Mr.Newman: The Harvard Medical School study concludes that we ought to dump the private insurance system--hooray! Unfortunately, you're probably right that it is just a matter of time that either the study will be smeared or the "horror stories" from Canada will soon be coming. Food for thought: the business community in the US has to wake up and understand it's own best interest, as well. Why do businesses put up with the run-away inflation of the health insurance industry? I've read in Detroit newspapers where auto executives moan about there being "more health care than steel in [these] cars." This is the issue that just won't go away. Quick prediction: Political leaders will offer all sorts of new tax-credit shell game solutions to plug up the sinking system--but won't touch the single-payer solution(see for example the Gephardt proposal). Five or six years from now, health insurance costs will again spike and the number of uninsurance will hit 50 million! Can someone, anyone, give me the name of just one American, who does not deserve health care?
Rob, San Pedro, CA.

Regarding government efficiency:

Overhead for the Social Security Administration (SSA) is about 1%. (In contrast, overhead for private pensions is usually 15% or more.) If a government-run health care system had the same sort of overhead costs as SSA we would be able to spend the money where it matters -- on direct patient care.

I completely oppose national health care.

However, I realize that every left-wing politcal group in the country is hell bent on making everything "socialized." So how about this:

Opt-In system where the people have the opportunity to pay for thier health care with their taxes and pay a higher fee on their taxes for these services.

This way we avoid the altuistic nature of socialization that most conservatives can not stand.

Prediction . . . under socialized medicene doctor's wait times will be weeks/months not days, Overall cost of "system" will be more than 10 times projections because everyone with a sniffle will run to the "free" doctor, and all current tax cuts will have to be repealed with an additional raising on taxes, of course, on the providers of jobs and high income earners.

Don't think so. Move to Canada and find out.

Austin Barrow,
didn't you read what you were replying to ?

A Nationalized health-care would be cheaper than our current (lack of) health-care system.

But do you perhaps work for the Health Insurance industry ?

Austin Barrow,

Perhaps you are not aware, but the wait time to see a specialist can be months. That's now with this bastardized health care system you think is so great.

In an emergency maybe you can get in within a week. That's what it took, a week, for my mother to get an appointment with an orthopedic specialist after breaking her arm. She had sharp pieces of bone piercing into her flesh every time she moved. But it took a week to get an appointment after her visit to the emergency room.

I don't get this bit about socialism. Our roads and highways are socialized, our schools are socilaized, our police, fire, and military are socialized, our parks are socialized, our water and waste systems are socialized, and on and on. But oh no! Suggest single-payer, and suddenly you're accused of being a card carrying marxist. That's crap.

Want to know what else is crap? Your group health policy. Don't believe me? Try getting really sick. You'll be surprised at how fast you go bankrupt.

And yes, as it happens, I did work in the business. Ten years, group health claim payment. You don't even have a clue how crappy your policy is when you really get sick..

When people bring up Canada, the simple response is to ask the Canadians whether they want our system. In poll after poll, the answer is a resounding no. Yes, their system is underfunded -- thanks to the devolution trend of Mulroney -- but it produces better results than our system in clear, measurable outcomes.

You are more likely to survive a heart attack in Canada and more likely to survive bypass surgery. Your wait time for a bone-marrow transplant is actually longer in the US than in every national health country it's been compared to. Now, the details matter on that one. The wait from being put on a list to gettng the transplant is shorter in the US, but it takes longer here to get on the list since your insurance company will insist on trying every possible cheaper alternative first. You're more likely to survive breast cancer in Canada. I could go on and on.

And Business is getting it. At least those businesses that provide health insurance get it. Business Week endorsed single payer back in 1991. Chrysler has lobbied for single-payer for years. According to Chrysler, the single factor most impeding US car companies ability to compete with foreign cars is the cost of health insurance. They spend more on health insurance per car than they do on steel.

Yes, there are businesses that oppose single-payer. Those parisitic companies that provide low-wage, no-benefit jobs like Domino's Pizza, Taco Bell and their ilk. Of course, they make a profit and provide health insurance to their employees in Canada and Europe. It's only American workers that get the shaft - talk about patriotism.

Of course, they are the same parasitic companies whose profits are paid for by taxpayers who subsidize their employee's wages with food stamps, medicaid and the EITC. I would like to see a corporate income tax surcharge of 10% on every company that pays less than a living wage to all their employees. That will put an end to their expecting taxpayers to pay their employees for them while they pocket the profits we pay for.

Kija, ('poster #7') you got it so right, amen! I lived in Detroit in 2002 and I can testify that the Canadians across the Detroit River are typically dumbfounded at the insanity of our health care system. Actually there are still droves of Americans sneaking into Canada to buy medicine and many are still trying to forge ID cards to get medical care in Canada. The Harvard Medical study focused on the insurance side, but that's just the beginning. Chew on this: In May of 2003, TENET HEALTHCARE CORP., the nations 2nd largest private for-profit hospital chain forced out it's CEO Jeffrey Barbakow amid a federal investigation that Tenet was cooking its books with special payments thru Medicare for its sickest patients (LA Times 5-28-03). CEO Barbakow was paid $116 million (!!). There's a dubious pattern of billing practices between private hospitals and insurers that profits on the chaotic relations between the two that results in a huge run-up in the cost of care. And guess who pays the tab? The public and businesses.

I lose $171 a month out of my monthly pay check for health insurance. That's about $2,052 per year. And last year, when I actually had to use my health coverage to see a doctor, the insurer who steered me to a hospital under their plan, refused to pay the bill! I was sent to collection company. I had to fight and scream like hell to get the insurance company to correct this problem. It took 3 months to clear this up and I still had fork over another $133 get this charge off my credit record. Can someone tell me if they know of any Canadians who have to go through this kind of mess?
Rob, San Pedro, CA.

"Can someone, anyone, give me the name of just one American, who does not deserve health care?"

George W Bush?

The vast majority of Americans do deserve decent health care, though.

I seem to recall reading someplace that profits of insurance companies have increased even more than health care costs. If that can be easily proven and clearly demonstrated, it would be a great benefit to the public to make the information available.

And I wonder about the profits insurance companies make in providing medical malpractice insurance - how do their profits/losses compare to the cost of malpratice suit settlements?

Does anyone have any ideas to stop jobs leaving the country?
Also, the fact that American workers are being replaced by H1b's even though its illegal. No one is doing anything about it, so big companies are getting away with it.
I am wondering, If companies continue to cut jobs to stay profitable, eventually, who will be able to buy there products?

Are there any Liberal talk shows (other than Allan Combs)? If not, we need some. Talk radio has power.