07-21-2017, 02:27 AM
(07-20-2017, 05:52 PM)hollodero Wrote: Hmmm... that's the American take. I mean nothing by that, just saying. Americans sure seem to think in more individual terms.
Health care is complicated, sure. Social values (in lack of a better word) play some role in it. In Europe, we grew up with something like a contract of the generations, and young people pretty much accept that social standards demand certain expenses, even when they might not be the beneficiaries of said spending they have to contribute to. But then again, everyone has parents, friends who don't do well... etc. A society being taken care of in terms of health does, in my experience, work a bit better and more friction-free. Feeling "robbed", to me, sounds a bit egocentrical. If everyone pays a certain fraction of his salary, no one will go bancrupt because of health insurance. But it sure is a solidarity concept, and not to be cute but that thought doesn't seem popular in the US. But the result you get out of this way of thinking doesn't look particularly compelling for a society as a whole. From the outside, that is.
Plus, accidents can happen quickly. I guess I'm still on the spending side of things overall, but when I cut a nerve in my hand, I sure was glad that I was covered. Being healthy can change suddenly for everyone, no matter how young and vital one feels.
Single payer seems like a viable option, or "Medicaid for all", and Sanders is quite right in saying that every wealthy nation except the US does offer similar services to their citizens. I understand that's a tough sell in the US, so OK. But a public option would be a distinct possibility to cap raising premiums.
But be that as it may - there are certainly more options than just full repeal or letting Obamacare fail. I insist on you being a bit too hasty with your judgment there :)
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And most civilized countries (and even some uncivilized countries) have some form of single payer system in place. Americans love to be first in everything. It has become increasingly clear to me that we are not first in healthcare, not even in the top ten! I know when a lot of Americans are presented with anything slightly resembling anything European when it comes to healthcare, they scream SOCIALISM!!!!!....AHHHHHH! Look I'm proud to be an American, I served in our Navy, at times I even like our swagger. But there are things that frustrate me about Americans though. And one of them is the insistence that because it wasn't "our" idea then it's not good for us. Especially when we are founded on the notion of basic rights. IMO healthcare should be one of those rights and not bankrupt you in the process. IMO we should literally be looking at who has had the most success with it and copy it. There has to be some sort of solution though, what we're seeing now is ridiculous.
On a side note I read something recently that I thought was interesting. It was an article quoting Warren Buffet (the liberal billionare) and he was saying that the single payer system would be good for Americans because it would lessen the burden on companies to provide insurance for employees, his republican/conservative partner agreed. It was interesting to me because I hadn't thought of it from that angle before. Any who just my two pennies on the situation.
