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Senator Sanders on health care

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Anonymous

Guest
I think that Senator Saunders from Vermont is on to something here. I signed his petition and left a note about my experience with the Private insurance companies. Below is a statement from his office.
The Week in Review
Date Posted: 06/19/2009

Comprehensive health care reform ran into headwinds on Capitol Hill. The interests of the politically-potent insurance industry collided with the overwhelming support of the American public for a health care plan that includes a public insurance program. Thousands of you sent your stories about health care in America to Senator Bernie Sanders. Tens of thousands signed Sanders’ petition on health care reform. As legislation was being drafted in Congress, E.J. Dionne Jr. warned of “the bipartisanship of fools” in a column that asked these good questions: “Where did we get the idea that the only good health care bill is a bipartisan bill? Is bipartisanship more important than whether a proposal is practical and effective?”

Health Care – Public Option One of the biggest disputes in Washington over health care reform legislation is whether there should be a public insurance program to compete with private insurance companies. In the rest of America, the question has been asked and answered. Three out of four people favor letting people sign up for a public insurance plan that would compete with private companies, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The survey published on Wednesday found that 75 percent of the respondents considered it extremely important or quite important that any health care reform should include a public plan administered by the federal government. To read the survey, click here. What’s your opinion? Click here to take our own poll.

Health Care – Sign the Petition “To me, the evidence is overwhelming that we must end the private insurance company domination of health care in our country and move toward a publicly funded, single-payer, Medicare-for-all approach,” Sanders wrote in a column published by The Christian Science Monitor. “Our current private health insurance system is the most costly, wasteful, complicated, and bureaucratic in the world…Despite the fact that we spend almost twice as much per person on health care as any other country, our health care outcomes lag behind many other nations…The main reason we get such bad results is that the function of private health insurance companies is not to provide quality health care for all, but to make huge profits for those who own the companies. As of Friday, more than 27,000 people signed a petition supporting Sanders’ single-payer proposal. To read the column, click here. To sign the petition, click here.

Health Care – Voices from Vermont and America Sanders asked people to share their experiences with health care and insurance. As of Friday, more than 2,700 e-mails came pouring in like this one from Danby, Vt. “I'm active duty military. I have served in the Air Force for almost 13 years now. I have ‘government’ medical coverage. I may have minor complaints here and there, but over all I would say that it's a good system. Seeing how much money my parents pay for health care makes my blood boil. I fail to see the difference between the insurance companies and a mugger who holds a gun to your head demanding ‘your money or your life.’” And this one from Santa Fe, N.M. “I get my health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is, without a doubt, socialized medicine. It is also excellent health care, and it is administratively more efficient than any other system I've used. For example, the other day I had a back injury. From the time I walked into my doctor's office until the time I left the radiology center was 50 minutes. And I had a diagnosis and suggested treatment from my doctor within five hours. No for-profit outfit can match that.” To read more stories or to send a message to the senator, click here
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
"with the overwhelming support of the American public for a health care plan that includes a public insurance program."

I quit reading right there. Credibility is gone.
 

CattleArmy

Well-known member
Sandhusker speaking as someone who has had to in the past pay for private health insurance it is a huge debt. Let's take this little scenario you have a 650 monthly premium and $1000 deductible. Ok so the 650 is workable as long as nothing comes up. Then wham someone in your family gets sick and suddenly you are dealing with owing the next month 650 premium and 1000 toward your recent medical bills. Who can afford that? This scenario is what makes me understand the struggle and debt insurance is to so many American families. It's not uncredible to have a story claim that such a large number of families here in the United States are interested and support federal health care.

The problem lies in the fact that doctors and health insurance companies are over charging. In my opinion a solution would be to put a cap on what insurance companies and doctors can charge. Don't let insurance companies weasal their way out of paying due to uncovered or not medically called for instances. If a doctor orders it in my opinion it is medically needed.
 

nonothing

Well-known member
Just today I went to the doctors and as I sat there waiting I realized how good we have it here.......I phone thurdays afternoon,I am in Friday...I walk in to the office say hi im here and sit dow to wait.....7 minutes later doc comes gets me.....In with doc for20 minutes ......I walk out and never once need my wallet or wait for hours in a waiting room....
 

CattleArmy

Well-known member
Ok well you win. Even with the health insurance my family is now covered with I have sat for an hour and waited and they now ask me for my wallet before I see the doctor. Just once to mess with them I'd like to say no when they ask for my co-pay. Wonder what they'd do then?
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
CattleArmy said:
Sandhusker speaking as someone who has had to in the past pay for private health insurance it is a huge debt. Let's take this little scenario you have a 650 monthly premium and $1000 deductible. Ok so the 650 is workable as long as nothing comes up. Then wham someone in your family gets sick and suddenly you are dealing with owing the next month 650 premium and 1000 toward your recent medical bills. Who can afford that? This scenario is what makes me understand the struggle and debt insurance is to so many American families. It's not uncredible to have a story claim that such a large number of families here in the United States are interested and support federal health care.

The problem lies in the fact that doctors and health insurance companies are over charging. In my opinion a solution would be to put a cap on what insurance companies and doctors can charge. Don't let insurance companies weasal their way out of paying due to uncovered or not medically called for instances. If a doctor orders it in my opinion it is medically needed.

I'm not denying that health care and insurance costs are too dang high. I"m saying that there is NOT "overwhelming support" for a government plan.
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
nonothing said:
Just today I went to the doctors and as I sat there waiting I realized how good we have it here.......I phone thurdays afternoon,I am in Friday...I walk in to the office say hi im here and sit dow to wait.....7 minutes later doc comes gets me.....In with doc for20 minutes ......I walk out and never once need my wallet or wait for hours in a waiting room....

Good thing you did not need an MRI or was pregnant, have cancer or need knee surgery. Guess they are quick to help get splinters out of cray babies fingers. To bad they can not handle real emergencies! :wink:
 
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