Big Muddy rancher said:
MRJ said:
Boys, relax! I heard Bush and Johanns as saying to other nations (Europe in particluar) which pay large subsidies, that the US will cut out subsidies WHEN or AFTER every nation does the same.
BMR, where in the USA have you known of anyone to be turned away from hospitals for needed medical care? I believe anyone can get medical care if they want/need it and the hospitals have to make up the loss on those of us who pay, and pay and PAY! Add to that our additional taxes for the government mandated medical programs!
MRJ
If the above is true why are so many Americans upset that we have scocialized medical care. Sounds like you have it for some in the US but don't treat everyone fairly. Why do so many Americans want to tear down Canad's system ? Is your system better? If we had to pay for all care would some Canadians not be going to the US and tying up your system more. I have seen it both ways as my kids were born in the US, and we have doctored some as it was the closest hospital.
BMR, I don't necessarily believe your system is better or worse than ours, and ours seems rapidly to be imitating yours as we move away from the individual or his employer providing insurance as part of benefits packaging. The Rapid City Journal carried an editorial on the high cost of health care. Here are some of the points.
These high costs are triggering worries of rationing of care with proble decisions on what care we can get being made by a government manual or a bureaucrat rather than the patient and his doctor.
Research has developed so many extraordinary medical and pharmaceutical treatments......at a cost......often extreme.....yet lives and quality of life are improved.......who will decide what is too much, or "worth it" even at extreme cost?
More than half of all Americans have the majority of their health costs paie by taxes: Medicare, Medicaid and health care plans (insurance) provided to government workers (military people, city employees, school teachers, Congressmen) as an employment benefit, or by hospitals or local governments as care for the uninsured.
The point of the editorial is that people do not take control of the costs of their health care, often do not even know the costs because the insurance or someone else is responsible for the costs and that is more was up to the individual, we would not put up with exhorbitant costs. Guess there must not be many of us paying our own insurance premiums, according to the story. I know that our insurance costs have been absolutely crippling, yet when I had cancer it really served us well, though am certain we have paid in far more than we ever used in health care costs. We have always wondered if we had been better off had we put the premium money into solid investments rather than insurance, but were afraid to not be covered.
Those who claim bankruptcy has been forced on people with health problems puzzle me. I know people who have had absolutely impossibly high medical bills. Some have told me that the billing agencies have told them to set a figure for monthly payments that they can live with and continue to make those payments and not to worry about the balance, that they will only be expected to make an honest effort at payment. And they did not lose their ranch or business.
My personal take is that if we could only end the fraud and cheating by outright con artists, it would go a long way to making health care affordable.
There is plenty wrong when we see people demanding abortion for any reason at any stage, and others paying dearly to save the life of a preemie baby they love dearly.
There is plenty wrong when we see people choosing their lifestyles and habits of gambling, booze, cigarettes, and drugs over purchasing insurance and health care for their children.
LIfe is filled with choices, and too often too many of us make wrong ones and expect others to pay the costs.
MRJ
Do some research and tell me how Farm Credit is funded verses "any bank". :? Compare the tax structures of Farm Credit verses "any bank". :? :? Define for me a GSE. :? While you're learning, post for all of us the "huge profits" banks make. Compare that with Farm Credit's profits. :shock: