Right-wing Americans protest to keep healthcare private.

[azraelle]

I still don't understand what happens to people in America who cannot afford to pay for health care.

THEY DIE!!
Or, they get better on their own, without professional medical care.

[Highheels]

But only cause they tell lies about the NHS. As someone who works in the service, I can see why people love and value it so much, but the US system is based on money, not need. Their portrayal of the NHS as some sort of Soviet Union system is hilarious, until you see people taken in by it.

The only thing I would add is the ridicule of the Canadian sysem which is public and universal for Canadians. They love it and it works.

The US should learn from the Brits and Canadians

[lightouch1938]

The press may make the UK health care look expensive to the Tax payer but it's a boon when your old and ill

[bobeee1]

A universal and free National Health Service is the sign of a caring and civilised country. For heavens sake stop the Tories and Lib-dems from cutting its budget, if that means more taxes so be it

[DanMc]

A universal and free National Health Service is the sign of a caring and civilised country. For heavens sake stop the Tories and Lib-dems from cutting its budget, if that means more taxes so be it

Absolutely. The notion that people will have to be allowed to die because the 20% tax rate is sacrosanct is repulsive. Unless of course you are a Tory, in which case it makes perfect sense.

[SmilinAtU]

Its not just right wing Americans, its middle America including moderates of both parties.
The only ones pushing for it are progressive liberals....who happen to be in complete power right now.

There is nothing a public option can provide that regulation and taxation can't. The public option is a tool to expand the government. There is no other reason for it.
Proponents claim that the free market has failed, but sadly we haven't even seen the free market in healthcare because government got involved and restricted it.

Open up cross state competition and prices will go down. We know that works because its effective in the auto insurance industry.
What hasn't been proven in the ability of the US government to effectively run anything. Given the trillion+ dollar defecit a case could be made that they aren't even capable of running a government.

I am just seeing this thread for the first time, so please excuse my untimely reply.

I'm not sure what you mean by the comment about regulation and taxation, but the public option is designed as a compromise for people who abhor and fear larger government. The Public Option certainly would result in much less growth in government than if we adopted a single payor system like the UK's or Canada's.

Also, I think you overrate the power of cross-state competition. All that would do is make the cheapest policies, those with the most exemptions to coverage, available in all states. It is a free market vehicle to undercut the regulatory power of the states that truly regulate. It would create a true "race to the bottom," and the poor would be the ones buying the cheapest policies with the least coverage.

[SmilinAtU]

I still don't understand what happens to people in America who cannot afford to pay for health care.

THEY DIE!!
Or, they get better on their own, without professional medical care.

AZ, while I think you have the correct answer in the long run, the link is not quite that direct. There is a reasonably good health care program for the elderly (Medicare) and some states have a decent health care program for the poor (Medicaid) which is roughly half paid for by the federal government. (The problem is some states chose to provide much less health care for the poor.)

Also, US hospitals are prohibited from turning away people who are very ill but cannot afford to pay, but they can turn away people who are moderately ill. The result is that those who do not have Medicare, Medicaid, or good private insurance do not get preventative health care. A poor person goes to the Emergency Room with a cough and is sent home with cough medicine and antibiotics. A year later, when that person comes back to the same ER in very bad shape, they perform an x-ray and MRI or some other scan and discover lung cancer. The problem is it is now too far along to be treated.

Many other people are treated for their illness and lose their homes to pay the hospital bill. The U.S. does provide pretty good health care, if you are poor enough or rich enough to get it.

[tidho]

Americans will apparently fight to the death for the right of their insurance carrier to be able to cancel them when they get sick. We see 24/7 propaganda espousing this 'right' and since most Americans are more interested in their TV stars than real life the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Vote on that issue and that alone and it passes 100%. The problem is liberal legislation is never common sense solutions alone, its 10% common sense and 90% liberal agenda.

Most American people simply do not know that the cost of their health care system is huge, 17% of their GDP, vs. 8-10% in other Western countries which all have universal health care.

Those interested enough to fight one way or the other do know those statistics. The argument isn't 'the current way is great' the argument is that based on their track record with nearly everything they touch 'the Federal Government will only make things worse.

I haven't seen as many straw arguments attached to an issue sinse Al Gore's environmental comedy act.