yes, you can discuss Obamacare

[TN1965]

The problem is the Republicans are against everything Obama wants to do.

Then if Obama proposes to repleal the ACA, maybe the GOP will try to protect it.

Seriously, the uninsured people are far less likely to vote than the insured people. And those who do, most of them vote for the Democrats. So the GOP knows they are not alienating many potential voters by not proposing any alternatives.

Things work just fine for people who vote for the Republicans.

[Flumpy]

Can someone in very general terms explain to those of us from outside of the USA what the problem is with the idea of somekind of affordable healthcare system?

The National Healthcare System of NHS as it's known in the UK is the countries most beloved institution. Woe betide and politicians that try and tamper with it. There is barely anyone on either side of the political divide that disagrees with it in principal.

In it's most basic form the population pays a bit more in tax and in return gets free healthcare for the rest of their lives? What's to dislike???

I'm sure there must be intelligent, rational people in the US who have well founded reasons for not supporting the idea, unfortunately all we ever hear about are the mentalists like.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrnxA2sq ... _embedded#!

[Conor Dary]

Can someone in very general terms explain to those of us from outside of the USA what the problem is with the idea of somekind of affordable healthcare system?

Well, if you haven't been paying attention, we are now moving to a more affordable healthcare system. We still have a way, but the Supreme Court finally letting ACA be the law of the land is a big start.

[kuha]

A good friend of mine just returned from a trip (partly on bike) thru Scotland. A week ago he was on a busy road, tried to get up on a sidewalk, but was thrown off the bike and pretty well got his face smashed up. Someone called an ambulance and he was off to a hospital. He wasn't fully with it, but remembers asking, sheepishly, 'About much, more or less, is this going to cost me?' The ambulance guy smiled and held up his hand, with thumb and first finger indicating 0. My friend was still bloody but began feeling a WHOLE lot better right then...

Our system up to 2009 was/is a national disgrace. The ACA certainly has flaws but is a rational and significant step toward something far better.

[Daisy]

The ambulance guy smiled and held up his hand, with thumb and first finger indicating 0. My friend was still bloody but began feeling a WHOLE lot better right then...

It's outrageous that British tax payers have to bear the burden of your friends inability to jump a bike over the curb.

No wonder Britain is bankrupt. I think they should seriously consider banning all accident prone foreigners from entering the UK.

[TN1965]

Can someone in very general terms explain to those of us from outside of the USA what the problem is with the idea of somekind of affordable healthcare system?

Okay, I will try...

There are people who believe they should be without health insurance... young and healthy, and confident they will not need health care. They think individual mandate is violation of their freedom.

Among those who already have good insurance through their employers, some believe more people having access to health care means more waiting time at hospitals. They also think their hard earned privilege is diluted by those "lazy" people who don't deserve it.

Then there are also those who believe it will raise the cost for small business owners. I could understand this argument if there were employer mandate. But how does individual mandate raise the cost for employers? I don't know.

[kuha]

There are people who believe they should be without health insurance... young and healthy, and confident they will not need health care. They think individual mandate is violation of their freedom.

Among those who already have good insurance through their employers, some believe more people having access to health care means more waiting time at hospitals. They also think their hard earned privilege is diluted by those "lazy" people who don't deserve it.

1) To be fair, I doubt many "believe that they should be without" it; they simply feel that they either can't afford it or are willing to roll the dice that they won't need it. The "freedom" thing has always seemed like the phoniest issue of all time. I don't have the "freedom" to throw a jury summons in the rubbish; or to drive without a license; etc., etc. True freedom isn't a 13-year old's adolescent fantasy of "just leave me alone"; it's a genuine balance of rights and responsibilities, together.

2) The truth is that nearly everyone has "access to health care"--if you're talking about emergency room visits, etc. The problem is that the conscientious people end up paying the bill for themselves AND for the deadbeats and freeloaders. Are "we" willing, as a society to say that someone should be left to suffer/die on the sidewalk rather than be admitted to an ER without insurance? Seriously, are we? If we're NOT willing to say that, we're acknowledging the fact of some sort of communal responsibility and standards--which very easily make a "mandate" justifiable...on every level.

[TN1965]

Are "we" willing, as a society to say that someone should be left to suffer/die on the sidewalk rather than be admitted to an ER without insurance?

Did you see that GOP debate in which CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked this question? Someone in the audience shouted "yeah, let them die!" and there was huge applause.

None of the candidates openly agreed, but apparently many GOP voters do.

[Flumpy]

Can someone in very general terms explain to those of us from outside of the USA what the problem is with the idea of somekind of affordable healthcare system?

Well, if you haven't been paying attention, we are now moving to a more affordable healthcare system. We still have a way, but the Supreme Court finally letting ACA be the law of the land is a big start.

Of course but there are still many people who are vehemently against it despite having no coherent or rational reason for being so. Presumably not all of these are mentally unhinged so I was wondering what the sensible counter argument was?

[kuha]

Are "we" willing, as a society to say that someone should be left to suffer/die on the sidewalk rather than be admitted to an ER without insurance?

Did you see that GOP debate in which CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked this question? Someone in the audience shouted "yeah, let them die!" and there was huge applause.

None of the candidates openly agreed, but apparently many GOP voters do.

Yes, I did see that. And was properly appalled. The question is: should that radical viewpoint (let's be honest, there's nothing "conservative" about that view) be taken as a social norm or standard? Only other radicals would say "yes" and the US is not a radical country.

[mump boy]

But isn't the whole point that if everyone had to buy some insurance it will be cheaper for everyone ??

[Conor Dary]

Yes, sport fans, that is correct....

[JRM]

The question is: should that radical viewpoint (let's be honest, there's nothing "conservative" about that view) be taken as a social norm or standard? Only other radicals would say "yes" and the US is not a radical country.

Not to distract from the conversation, but I think it's important to acknowledge "that" opinion is becoming emblematic of the (neo)conservative viewpoint. So far, we've had audiences rabidly cheering the death of a tax-paying patient, booing a gay soldier who served in Iraq, labeling the Affordable Healthcare Act as "communist, socialist, unAmerican,", calling for the death of Obama (McCain-Palin rally), etc...

Where does the "normal" part end and the "radical" part being? There's quite a slippery slope here.

[Flumpy]

Can someone in very general terms explain to those of us from outside of the USA what the problem is with the idea of somekind of affordable healthcare system?

Okay, I will try...

There are people who believe they should be without health insurance... young and healthy, and confident they will not need health care. They think individual mandate is violation of their freedom.

Among those who already have good insurance through their employers, some believe more people having access to health care means more waiting time at hospitals. They also think their hard earned privilege is diluted by those "lazy" people who don't deserve it.

Then there are also those who believe it will raise the cost for small business owners. I could understand this argument if there were employer mandate. But how does individual mandate raise the cost for employers? I don't know.

Thankyou that makes some kind of sense.

So the basic reason is selfishness?

[kuha]

The question is: should that radical viewpoint (let's be honest, there's nothing "conservative" about that view) be taken as a social norm or standard? Only other radicals would say "yes" and the US is not a radical country.

Not to distract from the conversation, but I think it's important to acknowledge "that" opinion is becoming emblematic of the (neo)conservative viewpoint. So far, we've had audiences rabidly cheering the death of a tax-paying patient, booing a gay soldier who served in Iraq, labeling the Affordable Healthcare Act as "communist, socialist, unAmerican,", calling for the death of Obama (McCain-Palin rally), etc...

Where does the "normal" part end and the "radical" part being? There's quite a slippery slope here.

Good question. My guess is that this represents something like 20% of the population--but probably not very much more at all. Far TOO high a percentage, for sure, but not a viewpoint that deserves to win the day.

[TN1965]

But isn't the whole point that if everyone had to buy some insurance it will be cheaper for everyone ??

It will be cheaper on average. Not every single one, I'm afraid...

[Flumpy]

Good question. My guess is that this represents something like 20% of the population--but probably not very much more at all. Far TOO high a percentage, for sure, but not a viewpoint that deserves to win the day.

And yet a viewpoint that gets an awful lot of attention.

As a foreigner it's genuinely worrying that this is the America that we so often see in the media.

I don't believe that you're all gun toting, bible bashing, homophobic, racist, nut jobs but that is they way the country is often portrayed and there has to be some truth in the stereotype.

[Conor Dary]

What do those that oppose the Affordable Care Act propose in it's place ? or are they happy with millions of people having no or very limited health care ?

Nothing and yes...

If Republicans really wanted to replace Obamacare with some more “market-friendly” alternative, then there’s a simple way they could go about it. They could promise to repeal the law only if they packaged the repeal with a replacement that did not increase the number of uninsured. But they’ll never do that, because the magic, cheaper free-market alternative does not exist, and the GOP has no interest in diverting resources to cover the poor and sick.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/07/wi ... -plan.html