Why would anyone NOT support universal health care?

Question

And by universal health care, I don't mean being mandated to buy insurance from a private company. I mean, fully covered health care subsidized by the government.

Nobody deserves to die because they lack access to health care resources. Everyone deserves the same quality of health care regardless of income. Quality should not be dependent upon income.

Every American citizen should be able to get any medically necessary treatment without worrying about deductibles or co-pays or anything else because it should all be covered.

When will the US join the developed world?

Answer 1

Here. Listen to a bunch of Canadians tell it like it is.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQFX32Ed7ZQ

Answer 2

Mainly because it's not also "universal pay". There are already enough parasites leeching off the tax trough. Why do we need more? If we didn't have so many parasites, obama-no-care would never have passed.



If the government steals tax dollars to pay for health care, how long before it starts dictating what we eat and how much exercise we all MUST get?



Canada has a population of a little more than 35 million. The population of the United States is 10 times that and more. Our government has proven it is incapable of doing its job in so many other areas where it has real Constitutional responsibility. Why should we trust it with something as important as our health care?



Does everyone "deserve" the same kind of housing? Does everyone "deserve" the same type of food? Does everyone "deserve" the same type of vehicle? Why doesn't what you decide "everyone deserves" extend to every other aspect of our lives? Who put you in charge of deciding what anyone else "deserves"?



OK, Gazza, now tell us about your tax rates. Tell us how much you love paying for fat people, drunks, junkies, smokers, sexual perverts and baby factories who never work a day in their lives to get the same care you say your daughter got. Sounds fair to you right? Pay a lot, get health care. Pay nothing and get the same care. Why should anyone pay taxes?

Answer 3

You are flogging a dead horse by trying to tell some Americans about universal health care. They have absolutely no idea how fortunate Canadians are.

If the American health care system was so great, every country would be trying to copy it.

Canada, UK and most European countries are ranked higher than the USA as health care providers.



To all our American friends. I will tell you first hand about the Canadian health care system.



My daughter suffered a brain aneurysm in Ontario Canada. She received state of the art surgery the very next day, when swelling in the brain was under control. She spent 3 weeks in hospital and received excellent care. She now receives regular check ups, brain scans and medication.

No health insurance was needed and there were no hospital bills to pay.

Answer 4

The main objection is something of the form "I shouldn't have to pay for other people's healthcare". You might not necessarily agree that this isn't really how universal healthcare works (and to be honest, I would agree with you on that), but that's how many people see it. I personally have no problem paying taxes to ensure everyone has adequate healthcare (including myself), but apparently some people do.



Some people are also just heartless enough to think that it's your hard luck if you can't afford adequate healthcare. The assumption here basically just seems to be "well, it's not my problem" if other people die, so long as they can personally afford their own care.



The other big one is usually some form of "private healthcare is better quality". While this is true, it's something of a red herring, as it sidesteps the issue that not everyone can afford this. I'm sure it's better to be driven around in one's private limosine rather than taking the bus as well, but too bad for those who can't actually afford that. It also ignores the fact that universal healthcare doesn't actually mean no private healthcare- Australia has a well-developed universal system, but about half its citizens also choose to obtain private insurance for better quality care. No citizen, however, has to worry about not being able to afford essential care if they need it.



There are other strange objections to it- for instance, Sarah Palin said that universal healthcare involves "death panels" where people deemed unworthy are denied healthcare. Yes, you read that correctly- and you'd be surprised how many people thought it was true.

Answer 5

I'm so happy you are willing to pay high taxes for other people's health care. Whee can I send you my tax bill?



I also feel that I have the right to travel but I can't afford a car. I have the right to own a mansion with a swimming pool loaded with naked bimbo's. Personally I would prefer to have my government supply me with these items before paying my doctor bills.



Here is the flaw in your argument. When 50% of Americans do not pay any federal taxes and they expect the rest of us to cover the bills...eventually things are going to crash.



Oh, and Beaver.....I know a lot of people in the medical profession. Do you want to guess how many people go to the doctors in expensive cars, wearing expensive clothing and jewelry...and pay with Medicaid? Any clue at all? No, didn't think so.



Like everything else in life, everyone is responsible for their lives and must take some responsibility. You can either spend money on insurance, or skip that and buy flat screen tv's, game systems, new cars, etc......and gamble you won't get sick.



Suddenly you get cancer....you lose. I should not have to pay for your poor bets.



Meanwhile, I just received notice that I get to pay another $80/month in premiums for my own insurance next year.



One more point.....pay careful attention to the lies from the media and lib politicians over the next month. You will see lots of references about how, since Obamacare passed, healthcare >>>spending<<< has dropped by 2%.



Interesting....my office visits have gone up from $100-$175 per visit, other procedures have increased....do you fools understand the difference between "health care costs" and "health care spending"?



When the government tells the doctor they are not going to pay them $175 for that office visit, but instead only $100, Wow! Lower spending! But doctors have bills to pay also, where do you think they are going to recover this loss?



Middle class, responsible patients who buy their own insurance. Insurance spending goes up, premiums go up.....



You people are idiots.

Answer 6

Simple - because Universal health care does not work.



If America's new anything about economics they would realize that Universal Healthcare is a recipe for doctor/medical care shortages, poor quality of care in hospitals, over all higher cost in medical care, rationing of of medical care, government control over what you eat, what you do (to keep you health down)



Universal healthcare does nothing to increase the supply of medical care but does everything to increase the demand, leading to more death and unhealthy Amercan then we have now.



Please do yourself a favor and learn something about economics, then re-ask your question. I suggest reading Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics a long but easy read. And then apply what you have learn to medical care.

Answer 7

There isn't enough money. If you haven't noticed the government [all of us] are $17 trillion in debt. This is just more debt. We don't have it. They can promise it but then at some point it will be like people in Detroit who were promised retirement funds and sorry, it is not all there. Too bad.



I don't want that.



Edit. You can follow Beaver's advice above but be prepared for double in taxes what you pay now and your home price will double too. At least that is what the 6 Canadians told us that we hired at my company. They had a choice.. they chose American Health care. And there is no waiting.

Answer 8

l do not like the idea of government controlling our health care. yes l would be the first person to say that our existing health care programs, doctors fees need some kind of control but not a radical change that our politicians never read one page of the bill and yet voted for it. That tells me the political party is far more important the countries welfare.

Answer 9

Hey there,

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Have a nice day

Answer 10

There's generally a few central objections raised in America to single payer health care. Most of them turn out not to be very valid, but they remain central concerns of opponents nonetheless.



The first, and perhaps most valid of these, is that it will mean increased government spending. Opponents of single payer health care in the US tend to be conservatives and they tend to not like government spending, particularly for social welfare programs like health insurance. So, to the extent that single payer health care would increase government spending, they oppose it. They also tend to think that the government is an inefficient providers of services and think that essentially all services (except for police and national seucrity services) are better provided by private institutions than by governments.



Most of the rest of the criticisms build off of that assumption. So, for example, opponents of single payer tend to argue that it will cost much more. The idea here is not just that it will raise government spending, but that the inefficiencies of government will cause overall health care spending to rise. This isn't a very valid argument since the US has the most privatized system of any advanced nation and yet also pays, by far, the most for health care.



They also argue that single payer care will be inferior quality of care. They particularly use the specter of "rationing" as a club with which to attack single payer care and play up the idea that people in countries with government sponsored health care face extremely long waiting times for needed medical procedures. The reality on this is that any health care system engages in rationing and that wait times for procedures in the US tend to be just as long, and at times longer, than in countries like Canada and the UK. Wait times for important medical procedures in other countries tend to be very short while those for elective procedures can be longer, sometimes much so.



Opponents also argue that a single payer system introduces unneeded bureaucracy into the system. A frequent refrain is that we don't want "bureaucrats coming between you and your doctor." Like the previous criticism, however, this is built on a dual misunderstanding of both how American health care works and how health care works in other countries. American health care is beset with massive bureaucracy as bloated private companies try to run their plans at a profit. Conservative critics of UHC tend not to realize this because they work from an assumption that private enterprise is, by definition, more efficient than government. Private insurers in the US routinely refuse payment for needed medical procedures, thus "getting in between you and your doctor." Single payer systems actually tend to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for patients and doctors to do business.

Answer 11

Because the rest of the 'developed world' is going bankrupt trying to finance this government nurse maid. And why shouldn't you have a stake in your own health care? Why should your health care be more important to the government than it is to you? Why should the government...that means people like me...provide you with your health care simply because you don't want to be bothered with it?



And, for the record, no one was dying because they didn't have access to quality health care...NO ONE. And everyone WAS getting the same quality of health care. But then, I bet you believed that granny was eating dog food, too, didn't you? Silly poppet.

Answer 12

We are the richest country in the world, yet we still cannot get a grip on poverty or universal health care (one payer system). That should tell you something - and as cruel as this sounds, it seems that our politicians/government do not want to get rid of poverty and they would prefer to see the poor die. If they help with poverty then no one will want to do the rich companies' menial work for what they want to pay, and of course if they possibly see those who die for lack of health insurance as non-important. People tend not to give a hoot about things that do not concern them personally, however, as soon as something happens to them or a famiy member (whether it be disease, a fatality, or other situation), rest assured that they are the first to want to change it, only because it suits them at the time.

Answer 13

Yeah, instead people should be forced to die because an oppressive government decides they don't have enough value to the state to save.



And FYI, talking about quality doesn't really support your position since state run health care systems are universally lower quality than privately run systems.



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The average American gets better treatment than the average Canadian and on average the American will get their treatment significantly faster. And remember, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that the Canadian health care system was failing to provide adequate care to Canadians. That's not exactly a glowing endorsement of your health care system.

Answer 14

The emphasis should be on life insurance......not health insurance.

Liberals tell me that in 2011, more than 40,000 Americans died because they had no health insurance.

The CDC tells me that in 2011, there were 2, 513171 deaths in America.

It would seem that health insurance didn't do 2,473,171 Americans one damn bit of good.

Hell, looks to me like the liberal government should be forcing us to buy life insurance instead of health insurance.

Not all of us will get sick, but all of us are going to die.

"Forward?", I ask.

"Hope and change"? Anyone?

Answer 15

government run health care is why wealthy folks from countries with socialized medicine come to America for procedures, because government run health systems are mediocre at best with long wait times for even routine care.

Answer 16

Anyone with any common sense, who recognizes that universal does not mean everyone, but limited to some and the best of care for those connected.

Answer 17

Canada has their system and we used to have ours. And quite

frankly the two should have NEVER met. However we have a

certain Socialist verging upon Marxist President who just could

not be happy with leaving things alone. He had to screw up the

entire system to allegedly help a few. So I am glad your happy

with yours. But leave this countries the hell alone.

Answer 18

You are wasting your time talking to the cons about this, 43% have never been outside of the country, 15% have never left their home state, they don't read foreign news and the same low level of curiosity about the world as George Bush (the ONLY President NOT to have a Passport prior to his election) They don't "believe" that a 63 year old man, who has heart problems his entire life can get a heart valve replacement, and a stint and home care and ongoing therapy without losing his house, or credit rating or even be slightly inconvenienced by a non-existant waiting period....that real example is my Brother...I too am a Canadian....

Answer 19

How do doctors get paid in Canada if no one ever has to pay them?

Answer 20

it is destructive



private healthcare is the way to go



all countries that have universal healthcare have their people come to the us to get real healthcare



Do you ever look at past history and precedent? Or do you simply take an ideological utopian pipe dream and imagine it will work in the real world - which is typical liberal way of implementing destructive ideas.

Answer 21

you are correct, obamacare is not universal healthcare but simply a you must buy insurance mandate.

Answer 22

For those who get into the medical profession to make lots of money, the concept of not making massive profit on illness is a bad thing.

Answer 23

The problem is that it is an inferior product.

Long waits....poorly trained resources, horrible customer service......think the DMV.



Wouldn't you rather have high quality, effective healthcare. I know I would.

Answer 24

Have you seen the US government attempt at running healthcare?

Answer 25

Because there are some people that don't want you to have what they have on the premise they are paying for it. They forget that they are paying for the uninsured already with high insurance premiums. and higher medical costs.

Answer 26

because it is not affordable and it eliminates the freedom of choice. I am not a slave, I should be able to pick and choose what health care is right for me.

Answer 27

"Nobody deserves to die because they lack access to health care resources" - You.



While I agree with that, most US conservatives disagree with that statement.

Answer 28

if someone else pays, that person controls

Answer 29

Because Fox News and Rush Limbaugh tell them it is a scary thing.