Thanks for thinking of me so much!  What I really want to know is what are percieved thoughts around healthcare reform.  Benefits and Disadvantages.

The disadvantage will be if healthcare reform ends up being like the Medicare part D reform that happened a few years ago- i.e., not really reform. I'm concerned that a law mandating coverage without a public option will only line the pockets of the insurance industry. What does an insurance company do? They take your premium and then try to figure out how to not pay your claim. That's pretty much it. Wouldn't it be easier for every one to pay into a single system that was prohibited from denying coverage? Part of the discussion should also focus on lifestyle choices, etc. Can we hold processed food manufacturers' feet to the fire, too? We are all in this together, folks.

If we can afford war, we can afford healthcare.


Single-payer.

We MUST at least have regulations and a public option!

The whole healthcare debate is irrelevant until we get campaign reform and politicians are prohibited from accepting money from anyone except private individuals. With Max Baucus and his slimy brethren we can easily see how a few bought and paid for politicians get to define the whole debate. Of course, the vast majority of politicians won't vote for campaign reform, it's something that would have to be thrust upon them.

Single-payer is the only option currently being discussed that would cover absolutely everybody and significantly lower costs by reducing duplicitous waste and inefficient delivery of care.

The "Public Option" is NOT single-payer. It will increase administrative costs by adding another layer of bureaucracy to the system. Every other country pays at most half of what we do for health care; why should we put in place something that will make us pay even more?

The latest version of the Senate bill does not even contain a "Public Option."

In fact, the main point behind HR 3200 and its subsidiaries (i.e. the "Obamacare" bills)is a monumental bailout of the private insurance industry, which has lost significant profits with the layoffs of the recession. The bills all have as their central feature a mandate forcing everyone to buy some type of insurance, even if it's really crappy, useless catastrophic coverage, with more or less expansion of Medicaid and subsidy for lower-income folks. But even with the subsidy, many people won't be able to afford insurance--and will face a $750 tax fine for not having it. In essence, it criminalizes the victims of our criminal health insurance system.

More information here: http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/09/07/on-the-status-of-health-reform/.

Criminalizing people that do not have health insurance is ludicris. The only reason for this whole thing is a bailout? I can not even believe the fact that this government lets these companys run this country, while people that are trying to make a difference pay more?

Peace

Godwin's Law FTW.

Single payer was compromised before the start of the reform effort even started.  The public option was compromised to make the bill bipartisan.  The deal was sweetened for the insurance companies and drug companies Republicans are trying to protect.  We've compromised away coherent policy and real reform, yet there is zero Republican support.  They're only interested in stopping reform.  So write a new bill that's actually good for me and you, jam it through, then in the midterms see how Republicans do.