We spent 17% on health care, to be ranked 35th (or worse). Do you think it's the fault of poor people?

Question

We spent 17% on health care, to be ranked 35th (or worse). do you think it's the fault of poor people?

Do you think we can successfully blame poor people for the rising costs in health care? You know, like we blamed them for the mortgage crisis, which led to the banking crisis, which led to the GLOBAL economic crisis. Incidentally this makes poor Americans the most powerful group in the world: They caused a global crisis ... wow.
Is the system gamed by the rich, who go to expensive ER's, but who could afford health care if they wanted to? or by the poor, who go to expensive ER's because they have no choice?
Bonus:
The powerful blaming the weak, unconnected citizens for the misdeeds of the powerful, has it always been this easy?


PS
Common sense tells ME, that poor people have very litte to NO power whatsoever to wield. It's almost like blaming the Palestinians for the Middle-East conflict: they have NO tanks, NO gunships, NO nukes, NO airforce, so .....naturally they MUST be the source of the conflict.

Answer 1

Americans are the dumbest of all health care buyers. they get a worse product for twice the price. ya gotta love that.

At least the Chinese do that, since they love to see america fail as a super power.

Answer 2

We seem to demonize the poor in the US system. Republicans are obsessed with welfare cheats, illegal aliens, the 'hardcore unemployed', etc. Whenever we have economic problems, conservatives point to the poor, illegal aliens, welfare moms, etc.



For instance, from the 1960s to the 1990s, whenever a Republican president was asked in a news conference why he wasn't able to balance the budget, he'd immediately start talking about welfare. Welfare was never more than 1% of our federal budget, and if all welfare recipients just sank into the ground you wouldn't see the difference in our economy or fed. govt. expenditures. It was just a convenient scapegoat.



I think the reason for this is two things. First, our culture is so super-capitalist that we judge the value of everything based on how much wealth it creates for corporations and the rich. For instance we don't really value children as we should because they are a 'drag on the economy'. So we don't want to pay for education, kids' health care, vaccinations, etc.



Secondly, focussing our anger on the poor distracts us from the REAL crooks, the -rich-. The rich are ripping us off every day, voting themselves raises, bribing our politicians, and working to increase the importance of money in politics. They really own -both- parties, because both parties desperately need money for elections and they get their money from the same sources, so you can't expect their real agendas to be all that much different.



Many of the arguments against Obama's health care plan run along these same lines--they demonize the poor and weak. The idea is that the poor, that lazy, unproductive welfare people and working poor will use more than their share of our health care dollars, that illegal aliens will be able to get treatment at our expense, etc.



It's the same old 'drag on the economy' argument. Wealth decodes to value and worthiness, and the poor don't deserve health care or any other service from the govt. Instead the rich deserve more and more govt. subsidies and protections, and higher and higher salaries.

Answer 3

WHAT how can you just take this on poor people, the people who has the hardest life, to little money, and no they finally get a little health care, and its their fault its not the best, if you think its the poor people who ruins everything for u, then maybe there are something wrong with your government system, maybe you should try too take care off the poor so the amount off poor people would be so huge, then they would be able contribute too paying health care with would properly improve it... you cant just take the blame on too them....

Answer 4

Poor people that were given loans they couldn't repay were the trigger for the financial meltdown, but someone gave them the loans. In fact, Carter's CRA was rewritten by Clinton so the banks "were forced under threat of lawsuit" to dole out those loans. Later, deregulation law was signed by Clinton to make it easier for the banks to sell the bad loans to Fannie, Freddie and Wall Street brokerage firms.



So, I don't blame the housing crash on poor people. I blame it on government intervention in 1993 and again in 1999.







Medicine is rising in cost across the board. One drain we could do away with is illegal aliens. Treat, stablize and deport should be our mantra. Why don't we do this? Democrats and Republicans support eliminating the illegal alien problem. Ah, but cheap labor is good for many industries and they support our Senators and Congressmen with cash donations to make sure that nothing is done about illegals.



I don't blame the businesses for petitioning their government nor for making campaign contributions. That is their right. Once again, I have to blame government for not doing what is right for the American people.



While court settlements are relatively low in medical cases, over 30 billion dollars per year is spent practicing defensive medicine. That number could be tripple or quadruple since there are no hard numbers to support estimates about $30b. The legal lobby is mobilized against tort reform and feeding Congress mega dollars. Once again, by bending to the will of these lobbyists, our government is doing what's right for special interests, not the American People.





So, in both cases, I think government is at fault, not poor people.





The poor do have power although it's probably unintentional. It's hard for the momma cow to run when there are 50 million babies hanging from her nipples.

Answer 5

It is not poor people it is the governments intervention into these fields that destroys the industry. HMO's(government intervention) are one of many reasons why health care lost it's quality and it's low cost. Not poor people that is the rhetoric of the left trying to discredit the right.





“The worst of all tyrannies, are those of which are hidden under the illusion of good intentions"

~Matthew James





As for the mortgage crisis who was it that made bankers give people loans they could not afford? (The government)





Don't be a tool of federal terrorism become it's oprresor by not falling for it's rhetoric

Answer 6

I spend 150 dollars a month for blue cross blue shield. It includes dental and vision. My out of pocket costs are about 20%. So I have no idea what you are talking about. My current insurance if fine.



Now, if I were to quit my job because i didn't like the way my boss was treating me, then try to go find another one for the same pay, same vacation time, weekend off, blah blah WITH a bad reference, then yeah I may feel that I want the government to pay for me.

Answer 7

typical of ameicans to over pay for things. love the thought of health care for profit. so nice to know that there is no waste or fraud either.-

Answer 8

Common sense and YOU are total strangers.



Why not get a blog that nobody will read?

Answer 9

if you r ignorant redneck...then s yes