Why Am I for nationa healthcare?

[ManOnFire]

Forcibly taking money from one person against their will is called STEALING, except in the tax code. Too many people are the ultimate emotional buyers: they’re glad to buy “feel goods” like Hollywood, music, fashion, entertainment, Pro sports, etc. but when it comes to staying healthy, they think someone else should pay for it. Where’s the PROOF that people possess only basic clothing, basic shelter, basic transportation, BEFORE we take away people’s motivation with higher taxes and cause socialism? I don’t think people want to open their eyes and see what’s truly at stake here. We’re talking aboutthe end of democracy and freedom as we know it, and it will be too late once it happens. The chosen few at the top of govt. want this debt.

If the govt. repealed the anti-trust laws that are allowing insurance companies to keep high premiums, this would allow us to shop nationally for the lowest premiums. Ironically, as much as I’m for smaller govt., if the govt. repealed the anti-trust laws and FORCED ALL of us to buy healthcare, then purchasing Hollywood, music, fashion, entertainment, Pro sports, etc. would COME LAST on peoples’ list of PRIORITIES. Let’s make CHOICES, NOT EXCUSES. A deep, Catholic faith is rich enough to provide us with what we need from a love and entertainment point of view!

 

[KQP]

I’m wishy/washy on all the healthcare. For starters let me say that I like a lot of people in my area and around the nation who have lost their jobs, who don’t have Health Care Ins…let alone dental or eyecare. Simply can’t afford “Cobra” on the unemployment checks.

In todays world if you don’t have minor children you cant get medicade. There are millions of people in our nation who don’t have any Health Ins. All we need to do is look at the unemployment.

Then we take into consideration people who have jobs with no benifits. Again no health care.

How about the thousands of Owner Opp Truck Drivers and their families? Think they make enough money to pay for insurance…nope they don’t. With the cost of fuel, truck payment, trailer payment, not to mention the Truck ins. alone is about 580 a month…(and that’s cheap) a blown tire is about 700 or more. believe me, I know first hand Truckers can’t affored Health Ins, because I am one. ** 90% of **our Countires Trucking is done by Owner Opps, like myself, so if we add all these people up, truely the numbers are in the millions without Healthcare.

Am I for the National Healthcare plan as it stands? Nope not if it pays for aborations. Do I think we need some kind of change, something that is going to give Health care to Everyone? Yep without a doubt.

Let’s look at it like this, say I go to the Hospital and have a emergency heart surgery. I have no ins. and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to pay that hospital, drs, ect. That is money lost. So who’s going to pay for it? Anyone with Ins is that is who. Your Ins. policys are going to go up to cover for the $$ loss. because the hospitals, drs ect are going to charge more to people who do have ins. It’s just that simple to figure out, (not only that but I’ve worked in Ins. some and guess what this is just how it is.)

So do I think we need some kind of Health Ins that all people can have? Yep. Do I have the answers? Nope.

At this point in my life would I take some kind of Health Ins, even from the Gov? Yep

I agree healthcare needs to be redone, but if we look at other countries, their socialized healthcare is worse than ours as a whole. I think we need to hear other ideas instead of having govt healthcare the only option. There are other ideas out there, just not being brought to the table.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

What is the real data? It"s possible every report you see from both ends of the argument is bogus. The healthcare system we have is broken and corrupt. Too many people are suffering because of it. Thats my opinion. Obviously not everyone agrees with me.Thats the beauty of democracy. We can agree to disagree.

Sorry, but the healthcare system is neither broken nor corrupt. And no one is suffering. If you get sick, and you have no money, go to the hospital and they will take care of you. A few people have posted here, but they have basically incurable conditions.

One of my friends, now retired, used to work in hospital admissions and people with no money would show up at admissions and they would be given, what they considered, better treatment than people with insurance.

Sorry. The data from the sources you linked to was clearly false. Having demonstrated that “your” data was false, I am under no logical obligation to provide data. We just know that the data and numbers to buttress your argument didn’t work.

YOU are now under obligation to either

1. re-review it and provide better data; or,
2. concede that national healthcare doesn’t work because there IS NO valid data to support it.

Keep in mind with respect to Medicare versus commercial insurance companies:

Commercial insurance companies are solvent. They are what are referred to as “going concerns”. They collect premium payments from voluntary payments/customers; they invest the premiums in various things such as real estate and bond portfolios. Then they pay out the claims using both premium cash flow AND income from the real estate and bond portfolios. All per the posted rules and per the various state and Federal laws, regulations, and registration requirements. There are stock insurance companies and you can get their financial statements on line.

Medicare is not insurance. It is a “transfer tax payment” mechanism. It collects taxes from generally mandatory collections from taxpayers. It taps into Social Security taxes. It pays out based on arbitrary low ball schedules. It sets prices for non-Medicare “providers”. It has a huge demand for paperwork that makes everyone’s eyes cross in confusion. AND, both Social Security and Medicare are legally bankrupt. Medicare has no assets to draw income from.

So, you cannot say that Medicare has a low overhead, because, while commercial insurance companies have investment portfolios, Medicare has nothing.

Medicare is a Ponzi scheme, paying out from collections.

Anyone in the private sector conducting or operating a Ponzi scheme would go to jail. You cannot say that a Ponzi scheme has low overhead.

It would be like saying that Bernie Madoff had low overhead.

online.wsj.com/public/page/bernard-madoff.html

online.wsj.com/article/SB124604151653862301.html

The politicians and people running and certifying Medicare and Social Security should go to prison.

By the way, President George W. Bush issued warnings repeatedly that Social Security had to be fixed before it flat ran out of money. You can Google YouTube and find the warnings. But Congress wants nothing to do with making ANY changes to Social Security or Medicare.

What will happen in a very few years will be EXACTLY the same thing that happened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Collapse, followed by panic.

 

[pathia]

We have a free clinic in our area that offers everything…dental, mental, and all the medical. It’s staffed by mostly retired physicians and nurses. I was thinking of this for Pathia, if she is real. Don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starting to doubt her story a little. But guess there’s no way to be sure.

Keep in mind, in these sorts of threads I’m mostly oing to speak of the aspects of my life that involve this topic, which are almost entirely negative. My entire life is not so, I have a very happy home life for example, but that really isn’t relevant so you don’t hear about it, but it’s one of the reasons I don’t do absolutely everything I could to flee to another country, because I would have to leave that behind.

My body is in unending agony, but I am happy. I accept the pain when I must, but that doesn’t stop me from lamenting and being upset that I can’t get it to go away from time to time.

I DO get free care from time to time, I have the ER. The main issue is that my problems are very rare and require specialists. You don’t usually randomly find a specialist that knows how to deal with genetic caused systematic endocrine failure in a free clinic. The issue is not that I don’t get care at all, but that I don’t get chronic care. My health is a tire that keeps getting patched, at this point I’m nothing BUT patches. I really need a new tire, but they’re priced out of my reach.

 

[pathia]

Sorry, but the healthcare system is neither broken nor corrupt. And no one is suffering. If you get sick, and you have no money, go to the hospital and they will take care of you. A few people have posted here, but they have basically incurable conditions.

Mine is incurable, but not untreatable. That treatment is priced out of my reach. I don’t even have my symptoms treated, I just have the accumulated damage from a year or so of the condition treated in emergency fashion every 12-16 months. Every time that happens I shaves years off my life, leaves me weaker and even less able to work. Another round or two of this and I won’t even be able to walk, but if I had the treatments I need and that ARE available, that probably wouldn’t happen.

 

[ComputerGeek25]

Sorry, but the healthcare system is neither broken nor corrupt. And no one is suffering. If you get sick, and you have no money, go to the hospital and they will take care of you. A few people have posted here, but they have basically incurable conditions.

One of my friends, now retired, used to work in hospital admissions and people with no money would show up at admissions and they would be given, what they considered, better treatment than people with insurance.

Sorry. The data from the sources you linked to was clearly false. Having demonstrated that “your” data was false, I am under no logical obligation to provide data. We just know that the data and numbers to buttress your argument didn’t work.

YOU are now under obligation to either

1. re-review it and provide better data; or,
2. concede that national healthcare doesn’t work because there IS NO valid data to support it.

Keep in mind with respect to Medicare versus commercial insurance companies:

Commercial insurance companies are solvent. They are what are referred to as “going concerns”. They collect premium payments from voluntary payments/customers; they invest the premiums in various things such as real estate and bond portfolios. Then they pay out the claims using both premium cash flow AND income from the real estate and bond portfolios. All per the posted rules and per the various state and Federal laws, regulations, and registration requirements. There are stock insurance companies and you can get their financial statements on line.

Medicare is not insurance. It is a “transfer tax payment” mechanism. It collects taxes from generally mandatory collections from taxpayers. It taps into Social Security taxes. It pays out based on arbitrary low ball schedules. It sets prices for non-Medicare “providers”. It has a huge demand for paperwork that makes everyone’s eyes cross in confusion. AND, both Social Security and Medicare are legally bankrupt. Medicare has no assets to draw income from.

So, you cannot say that Medicare has a low overhead, because, while commercial insurance companies have investment portfolios, Medicare has nothing.

Medicare is a Ponzi scheme, paying out from collections.

Anyone in the private sector conducting or operating a Ponzi scheme would go to jail. You cannot say that a Ponzi scheme has low overhead.

It would be like saying that Bernie Madoff had low overhead.

The politicians and people running and certifying Medicare and Social Security should go to prison.

By the way, President George W. Bush issued warnings repeatedly that Social Security had to be fixed before it flat ran out of money. You can Google YouTube and find the warnings. But Congress wants nothing to do with making ANY changes to Social Security or Medicare.

What will happen in a very few years will be EXACTLY the same thing that happened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Collapse, followed by panic.

And part of the problem is no one dares reform Social Security and Medicare/Medicad for fear that they will be booted out of office.

I would much rather have a government mandated 401k or something of the like.

 

[CPA2]

Sorry, but the healthcare system is neither broken nor corrupt. And no one is suffering. If you get sick, and you have no money, go to the hospital and they will take care of you. A few people have posted here, but they have basically incurable conditions.

One of my friends, now retired, used to work in hospital admissions and people with no money would show up at admissions and they would be given, what they considered, better treatment than people with insurance.

Sorry. The data from the sources you linked to was clearly false. Having demonstrated that “your” data was false, I am under no logical obligation to provide data. We just know that the data and numbers to buttress your argument didn’t work.

YOU are now under obligation to either

1. re-review it and provide better data; or,
2. concede that national healthcare doesn’t work because there IS NO valid data to support it.

Keep in mind with respect to Medicare versus commercial insurance companies:

Commercial insurance companies are solvent. They are what are referred to as “going concerns”. They collect premium payments from voluntary payments/customers; they invest the premiums in various things such as real estate and bond portfolios. Then they pay out the claims using both premium cash flow AND income from the real estate and bond portfolios. All per the posted rules and per the various state and Federal laws, regulations, and registration requirements. There are stock insurance companies and you can get their financial statements on line.

Medicare is not insurance. It is a “transfer tax payment” mechanism. It collects taxes from generally mandatory collections from taxpayers. It taps into Social Security taxes. It pays out based on arbitrary low ball schedules. It sets prices for non-Medicare “providers”. It has a huge demand for paperwork that makes everyone’s eyes cross in confusion. AND, both Social Security and Medicare are legally bankrupt. Medicare has no assets to draw income from.

So, you cannot say that Medicare has a low overhead, because, while commercial insurance companies have investment portfolios, Medicare has nothing.

Medicare is a Ponzi scheme, paying out from collections.

Anyone in the private sector conducting or operating a Ponzi scheme would go to jail. You cannot say that a Ponzi scheme has low overhead.

It would be like saying that Bernie Madoff had low overhead.

online.wsj.com/public/page/bernard-madoff.html

online.wsj.com/article/SB124604151653862301.html

The politicians and people running and certifying Medicare and Social Security should go to prison.

By the way, President George W. Bush issued warnings repeatedly that Social Security had to be fixed before it flat ran out of money. You can Google YouTube and find the warnings. But Congress wants nothing to do with making ANY changes to Social Security or Medicare.

What will happen in a very few years will be EXACTLY the same thing that happened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Collapse, followed by panic.

Very good post! You sound like an accountant with words like “going concern.”

 

[doer1960]

Sorry, but the healthcare system is neither broken nor corrupt. And no one is suffering. If you get sick, and you have no money, go to the hospital and they will take care of you. A few people have posted here, but they have basically incurable conditions.

One of my friends, now retired, used to work in hospital admissions and people with no money would show up at admissions and they would be given, what they considered, better treatment than people with insurance.

Sorry. The data from the sources you linked to was clearly false. Having demonstrated that “your” data was false, I am under no logical obligation to provide data. We just know that the data and numbers to buttress your argument didn’t work.

YOU are now under obligation to either

1. re-review it and provide better data; or,
2. concede that national healthcare doesn’t work because there IS NO valid data to support it.

Keep in mind with respect to Medicare versus commercial insurance companies:

Commercial insurance companies are solvent. They are what are referred to as “going concerns”. They collect premium payments from voluntary payments/customers; they invest the premiums in various things such as real estate and bond portfolios. Then they pay out the claims using both premium cash flow AND income from the real estate and bond portfolios. All per the posted rules and per the various state and Federal laws, regulations, and registration requirements. There are stock insurance companies and you can get their financial statements on line.

Medicare is not insurance. It is a “transfer tax payment” mechanism. It collects taxes from generally mandatory collections from taxpayers. It taps into Social Security taxes. It pays out based on arbitrary low ball schedules. It sets prices for non-Medicare “providers”. It has a huge demand for paperwork that makes everyone’s eyes cross in confusion. AND, both Social Security and Medicare are legally bankrupt. Medicare has no assets to draw income from.

So, you cannot say that Medicare has a low overhead, because, while commercial insurance companies have investment portfolios, Medicare has nothing.

Medicare is a Ponzi scheme, paying out from collections.

Anyone in the private sector conducting or operating a Ponzi scheme would go to jail. You cannot say that a Ponzi scheme has low overhead.

It would be like saying that Bernie Madoff had low overhead.

online.wsj.com/public/page/bernard-madoff.html

online.wsj.com/article/SB124604151653862301.html

The politicians and people running and certifying Medicare and Social Security should go to prison.

By the way, President George W. Bush issued warnings repeatedly that Social Security had to be fixed before it flat ran out of money. You can Google YouTube and find the warnings. But Congress wants nothing to do with making ANY changes to Social Security or Medicare.

What will happen in a very few years will be EXACTLY the same thing that happened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Collapse, followed by panic.

I happen to stand by the data on the links I posted. And so do many others .
Why should I believe it’s false based on your word? No one is suffering! You cannot possibly believe that to be true. Well friend, I’m sure in your heart you are sincere and the only reason I posted my opinion was to let others know what I thought. not to get involved in a (seemingly) endless discourse. I will conclude with a quote:
"We believe universal coverage should be truly universal and should not be denied to those in need because of thier condition, age, where they come from or when they arrive here. " - U.S. conference of catholic bishops. Letter to the U.S. congress dated, January,26,2010, (usccb.org)

 

[NotWorthy]

"We believe universal coverage should be truly universal and should not be denied to those in need because of thier condition, age, where they come from or when they arrive here. " - U.S. conference of catholic bishops. Letter to the U.S. congress dated, January,26,2010, (usccb.org)

Hmmmm… this doesn’t seem to be based on faith and morals…

But that is irrelevant. That statement does not say that Congress should shove Universal Healthcare down taxpayers throat or make it mandatory.

 

[wabrams]

But the need for people with degrees is higher than ever also! If you think we can succede as a nation of truck drivers and factory workers like the old days, you have got to get out more. Those days are long gone, as they should be.

Problem is, as already been stated, that we have watered down college. Couple that with the fact we have shipped most factory jobs overseas. Take half these kids in college (the ones who really have no business being there) and stick them in factories w/ decent wages and you would solve a lot of woe’s in this country. But that is unlikely to happen b/c you would actually need to get the unions out and lower taxes on industry to give them an incentive to build more factories here.

 

[KQP]

Hmmmm… this doesn’t seem to be based on faith and morals…

But that is irrelevant. That statement does not say that Congress should shove Universal Healthcare down taxpayers throat or make it mandatory.

I agree. I also wonder what that statement about the Catholic Bishops looks like when it’s not taken out of context.

 

[NotWorthy]

I agree. I also wonder what that statement about the Catholic Bishops looks like when it’s not taken out of context.

Correct. For instance, the poster would leader one to believe that the US Conference of Bishops is FOR the current Universal Healthcare Bill. I understand that they have taken a stance AGAINST it because of its easy access to abortion funding.

Hence, the US Conference of Bishops may be FOR Universal Healthcare, but not THIS Bill that masquerades as a bill for Universal Healthcare.

 

[KQP]

Correct. For instance, the poster would leader one to believe that the US Conference of Bishops is FOR the current Universal Healthcare Bill. I understand that they have taken a stance AGAINST it because of its easy access to abortion funding.

Hence, the US Conference of Bishops may be FOR Universal Healthcare, but not THIS Bill that masquerades as a bill for Universal Healthcare.

I took my own advice and looked up the usbcc Jan. 26th letter. In context:
“The Catholic bishops have long supported adequate and affordable health care for all, because health care is a basic human right. We believe healthcare legislation must respect the consciences of providers, taxpayers, and others, not violate them. We believe universal coverage should be truley universal and should not be denied tothose in need because of their condition, age, where they come from, or when they arrive here.”

“We strongly support the position of the House bill that does **not prohibit undocumented ****persons from using their own money to access the new health care **exchange.”

Is health care a basic human right according to the constitution? I believe it’s a great thing to be able to have, but not sure it’s legally a taxpayer responsibility - definitely fits better in the charitable organization dept.

Second quote I put in to show US bishops do not support paying for illegal immigrants but that they can pay for their own health care - or go to certain charities who will support them (Catholic charities).

 

[Monte_RCMS]

And part of the problem is no one dares reform Social Security and Medicare/Medicad for fear that they will be booted out of office.

I would much rather have a government mandated 401k or something of the like.

We do, in fact, have something like that: HSA’s.

However, the Federal government [mostly the Congress, thanks to restrictions imposed by Senator Ted Kennedy] and also restrictions by some states have prohibited individuals from purchasing HSA type medical insurance policies. In addition, IRS rules [specified by the Congress] have specified that small businesses may not deduct costs associated with HSA’s unless the small business has sufficient profits. In other words, if someone has a day job that does not provide benefits and a part-time small business, then that person (who is probably not making a lot of money) may NOT deduct from total income any of those medical insurance premiums. In addition, small businesses with only one employee may not purchase HSA’s. And individuals, on their own, may not purchase HSA’s.

So, thanks to the government, if you want to purchase an HSA policy, the restrictions are so severe that most people ready, willing and able to do so, have been prevented from doing that.

Nevertheless, the HSA policies do exist. It’s just that the government has prohibited them.

That is the reason why there is a demand that there be full and unrestricted [without mandates] interstate competition on medical/health insurance. THAT would solve a LOT of the alleged problems. It would help even more if full tax deductibility of all medical expenses was allowed. AND even better, if people with limited income be allowed full tax credits for al medical expenses, which would let people like Pathia get whatever they needed or wanted and they would be fully reimbursed for them.

[Did you ever wonder by doctors and hospitals don’t sell medical insurance? It would be a natural if they were allowed to do that. Fully transferable; fully portable; fully independent of employer-provided medical. ]

[You can get a pre-paid funeral that is fully transferable, fully portable, fully independent; but you can’t get any kind of similar deal in medical insurance without running afoul of tremendous restrictions by the various governments.]

[You can get car insurance, house insurance, fire insurance, umbrella policies, all portable and etc; customized to your needs and wants… But just not medical / health insurance.]

 

[ComputerGeek25]

We do, in fact, have something like that: HSA’s.

However, the Federal government [mostly the Congress, thanks to restrictions imposed by Senator Ted Kennedy] and also restrictions by some states have prohibited individuals from purchasing HSA type medical insurance policies. In addition, IRS rules [specified by the Congress] have specified that small businesses may not deduct costs associated with HSA’s unless the small business has sufficient profits. In other words, if someone has a day job that does not provide benefits and a part-time small business, then that person (who is probably not making a lot of money) may NOT deduct from total income any of those medical insurance premiums. In addition, small businesses with only one employee may not purchase HSA’s. And individuals, on their own, may not purchase HSA’s.

So, thanks to the government, if you want to purchase an HSA policy, the restrictions are so severe that most people ready, willing and able to do so, have been prevented from doing that.

Nevertheless, the HSA policies do exist. It’s just that the government has prohibited them.

That is the reason why there is a demand that there be full and unrestricted [without mandates] interstate competition on medical/health insurance. THAT would solve a LOT of the alleged problems. It would help even more if full tax deductibility of all medical expenses was allowed. AND even better, if people with limited income be allowed full tax credits for al medical expenses, which would let people like Pathia get whatever they needed or wanted and they would be fully reimbursed for them.

[Did you ever wonder by doctors and hospitals don’t sell medical insurance? It would be a natural if they were allowed to do that. Fully transferable; fully portable; fully independent of employer-provided medical. ]

[You can get a pre-paid funeral that is fully transferable, fully portable, fully independent; but you can’t get any kind of similar deal in medical insurance without running afoul of tremendous restrictions by the various governments.]

[You can get car insurance, house insurance, fire insurance, umbrella policies, all portable and etc; customized to your needs and wants… But just not medical / health insurance.]

But, somehow, we are all fear mongering.

 

[TIMOUSIUS]

I took my own advice and looked up the usbcc Jan. 26th letter. In context:
“The Catholic bishops have long supported adequate and affordable health care for all, because health care is a basic human right. We believe healthcare legislation must respect the consciences of providers, taxpayers, and others, not violate them. We believe universal coverage should be truley universal and should not be denied tothose in need because of their condition, age, where they come from, or when they arrive here.”

“We strongly support the position of the House bill that does **not prohibit undocumented ****persons from using their own money to access the new health care **exchange.”

Is health care a basic human right according to the constitution? I believe it’s a great thing to be able to have, but not sure it’s legally a taxpayer responsibility - definitely fits better in the charitable organization dept.

Second quote I put in to show US bishops do not support paying for illegal immigrants but that they can pay for their own health care - or go to certain charities who will support them (Catholic charities)./QUOTE

I would disagee that the UCCB does not support goverment funding of Health Insurance for illegal aliens or “undocumented persons”. To allow access to the “new healthcare exchange” with “their own money” would be to allow access to a system that is in existance and can only be in existence because it propped up and supported by taxpayer money. a system that eventually will lead to the disolvement of private health insurance and a goverment run single payor system.

Also the statement “We believe universal coverage should be truley universal and should not be denied to those in need because of their condition, age, where they come from, or when they arrive here.” show that CCOB can not seperate their compassion and Christly love from honest, sound business practices. To legislate that private insurance companies cover all reguardless of honest, sound business practices changes their business model from insurance to wealth tranfer.

I am a loyal, reverant Roman Catholic but I say let the CCOB but their money where their month is and start their own private insurance comapny which would provide all of the coverages they desire and let those of us who beleive in true compassion donote freely to the company to subsidize its premium deficit shortfalls.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

I am a loyal, reverant Roman Catholic but I say let the CCOB but their money where their month is and start their own private insurance comapny which would provide all of the coverages they desire and let those of us who beleive in true compassion donote freely to the company to subsidize its premium deficit shortfalls.

NOW, there is an idea!!! Let those who complain take actual action. Set up a Catholic medical insurance company!!! Yes!!!

 

[aspawloski4th]

NOW, there is an idea!!! Let those who complain take actual action. Set up a Catholic medical insurance company!!! Yes!!!

That would discriminate against those like Pathia for gender type issues. Yeah right!

 

[NotWorthy]

That would discriminate against those like Pathia for gender type issues. Yeah right!

I think he was using the Catholic charity insurance as one example of many charity insurances… one of which Parthia could take part in.

BTW, I hate the word “discrimination”… it seems to be thrown about way to easily.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

One of the issues on this discussion [on national healthcare] is also relevant to some other issues [such as global warming] [and also water boarding versus water torture].

And that is the high incidence of word spinning.

So we have “health care” versus “medical care” versus “medical insurance”.

There are extremely important distinctions that need to be made. BUT by deliberately blurring these distinctions, the discussions become almost impossible.

Government cannot provide health care. Period. It is an impossibility. To do so would require things like all bandaids and aspirin and mercurochrome and iodine would only be available from a government dispensary. Got a papercut or a splinter? Go to the dispensary. See a doctor or a nurse or a clerk and they will triage you and decide on appropriate treatment.

Do you feel healthy but want some routine diagnostic? How often for a mamogram or a prostate exam or a blood analysis? Who decides? Who pays? Some people LIVE at the doctor’s office. They feel fine. But they worry … about everything. One of my really worrying friends, simply dropped dead. Another was told he had such a slow growing cancer that he would die from something else, but he also worried about everything: one day his apartment building posted a notice that they would be fixing the water pipes and to eat out or something for a day. Instead, he carried ten gallons of bottled water up stairs to his apartment [how much water do you drink in ONE day] on a hot day [why not just repair to a local drinking establishment and order snacks and iced tea?]. He had a heart attack and died.

Anyway, it is not the government that is responsible for our health management and health care. It is US, each of us, individually. A friend of mine wants to give up smoking, because it is so expensive, but really loves to smoke. Other friends insist that marijuana with all of its chromosomal and tissue damage is better for you than tobacco.

If the government is responsible for health care, then THEY will decide.

How much do YOU weigh? Do you want a clerk at the Federal government measuring your body mass and your metabolism and deciding on whether you can eat pie for dessert? There are places where government wants all restaurants to post the calories of their menu items. So, god forbid, a pizzaria puts an extra piece of cheese on a pizza; they would go to jail if a government inspector bought a slice and had a laboratory perform a bombcalorimeter test and found it had different number of calories than the menu stated.

A friend told me that where he lives the government is so concerned about his health that home gardens have been banned because the government cannot guarantee the safety of home grown food.

Will the government allow you to take Vitamin E or any other vitamin or any herbal preparation for your personal health maintenance? [During the Carter Administration, the FDA attempted to regulate nutritional supplements. it generated more mail than any other issue and was stopped.]

Will some bureaucrat issue daily allowances of calories and other nutrition aspects and restrict you to those limits, as a one size fits all policy?

So, how far do you want the Federal government involved in YOUR health care?

Right now, if you get sick, the local hospital is required to admit you. And they will shuffle the cost onto others.

But for optional, elective medical attention, do you really want some government clerk in Washington DC to make all your decisions for you?

Somebody wrote a book titled: “The Death of Common Sense”.