should have cut the taxes of the richest 1% of the population, which would in the future have trickled down to create millions of new jobs and make every American wealthy enough to afford the private medical care of their choice.
It's worked so well until now![/QUOTE]

Yeah, Reagan brought us so much...American-armed/trained islamism, the Religious Right in power, the credit crunch, the worst increase in budget deficit in any one presidential term...if we dug him up and made him president again, he couldn't possibly do any worse.

[QUOTE] [b]Panchgani wrote:[/b]
Obamacare left items 1, 2, and 4 unchanged or worse (per link in previous post) as reasons for the excessive cost of healthcare in the US:1. higher prices for the same health care goods and services than are paid in other countries for the same goods and services;2. significantly higher administrative overhead costs than are incurred in other countries with simpler health-insurance systems;3. more widespread use of high-cost, high-tech equipment and procedures than are used in other countries;4. higher treatment costs triggered by our uniquely American tort laws, which in the context of medicine can lead to “defensive medicine” — that is, the application of tests and procedures mainly as a defense against possible malpractice litigation, rather than as a clinical imperative.My comments ...1.  The healthcare industry wrote the Obamacare to their advantage.  Americans still can not buy prescription drugs from Canada.  Americans still can not buy insurance over state lines (still overly regulated to discourage competition).2.  Obamacare will add even more administrative costs.3.  USA!  USA!4.  No tort reform was enacted to protect doctors.  Slimeball lawyers like John Edwards can still earn millions (at the expense of the vast majority of Americans) from the "lawsuit lottery" American justice system (more than enough to finance a presidential campaign).Obamacare needs to be repealed and eventually replaced (without further following in the footsteps of Greece) with cost-effective legislation that covers all Americans AND significantly reduces the massive non-value added costs of the present healthcare system.[/QUOTE]

I'm not claiming Obamacare is a perfect solution (how could it be, considering that it was essentially governor Mitt Romney who came up with it?), I'm saying it's a step in the right direction, just like Johnson's Medicare and Medicaid were steps in the right direction. The thing is, Senate- and House Republicans will not allow anything that *really* works to pass.

What you should tell me is how it is possible that *every single* European country has a far better healthcare system than the U.S. Even Greece, on the edge of default, can run laps around the U.S. system of healthcare. Hell, I know for a fact that certain rich Americans go to Cuba (of all places) for certain treatments.

I got a feel of why the health care system is so costly in the US from an article in one of the Harvard Business Review magazines.

A patient sees a doctor.

Assuming he is employed, the patient's company pays the insurance company for the medical expenses.

The doctor is paid by the hospital or clinic.

The hospital maintains a system (staff and computer) to keep track of what they pay the doctor and the amount to be claimed from the insurance company.

The insurance company maintains a system (staff and computer) to keep track of how much to pay the hospital/clinic and to collect from the patient's company.

The result:

The patient does not feel the cost of seeing a doctor because he does not pay the doctor directly. The doctor does not feel the guilt of any excessive charging because the patient is not the one paying the bill. Between the hospital and the insurance company are the huge cost of administering the collection and payment of medical cost.

[QUOTE][b]TQ wrote:[/b]  The whole of the U.S. is heading towards ruin right now, and the reason is simple: since 2001, there has been no competent government. Since 2008, there has hardly been any government, because the current GOP would rather see the U.S. completely destroyed than reach any sort of compromise with the Democrats that might help the country.
[/QUOTE]

So if we shoot all the Republicans.then everything will be Hunky Dory? 

(Unemployment rate WOULD decrease significantly.  He may be right.)

[QUOTE] [b]Micrówave wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE][b]TQ wrote:[/b]  The whole of the U.S. is heading towards ruin right now, and the reason is simple: since 2001, there has been no competent government. Since 2008, there has hardly been any government, because the current GOP would rather see the U.S. completely destroyed than reach any sort of compromise with the Democrats that might help the country.[/QUOTE]So if we shoot all the Republicans.then everything will be Hunky Dory?  (Unemployment rate WOULD decrease significantly.  He may be right.)[/QUOTE]

So if you refuse to elect hyperpartisans on either side (and you will have to admit that hyperpartisanship has marked the House Republicans and the Senate Republicans more than their Democratic opponents), that might help. I'm not saying you have to vote Democrat, I'm saying that if your district has one of those wingnuts up for election, better vote for a 3rd party candidate.

Yes, TQ, but this is never going to happen. The 3rd party candidate will ALWAYS be the 3rd party candidate.

That's why we should just vote for Newt Gingrich and hope he has that Moon Colony up and running soon. I'm packed & ready to go.

[QUOTE]

[b]tcc wrote: [/b] I got a feel of why the health care system is so costly in the US from an article in one of the Harvard Business Review magazines.

A patient sees a doctor.

Assuming he is employed, the patient's company pays the insurance company for the medical expenses.

The doctor is paid by the hospital or clinic.

The hospital maintains a system (staff and computer) to keep track of what they pay the doctor and the amount to be claimed from the insurance company.

The insurance company maintains a system (staff and computer) to keep track of how much to pay the hospital/clinic and to collect from the patient's company.

The result:

The patient does not feel the cost of seeing a doctor because he does not pay the doctor directly. The doctor does not feel the guilt of any excessive charging because the patient is not the one paying the bill. Between the hospital and the insurance company are the huge cost of administering the collection and payment of medical cost.[/QUOTE]
Actually, people who do not have health insurance get charged much more.  Perhaps it is because people have less bargaining power than insurance companies, and/or because hospitals (for example) charge more to make up for those who can't pay.

I think that you are right that people are less likely to care about the overall cost if the insurance company is paying for most or all of the cost.

[QUOTE]

[b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote: [/b] [QUOTE] [b]Panchgani wrote:[/b]
Obamacare left items 1, 2, and 4 unchanged or worse (per link in previous post) as reasons for the excessive cost of healthcare in the US:1. higher prices for the same health care goods and services than are paid in other countries for the same goods and services;2. significantly higher administrative overhead costs than are incurred in other countries with simpler health-insurance systems;3. more widespread use of high-cost, high-tech equipment and procedures than are used in other countries;4. higher treatment costs triggered by our uniquely American tort laws, which in the context of medicine can lead to “defensive medicine” — that is, the application of tests and procedures mainly as a defense against possible malpractice litigation, rather than as a clinical imperative.My comments ...1.  The healthcare industry wrote the Obamacare to their advantage.  Americans still can not buy prescription drugs from Canada.  Americans still can not buy insurance over state lines (still overly regulated to discourage competition).2.  Obamacare will add even more administrative costs.3.  USA!  USA!4.  No tort reform was enacted to protect doctors.  Slimeball lawyers like John Edwards can still earn millions (at the expense of the vast majority of Americans) from the "lawsuit lottery" American justice system (more than enough to finance a presidential campaign).Obamacare needs to be repealed and eventually replaced (without further following in the footsteps of Greece) with cost-effective legislation that covers all Americans AND significantly reduces the massive non-value added costs of the present healthcare system.[/QUOTE]

I'm not claiming Obamacare is a perfect solution (how could it be, considering that it was essentially governor Mitt Romney who came up with it?), I'm saying it's a step in the right direction, just like Johnson's Medicare and Medicaid were steps in the right direction. The thing is, Senate- and House Republicans will not allow anything that *really* works to pass.

What you should tell me is how it is possible that *every single* European country has a far better healthcare system than the U.S. Even Greece, on the edge of default, can run laps around the U.S. system of healthcare. Hell, I know for a fact that certain rich Americans go to Cuba (of all places) for certain treatments.[/QUOTE]
Eventually Republicans (especially) and Democrats will need to stop playing chicken with the economy and work to reduce the massive spending deficit before the US credit rating is further reduced.  However, generally tea party candidates never compromise (leading to the summer 2011 credit rating reduction).  Perhaps the Republican tea party candidates will eventually be voted out of office.  However, probably nothing will happen until much later than 2013 AND after the US credit rating is again further reduced.

[QUOTE] [b]Panchgani wrote:[/b]
Actually, people who do not have health insurance get charged much more.  Perhaps it is because people have less bargaining power than insurance companies, and/or because hospitals (for example) charge more to make up for those who can't pay.I think that you are right that people are less likely to care about the overall cost if the insurance company is paying for most or all of the cost.[/QUOTE]

That of course mean that this should be taken one step further by the next president: Replace the insurance scheme with universal healthcare paid by taxes.

It doesn't stop people from buying private medical services if they choose to, and (almost) everybody wins.

Those with the lowest income win because they can afford healthcare. Those with higher income win because private doctors and insurance companies are going to drop their prices when they compete for the customers. The only people really losing are the shareholders of health insurance companies, but I don't see that as a huge problem.

All I want is to not to be "denied coverage" for "previous conditions."
Are you ready to hear why I've been denied coverage? Get this: tinnitus (as a result of having been on indocin for TWO DAYS), and I had physical therapy on my knee, which RESOLVED THE ISSUEs I was having with my knee.
Sheesh.

Meanwhile, I pay nearly 25% of my monthly income for my unemployed husband's insurance premiums. This is the guy who hasn't been to a doctor in over 15 years.