Yes, totally, we've heard that too, that paper letters count for more than email, online polls, and all that, so that's what we've been doing lately

And when it came time to signing the letters, by hand, it always reminds me how I've almost completely lost the ability to write the old-fashioned way, as I kid I used to pride myself in my penmanship, now those muscles are almost completely not under my domain

Missed the Bill Maher show last night, will ketchup tonight

Isn't it ironic how a show like that, which is hosted by by someone as clearly radical as he is, actually ends up being one of the more equal-opportunity discussions on TV, because he has guests from all points of view, and they just go back and forth? (Like last week he had Bill Frist on the show, talking about health care, expressing some of the same points that we have been seeing here)

Also I try to always watch "The McLaughlin Group" for the same reason, four people from both sides of current issues, battle it out for half an hour each week

This is such a toughie. Just as my husband's dr. said, "Your thoughts on this situation depends on whether you are one of the lucky ones who have insurance." and he is so right,.

We are so blessed to both have Medicare and then to have insurance that picks up the difference at a rate that does not put us in the poor house. Our drug coverage is not quite as good but we do have it except that hubby's is in the doughnut hole which gets very expensive. That doughnut hole needs to be filled in.

I am absolutely not smart enough to have the answers to the Health Care question and I don't think we have people in government who are either. It is not a quick, easy fix and I hope they don't jump in to something very quickly and make things worse.

For us personally, it will hurt because since we will have a choice of the government coverage, our company coverage will be dropped. I expect this time next year we won't be nearly as well off.

It is truly a problem. The only thing I know to do is to pray for those that are in power that they may have the wisdom to know what is best for our country. And one of those things to me is to once again become "one nation under God".

Hope you don't consider me out of line. It is just quite a discussion and at first I stayed out of it but decided to add my two cents worth which with inflation and the economy today is not worth much.

May we all be blessed with our needs met.

Hugs.
Possi

Hi Possi:

That was a very well-spent two cents, it was worth a lot more than that!

Quote:

---

For us personally, it will hurt because since we will have a choice of the government coverage, our company coverage will be dropped. I expect this time next year we won't be nearly as well off.

---

I worry about that too. If the government creates a viable alternative to the existing very profitable health care insurance companies that now exist...

meaning a cheaper, not-for-profit one, that is designed to create competition, to have the effect of getting those insurance companies to no longer be a monopoly consortium (which they are in fact, because since 1945 they've been granted an exemption from anti-trust laws, via the McCarran-Ferguson Act, there are only a few other businesses that have a similar exemption, one is Major League Baseball)

....it will have some repercussions, perhaps not ones we can predict accurately at this point, but the one you mention has occurred to me, that some businesses might not choose to pay for coverage to their employees, and those employees could very well end up with a lesser plan than they do now

but on the other hand, they would be paying much less for that coverage, so perhaps the deduction that currently comes out of our paychecks would compensate, as well as the other portion of your insurance payments that the employer covers (which is where this would help us compete economically with other countries)

or maybe I'm just being too optimistic...

A lot of these speculations depend on the drafting of the final bill, which is now being melded together from the 5 different that currently exist

But in any case, this won't be happening next year, the earliest that any health care reform would take effect would be in 2013

Thanks Dow. Glad there is one that I didn't offend. ) Yes, I was probably way off about the "this time next year" thing but our company is dropping the amount they pay each year and any thing that can give them an idea to drop more, I think they will.

It is pretty tough now basically living on SS but we consider ourselves very blessed. I would imagine to 99% of the world, we are very well off. When I see the people on the news around the world that are suffering or hear the stories that our grandaughter tells who just got back from a medical mission to the mountains of Haiti, it is hard for me to complain.

Hope you have a great week.

Possi

I just don't understand.

Canada: I pay a little over 20% in taxes from income. I accept that because the stats say that 1 in 2 people who smoke in their life will cost the health care system X amount of dollars so I pay for the over 100% tax on cigarettes if I want a pack (about 10 bucks. I hear the Indian packs are 3 bucks)

I go to emergency, the hospital, or any doctor, I pay nothing. I wait for nothing. I see the doctors I want. I show a card. I never fill out a form. I never pay a cent.

I don't understand why Americans don't question HOW they got to paying upwards of 50% taxes from income and NOT get any healthcare out of the deal?

I did have a whole other paragraph that I deleted cause I just read to keep politics out of it. I do think this goes hand in hand though. Had nothing to do with any parties in particular, just wanted to answer the rhetorical question I placed above.

I hope I did not offend anyone.

No offense here. ) I have heard from some of my friends from Canada that if you need heart surgery, etc. that you have to get in line and wait and that it can be a long time unless you have the money to come in to the states and pay for it yourself.

Have you experienced this? We hear different things about what the Canadians get. I would love to hear more of your input.

Blessings.
Possi

Well I've never had heart surgery! I needed a colonoscopy and I waited 1 week (just enough time for me to mentally prepare for round 2) from the time I agreed with my Doc. The day of the colonoscopy, she said "let's get you a CT Scan. Ok I put you in the computer, its on the 3rd floor, go there" from the time she decided to do the CT scan from drinking the barium and finishing the scan took 1.5 hours.

Whenever they put me in for blood work or X rays, I can go when ever I want usually I'd go immediately and get it done within the 1/2 hour. I flip em the card and I'm all good.

Another thing I don't understand, is the idea that the system will all of a sudden become a dud. Doesn't the system work the way it works? I don't think they are changing the oil for the engine, more like letting more people drive the car. If the system doesn't have enough buildings to house the sick that otherwise didn't have coverage, then wouldn't building new healthcare buildings create jobs and stimulate demand for jobs all throughout that sector from doctors to hardware providers?

Also, couldn't Americans have thrown some of the 700 billion into this and jump started the economy while helping the sick?