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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (3553)	1/3/2008 10:42:30 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

I like that plan. The first step toward changing the status quo is becoming informed. With one key caveat. The government should make sure that info is easily available. Each individual shouldn't have to work for it.

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (3553)	1/3/2008 11:03:49 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 42652

<<<The reason is that America's health insurance system does not function very well. >>> We are making progress. Public policy is going in the right direction. Look at the United States roughly one hundred years ago... The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old. Only 14% of US homes had a bathtub. Only 8% of homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11. There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour. The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year . A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian $1,500 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME. Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! (Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard.") Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke The American flag had 45 stars. (Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.) The population of Las Vegas, Nevada , was only 30!!!! Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (3553)	1/3/2008 11:29:03 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 42652

In the absence of this kind of federal tax reform, one promising idea being advanced by forward-looking state legislators is the creation of a "health insurance exchange." Basically, this would work like a "stock exchange" for health plans. Consumers would buy the health plans they want, and employers would make a defined contribution to the "exchange" to cover the cost of the chosen plan. Under this approach, the "exchange" would be designated as the employer's plan under federal law; therefore, the employer's contribution and the value of the employee's chosen plan would be tax free under federal law. The key change is that the employee--not the employer--owns the health plan and can take it from job to job. Thus, a statewide health insurance exchange would make health plans both personal and portable. Why have the employer involved at all? One of the things that really screws up the current system is employer involvement. If auto or home insurance were considered a perk of 'good' employment I'm sure they would be just as screwed up as health insurance.