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ASU2003 · 07-07-2007, 10:21 PM

I just saw this movie today, and I am too sick to leave my apartment. (figure that one out…) Normally I am a healthy 20-something, but I got a cold (I think) last week. And today my right eyelid is so swollen that it doesn’t open. I have a sore throat and lost my voice too. Add in the coughing and runny nose and I should be quarantined. But have I been to the doctor, no.

Now, I have decent health-care, and ‘should’ get a medical opinion to make sure it isn’t something like mono, flu, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, etc… that I don’t know enough about to diagnose myself with. Would a pill cure me faster, or would I look stupid and waste the doctors time for having an un-treatable cold virus? But I have to pay $125 anytime I go and see a doctor until I reach my high deductible amount in the HRA plan that I have. My monthly premiums are lower, and it would cover my ass if I got really sick and had bills over $3000, but for simple illnesses I am on my own and paying $1000 to United Health each year for this 'health insurance'. I could pay twice that amount but only have to pay a $20 co-pay to see a doctor anytime. Now it feels just like a fine I have to pay to the police for speeding anytime I see a doctor.

I am the person this movie was talking about. Not the no-income person who can use the services available to the poor, and not the richest people who don’t care about $125 to see someone for 10 minutes and tell them that they have a cold. The people who pay for health insurance but can’t or don’t use it because of the expense they have to pay.

At my job, we get 0 sick days. Sure we can take time off, but it is without pay. We can use vacation days (14 per year) as sick time if we need to. So I make sure if I am physically able to make it to work that I am there like a good American. I went to work last week, and let’s just say that there should be something like manager approved sick time when your fellow employees don’t want you around them. I also went to eat at some fast food places and to the grocery store, so I might have been around you.

As stated previously in this thread, I worry about ‘socialized’ health care for reasons like cost (even though I already pay $721 each year into Medicare that I personally can’t use). Would my taxes go up more than the $1000/year that the for-profit company is charging me? Would I have to pay for all the Americans who drink, smoke, have sex, have risky sex with random people, eat too much, don’t exercise, are older than me, have more kids than am able to support, and make other life choices that I don’t make (I would choose to have sex…).

So, that leaves us with a discriminatory health care system that I would support. Who would pay more; the wealthy, the unhealthy or the unlucky? Or would the costs just get added onto the national debt that nobody cares about? Basically, I would like a health care system run by a small government agency that lists the procedures that are covered and what someone has to pay out of their own pocket if they need them. Most illnesses and accidents would be $0. A standard yearly fee would cover these things that can happen to anyone, and no one wants to have happen to them. It would cost $0 because not seeking treatment causes more harm to society than getting a medical opinion and fixed.

Preventative measures would need to be rewarded and choosing to be more at risk needs to be taxed accordingly.

How you deal with illegal immigrants, trial lawyers, bankrupt poor people and people who have multi-million dollar hospital stays that can’t pay for it are to be discussed some other time. And would it create country-club like hospitals where you have to pay $10000/year to be a ‘member’ and have a personal doctor that really knows you and checks up on you on a weekly basis, but there are never any lines and they have the best equipment?

07-07-2007, 10:21 PM	#110 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	I just saw this movie today, and I am too sick to leave my apartment. (figure that one out…) Normally I am a healthy 20-something, but I got a cold (I think) last week. And today my right eyelid is so swollen that it doesn’t open. I have a sore throat and lost my voice too. Add in the coughing and runny nose and I should be quarantined. But have I been to the doctor, no. Now, I have decent health-care, and ‘should’ get a medical opinion to make sure it isn’t something like mono, flu, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, etc… that I don’t know enough about to diagnose myself with. Would a pill cure me faster, or would I look stupid and waste the doctors time for having an un-treatable cold virus? But I have to pay $125 anytime I go and see a doctor until I reach my high deductible amount in the HRA plan that I have. My monthly premiums are lower, and it would cover my ass if I got really sick and had bills over $3000, but for simple illnesses I am on my own and paying $1000 to United Health each year for this 'health insurance'. I could pay twice that amount but only have to pay a $20 co-pay to see a doctor anytime. Now it feels just like a fine I have to pay to the police for speeding anytime I see a doctor. I am the person this movie was talking about. Not the no-income person who can use the services available to the poor, and not the richest people who don’t care about $125 to see someone for 10 minutes and tell them that they have a cold. The people who pay for health insurance but can’t or don’t use it because of the expense they have to pay. At my job, we get 0 sick days. Sure we can take time off, but it is without pay. We can use vacation days (14 per year) as sick time if we need to. So I make sure if I am physically able to make it to work that I am there like a good American. I went to work last week, and let’s just say that there should be something like manager approved sick time when your fellow employees don’t want you around them. I also went to eat at some fast food places and to the grocery store, so I might have been around you. As stated previously in this thread, I worry about ‘socialized’ health care for reasons like cost (even though I already pay $721 each year into Medicare that I personally can’t use). Would my taxes go up more than the $1000/year that the for-profit company is charging me? Would I have to pay for all the Americans who drink, smoke, have sex, have risky sex with random people, eat too much, don’t exercise, are older than me, have more kids than am able to support, and make other life choices that I don’t make (I would choose to have sex…). So, that leaves us with a discriminatory health care system that I would support. Who would pay more; the wealthy, the unhealthy or the unlucky? Or would the costs just get added onto the national debt that nobody cares about? Basically, I would like a health care system run by a small government agency that lists the procedures that are covered and what someone has to pay out of their own pocket if they need them. Most illnesses and accidents would be $0. A standard yearly fee would cover these things that can happen to anyone, and no one wants to have happen to them. It would cost $0 because not seeking treatment causes more harm to society than getting a medical opinion and fixed. Preventative measures would need to be rewarded and choosing to be more at risk needs to be taxed accordingly. How you deal with illegal immigrants, trial lawyers, bankrupt poor people and people who have multi-million dollar hospital stays that can’t pay for it are to be discussed some other time. And would it create country-club like hospitals where you have to pay $10000/year to be a ‘member’ and have a personal doctor that really knows you and checks up on you on a weekly basis, but there are never any lines and they have the best equipment? Last edited by ASU2003; 07-07-2007 at 10:24 PM..