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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (130341)	2/6/2010 1:23:17 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542019

I wish I cared more. But mostly I think about moving out of the country when my kids are done with college.

To: Lane3 who wrote (130341)	2/7/2010 11:39:15 AM
From: Bread Upon The Water	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542019

I think most of the problems stem from a change in cultural values that reflected a nation grateful that it had survived and triumphed in WWII, despite many painful sacrifices, to one wherein the individual feels entitled to do what he/she wants. I really do think we lost something vital when we made the decision to "hire" our soldiers rather than "require" service. The concept of shared sacrifice is no longer there. This rippled into the government where the politicians have no actual military experience anymore and no actual concept of the cost of war.

To: Lane3 who wrote (130341)	2/8/2010 10:48:08 AM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542019

If you are part of a single payer federal system, hardly any. You get to decide whether you die gracefully or railing at the system. You're on Medicare, as I now am. What's to rail about? As far as I can tell, nothing has changed for me in terms of coverage. I'm using the same docs and hospitals I always have and have access to the same treatments. Well, this is not completely true. I assume Medicare lacks maternity coverage. Boo hoo....at 65 I was really hoping for another baby. Single payer would be just like Medicare, would it not? Why would anyone rail? I can't tell any difference from my coverage now and what I had as a corporate employee...with one exception. My Medicare and Blue Cross supplemental are good anywhere in the country if I'm traveling and need medical services. Also foreign travel. My corporate insurance was not that way. Out of state, I had to pay cash and come home and file the claim myself. You mention the issue of "choice" all the time. This doesn't resonate with me. So what am I missing? In my experience, every corporate group plan I had a policy with was the same. I could never tell any difference. Same copays, same benefit package, same exclusions. Merrill Lynch, for example, changed three carriers three times over the years. We employees always assumed it was done to cost the firm less money, because it brought no change to us....at least nothing obvious. My husband's firm also changed carriers through the years. The basic health coverage was always the same, but at one point we were given a plan that included dental. So everytime you raise the 'choice' meme, I'm puzzled. Now we were never offered or were put into any kind of HMO plan during our employment years. Maybe that is the difference. We always had old-fashioned insurance and could go to any doc or clinic we wanted, anywhere in the state.....just like Medicare. I simply cannot see how 95% of folks in this country couldn't be quite happy (not feel stifled) with the benefits coverage of our single-payer Medicare. Those who want more, whatever that 'more' is, can either pull out their checkbook or buy supplemental insurance. A single-payer Medicare type plan is not rocket science.