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MPI Health Plan - Premiums for Dependents!


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Off topic here... but reading this I'm just thinking: How Americans put up with the current health care system is truly beyond me! When I was a teen, living in Sweden, I always dreamed of moving to the U.S. one day. Fast forward to a little more political awareness and having lived in Canada for 5 years, I think I'll just stay here. Unless I choose to return to Europe one day. But oh how nice it would if Canada or Sweden were tropical countries.

Here's the thing. The U.S. constitution declares that we have certain rights as humans. Rights are things that aren't given to us, but are to be protected, such as free speech, life, property, freedom of religion...and so on. Rights come from within the individual. So, that being said, the argument cannot be made that health care is a right if you believe in the concept of rights as dictated by the constitution. The reason is that in order to give someone "free" healthcare, something must be taken from someone else, whether it be in the form of taxation or forced labor. Thus, those that feel that heath care is a right should really be making the argument that health care is a moral obligation. Also, it doesn't say anywhere in the US constitution that health care is the responsibility of the government nor does it say that it should be. The founders of the United States were strong believers in personal responsibility and private contract between individuals with limited amount of government intervention. One could make the argument that times have change. If times have changed, then the constitution needs to be changed. However, given the history of the US over the past century, the constitution just tends to be ignored rather than amended.

There is a very good reason we don't have a socialist (single payer) system like you see in Europe. The US government just couldn't do it. For starters, the government simply cannot afford it. Whereas I agree with the sentiment that money needs to stop being spent on wars and foreign bases, that will not pay for single payer health care here. The money that has paid for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was borrowed from China. We never had it to begin with. That money has to be paid back, so that's out. Raising taxes on everyone to 100% will not pay for it, as that won't even pay for the way the government runs now. European countries with single payer health care systems can afford to do it because the US is the world police and we pay way more for our military than any other country does for theirs. They rely on the fact that America will use guns and bombs to bring freedom throughout the world. Being able to handle a single payer health care system in the US would require fiscal responsibility on the part of the federal government, and I think the government has demonstrated quite clearly that it is not fiscally responsible, no matter which party is in power.

Switching to single payer health care with require a complete overhaul of the federal government and the health care system. Right now the federal government pays a small percentage of the total bills due to hospitals that issue bills to medicare and medicaid. Right now the percentage they pay for billable procedure is about 15%. Now, you can argue till you are blue in the face that the bypass surgery or MRI you received really should have cost a lot less, but that's not even the point. The point is it costs a certain amount of money to do business in the medical industry, and it doesn't matter what you feel things should cost, things cost what they cost, and when the government currently underpays by 85%, I have no confidence that they would all of a sudden start paying the full amount on bills. Imagine if you had 10 clients you worked for, and one of them was really big, but they only paid you 15% of your bill..oh..and the paper work required to deal with that client required you to hire two full time people to deal with all of it...and that client never ever paid within 30 days. They typically pay a year after the original date of the bill. THAT is what it is like dealing with the government for medicare and medicaid. Now, let's say you are at the top of your game, like Wexler or Ulano. You are required to carry insurance to protect you against lawsuits from post houses that claim you screwed up their sync...from a project from 5 years ago...and that insurance costs more than your annual salary. Welcome to the world of being a surgeon. So, let's say we ditch all private insurance, and go completely with a single payer system. Not only will the doctors and surgeons not be able to afford to practice medicine, but hospitals, GP offices, medical labs..all that...will not be able to afford to operate because the government has already shown with a pretty strong track record that it won't pay on time nor will they pay for the total amount of a bill. This is why I think the US government cannot handle a single payer system. Really, it's just because math.

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You presently pay for people who contribute nothing to health care and it costs about 3 times as much--emergency wards.Also,our present system is very bad for small business with having to purchase workmans comp. that is all going to disappear and it would be cheaper if it was single payer---The fight against Medicare by Republicans was almost as strong as the fight against Obamacare,now they enjoy the security of the program.

J.D.

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Bullshit.

Providing healthcare is a drop in the bucket compared the obscene amount. Of money that's been spent waging useless wars in far away countries the last 50 years.

And stop attaching the word "socialist" to a single payer system, or national healthcare, and trying to turn it into something nasty.

National healthcare is no more "socialist" than education, fire fighters, police and the military.

All things that are paid for by our collective society.

But I guess you are saying that America is a failure, since other countries all over the world have been able to succeed when it comes to provision affordable healthcare. Their doctors seem to be doing fine.

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Bullshit.

Providing healthcare is a drop in the bucket compared the obscene amount. Of money that's been spent waging useless wars in far away countries the last 50 years.

And stop attaching the word "socialist" to a single are system, and trying to turn tninto snow thing nasty.

National healthcare is no more "socialist" than education, fire fighters, police and the military.

All things that are paid for by our collective society.

But I guess you are saying that America is a failure, since other countries all over the world have been able to succeed when it comes to provision affordable healthcare. Their doctors seem to be doing fine.

Socialism is collectivism. Not saying it's bad or good. Just saying it is. I never tried to turn it into something nasty. A single payer system is socialized medicine. Notice that nowhere in that sentence did I use negative adjectives or language that would suggest socialized medicine is bad for some countries. I highly encourage you to re-read my post. I try to explain why the "stop spending money on wars and health care is cheap" argument doesn't really work when faced with math combined with our current economic and political system. Wishing something to "be" doesn't make it "so". I really shouldn't have to repeat the points I already made, so again, just re-read what I wrote without seeing it through a veil if anger. This isn't an ideological/us vs. them/republican vs. democrat/bad vs. good/socialism vs. libertarian issue right now as I have discussed it. The things I pointed out are real. I'm not basing anything on any personal belief system at all. I am basing my points on math, the current state of medicine (of which I know a lot about. I have family and friends that work in medicine and they aren't greedy sociopaths), and looking at our current economic status and political status. It's purely analytical. No name calling or swearing involved. All emotion and political ideology removed from the issue. As they say on Dragnet "just the facts, ma'am".

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Again, you are wrong. We are not supposed to be or need t be the world police.

That's another load of BS that gets repeated over and over.

Again, how can ther countries throughout the world provide great healthcare to their citizens, yet America cannot?

Peopel here think they pay a lot less taxes, than other our does that provide affordable healthcare and helathcare coverage, as well as much more affordable education.

It's just not true.

Go do a bit of research on other countries and educate yourself. Then explain to me why we can't so whether countries can.

Instead of using excuses.

Again, we have wasted obscene amounts of money wars. Not just the recent ones. Nation healthcare would cst a fraction of that.

Btw,mits not those in the medical profession that are greedy. It's the for profit insurance companies.

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Again, you are wrong.

How so? The situation I have laid out is not incorrect. It is very real.

We are not supposed to be or need t be the world police.

That's another load of BS that gets repeated over and over.

I agree that US is not supposed to be the world police, but the fact of the matter is the US is the world police...at least when it is profitable to do so...

Again, how can ther countries throughout the world provide great healthcare to their citizens, yet America cannot?

I have already explained this. You must not have re-read my post address this very issue.

Peopel here think they pay a lot less taxes, than other our does that provide affordable healthcare and helathcare coverage, as well as much more affordable education.

It's just not true.

I am assuming your autocorrect on your mobile device is messing up what you are trying to say. I think what you are saying here is that people here in the US think they pay a lot less in taxes than other countries that do have single payers systems. Did get that statement correct? This really depends on the state you live in. In California, when you combine state and federal income taxes we pay about the same as people in Canada, and we pretty much get very little for it comparatively. However, a state like Nevada or Texas where there is no state income tax, this isn't the case. When I lived in Vegas I paid no state income tax, and the health insurance was much cheaper that it is here in California, AND I was on a PPO, not an HMO. So, for less money I had better coverage and I got to choose where I went just because I was in another state.

Go do a bit of research on other countries and educate yourself. Then explain to me why we can't so whether countries can.

Instead of using excuses.

Again, we have wasted obscene amounts of money wars. Not just the recent ones. Nation healthcare would cst a fraction of that.

Btw,mits not those in the medical profession that are greedy. It's the for profit insurance companies.

I have already explained why the US cannot afford a single payer system. Did you non re-read my post explaining this? What's not to get?

I agree, the cumulative effect of spending money on pretty much unnecessary wars over the past 70 years has created a climate of spending like crazy on military and national defense that people just expect, unfortunately. Yes, national health care would cost a fraction of that, but you can't un-do history at this point. Like I have already said in a post you haven't read, the money used to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan is borrowed from China. Unless the US government defaults on those loans, they HAVE to pay that money back. You can wish all you want that we shouldn't have to, but that doesn't mean we get out of it.

What is happening here is an ignoring of the reality of the situation and conflating it with what people think should "be", no matter how well intentioned they may be. You can't do that. That only creates more problems. I would totally love to have a single payer system that works as well, if not better than, what we are dealing with in terms of private health care, but the reality of the situation is as it stands right now, the US is completely incapable of managing it. That doesn't mean I think we shouldn't try. Honestly, I feel that if we want to have a single payer health care system in the US, we should probably switch from a Democracy to a Socialist government. *PLEASE NOTE* nowhere in that sentence did I say it would be evil or wrong to do that, nor am I trying to imply one way is better than another, I'm just stating how things work.

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"I agree, the cumulative effect of spending money on pretty much unnecessary wars over the past 70 years has created a climate of spending like crazy on military and national defense that people just expect, unfortunately. Yes, national health care would cost a fraction of that, but you can't un-do history at this point. Like I have already said in a post you haven't read, the money used to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan is borrowed from China. Unless the US government defaults on those loans, they HAVE to pay that money back."

So, how do you suggest we "pay that money back"? It looks as if the people in power, both Democrats and Republicans, have no real plan to EVER pay it back. There are efforts on both sides to REDUCE the deficit but each party has their own idea about how to reduce the deficit. Republicans basically say we have to cut everything (except the military and most probably their salaries and benefits) and the Democrats say we need to start taxing the ultra rich individuals and corporations AND cut spending (on the military, etc.). Neither approach will alter in any fundamental way the trend for the last 20 years or more of BORROWING money we don't have to pay for things that people in a position to spend it (our elected leadership) want to do. Even though it is borrowed money, there is still a lot of money to go around --- re-purpose even a small portion of this to accomplish some other goals and we might have something good going in this country to actually benefit US, the people the government is supposed to serve.

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We've had incompetent and very irresponsible leaders.Having 2 wars and then lower taxes is insane.The bush tax cuts need to end for all and cut the military waste.Social Security is insurance and we pay a premium,It is not part of the deficit,so leave it alone.Social Security was made a separate entity so that it could not be messed with,but the f#ckers will eventually do it because people are so easily fooled.

J.D.

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Rights come from within the individual

The things that we call "rights" are only things that a majority of voters (and their representatives), at any one time, agree upon and agree to call "rights".

The US Constitution could, at any time, be amended to declare that people in these United States have the "right" to walk around naked, to climb any tree in the land or the "right" to call your neighbor Bob, even if her name is Betty.

There is a very good reason we don't have a socialist (single payer) system like you see in Europe. The US government just couldn't do it. For starters, the government simply cannot afford it.

A single payer system is not "socialist" any more than your local police and fire departments are "socialist". A properly run single-payer health care and health insurance system would be far cheaper than our present one.

They rely on the fact that America will use guns and bombs to bring freedom throughout the world.

Sorry to burst your bubble but, aside from the Second World War, the US has a pretty poor record of using its armed forces to bring "freedom" to any part of the world. Most of the world's revolutionary movements (including those in Russia, Cuba and China) have come to the US, the first revolutionary power, first for help, only to be rejected. America's might has, in the main, been used to support dictators, oligarchs and corporate interests.

Switching to single payer health care with require a complete overhaul of the federal government and the health care system.

Wrong again. It could be done quite easily by introducing an insurance system much like France's (considered the best in the Western world by people that study these things.) There would be complaints from intrenched powers but it could be done with no real problems and could be phased in in a maximum, repeat maximum, of five years.

So, let's say we ditch all private insurance, and go completely with a single payer system. Not only will the doctors and surgeons not be able to afford to practice medicine, but hospitals, GP offices, medical labs..all that...will not be able to afford to operate

So how do you explain the hundreds of thousands of doctors and surgeons all over the world that operate quite happily under single payer systems? The hospitals, labs and other facilities that do like wise? Are you daring to suggest that American medical personnel aren't as good as their counterparts in other countries?

Really, it's just because math.

The math tells us that a single payer system would be good for the consumer and industry.

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Dave, you are basing your argument on math that not everyone agrees is correct. No, I have not done the math, but you can't insist on numbers that are not concrete. There are way too many variables to simply settle the math involved.

I don't think a lot of people say health car is a constitutional right, but it's something we should do to take care of our country because, according to a lot of people, we can. As is we pay when an uninsured person ends up in the ER for something they could have seen a doctor, or nurse practitioner, for.

I would rather see us keep the country health instead of giving corporate welfare to companies like ExxonMobil and letting companies like Walmart and McDonald's exploit loopholes.

Working in this field I have done interviews with people that end up in some crazy situations because they can't afford health insurance and can't afford to go to the Dr till they know something is very wrong. I've heard some heartbreaking stories, and they are all people that have jobs, but the cost of raising kids just eats it all up. Even if healthcare isn't universal, it shouldn't have to be so freaking expensive. Maybe they shouldn't have kids they can't afford, but we all know public schools don't really teach sex education in this country.

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Ok...people aren't reading everything I am writing.

Right now, as it stands, the government has not prioritized health care spending. If they did they wouldn't pay hospitals a small percentage of an actual bill. THAT RIGHT THERE is the achilles heal of the whole idea of a single payer system in the US. That is a non-issue in other countries because they can afford to pay the medical personell because they aren't paying for tons of other stuff like debt on war and financial aid to countries that hate us. Again, what I'm seeing here is wishful thinking vs. reality. You have to look at what is going on in the US vs. other countries, and you'll see why we can't adopt what other countries do. I've already spelled it out a couple of times. I've also said that yes, a single payer system CAN be done, but not in the current state of the US.

When I said "bringing freedom to the rest of the world", I was joking. :)

In terms of paying the money back on what we owe China for the two most recent wars, that's a whole other can of worms. To start with, spending has to get under control AND we need to stop borrowing money. Just the interest on the debt is crippling. Stop the wars. Shut down all over seas military bases.

Pay all government workers federal minimum wage, this includes congress. Get rid of all pensions and free health care for government workers. This goes for all federal, state, and local government workers. This frees ups TONS of tax revenue right there. If the government workers don't like it, they can get a gig in the private sector.

You can tax the wealthy at 100% all you like, that won't solve anything. Everyone needs to pay taxes. Almost half the country pays no federal income tax. That has to change. Everyone pays at least 10% income tax on ALL income. There are no deductions. No write offs. None of that. You pay 10%, and that's that.

All state governments need to switch to a part time legislature. States that do this tend to run a budget surplus.

Ban all paid government lobbyists. Ban all TV and radio ads for political campaigns.

Make lying in politics a federal offense.

Next time we need a bail out, give the money to the people, and throw the bankers in jail. That's what Iceland did, and they are doing great right now.

Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, PBS, NPR, National Parks...those are all drops in the bucket compared to the big stuff. Those things don't need to be cut.

We need to teach personal responsibility in schools. We need to teach our children that it isn't just hard work that makes you successful, it's becoming a valuable employee. Anybody can be a warm body at a job. Only those that are valuable to a company are the ones that make their way up the ladder. Times have changed. When I was a kid, and I was in the car with my dad and we saw some dude driving a sweet ride, there was none of the "look at that guy, he probably screwed someone over to get that". It was "see that, Dave? You work hard enough and make people see that you are a valuable person, and some day you can drive a really nice car and have a nice house". What we are seeing now, especially here in California, is people looking to punish the wealthy.

Bring back vocational eduction in high school. Remember metal shop? Wood shop? Good like finding those in high schools today. Did you know there is a worker shortage in welding, trucking, oil working, and more? There are lots of jobs in skilled trades available, but nobody to fill them. Instead people are getting degrees in philosophy, gender studies, poly sci, and other things that don't have job openings.

I really could go on and on...but that's a start.

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Dave, you are basing your argument on math that not everyone agrees is correct.

And that's the problem. I'm basing my numbers on real numbers. This is what I was talking about earlier when people are conflating with they think should "be" with what actually "is".

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So, NOW I agree with almost everything you are saying, Dave.

"Pay all government workers federal minimum wage, this includes congress. Get rid of all pensions and free health care for government workers. This goes for all federal, state, and local government workers. This frees ups TONS of tax revenue right there. If the government workers don't like it, they can get a gig in the private sector."

"Everyone pays at least 10% income tax on ALL income. There are no deductions. No write offs. None of that. You pay 10%, and that's that."

I think I am a fan of so-called FLAT TAX system.

"All state governments need to switch to a part time legislature. States that do this tend to run a budget surplus."

Could be a good idea --- never studied the feasibility of that

"Ban all paid government lobbyists. Ban all TV and radio ads for political campaigns."

Campaign reform that really worked would be great, Again, look at how campaigns are conducted in other countries. Think how much health care we could have with the money spent in the last election.

"Make lying in politics a federal offense."

That's a good one… was that one of the Ten Commandments until a filibuster in Congress killed it?

"Next time we need a bail out, give the money to the people, and throw the bankers in jail. That's what Iceland did, and they are doing great right now."

It did work in Iceland, but hey, that's Iceland.

"Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, PBS, NPR, National Parks...those are all drops in the bucket compared to the big stuff. Those things don't need to be cut."

And don't call them "Entitlements" they are things we paid for and expect but can be taken away by someone in power who wants to do away with them.

"We need to teach personal responsibility in schools. We need to teach our children that it isn't just hard work that makes you successful, it's becoming a valuable employee. Anybody can be a warm body at a job. Only those that are valuable to a company are the ones that make their way up the ladder. Times have changed. When I was a kid, and I was in the car with my dad and we saw some dude driving a sweet ride, there was none of the "look at that guy, he probably screwed someone over to get that". It was "see that, Dave? You work hard enough and make people see that you are a valuable person, and some day you can drive a really nice car and have a nice house". What we are seeing now, especially here in California, is people looking to punish the wealthy."

Could that possibly be because the super wealthy got rich by doing exactly what you are condemning here: "probably screwed someone over" (or, rather than someone, how about the whole middle class below).

"Bring back vocational eduction in high school. Remember metal shop? Wood shop? Good like finding those in high schools today."

I loved all the shops --- and Art, and Drama, and Chemistry and Physics. Not a big fan of Algerbra III (had to take that twice).

Now, it is your first statement (quoted below) where you and I differ. If we just roll over and say "we can't adopt what other countries do" then I guess we're a lost cause as a nation. We owe it to our country, to our fellow citizens, men, women and children, to force our government to adopt these very things you declare we cannot do.

"You have to look at what is going on in the US vs. other countries, and you'll see why we can't adopt what other countries do. I've already spelled it out a couple of times. I've also said that yes, a single payer system CAN be done, but not in the current state of the US."

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Jeff, I should have clarified. We can adopt what other countries do, but we can't do it with our current governmental structure.

But with all this bitching and moaning, here's the cool thing. There are LOTS of really smart, talented, and motivated people in this country. There was another thread where we were talking about solar power, and how Billy has a house that basically gets its power from a communal solar farm in new mexico (please correct me if I'm wrong on that one). THAT is the kind of really cool innovation we need, and it wasn't until Billy talked about it that I even knew something like that existed. Jeff, I think it's really cool you put solar on your house. I think we can all agree that is an awesome step in a positive direction. We need more of that kind of stuff, in terms of thinking for the betterment of everyone. It's sad how divided our country has become. The republicans and democrats in washington can't get anything done because their only motivation seems to be to tell the other party "no". People are too emotionally invested in their political ideologies, and that only hurts society. There is no reasoning with people like that. Just name calling and wishful thinking. I used to be a hardcore libertarian...even an anarchist. I believed you could have absolutely no government....and that was just a few years ago. Before that I was more of a republican. Because I've kept an open mind and speak civilly with others who have different view points from me, I've been able to appreciate what others have said and think about those things and see if there are other ideals that I can incorporate into what I currently believe to make things better. I really wish more people could do that.

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Ok...people aren't reading everything I am writing.

Right now, as it stands, the government has not prioritized health care spending. If they did they wouldn't pay hospitals a small percentage of an actual bill. THAT RIGHT THERE is the achilles heal of the whole idea of a single payer system in the US. That is a non-issue in other countries because they can afford to pay the medical personell because they aren't paying for tons of other stuff like debt on war and financial aid to countries that hate us.

Private insurance companies don't pay the full bill either. The healthcare system lives on private insurance money, and they pay a fraction of bills. That's no secret, it's printed right on your bill. There is the total, and then what your insurance will be billed. What they actually pay is a mystery, but they get an instant discount. It's only private uninsured people that pay the full price.

I'm not saying government workers should make minimum wage, but I like them getting a pay cut. The founding fathers wanted people to serve a few terms then go back to the private sector. They would be appalled at these families of politicians.

I would love to see Congress have to get insurance on their own, and not get it for life after serving 2 terms. There is something insane that people controlling our country's health care will NEVER have to deal with the system themselves. It's almost like a bunch of old men telling a woman what she can do with her body..... oh. oops. Besides, Congress votes on their salary/benefits. Surprisingly they don't cut their own wages. The same way they say there is no mass support for term limits, because they don't want to vote themselves out of office.

I think I mostly like the idea of a flat tax. Probably the biggest opposition to the flat tax are the non-profits. All the "yeah Mitt doesn't pay that much in taxes, but he gives a lot to charity" (his church) stuff is a perfect example. Churches live off those donations on top of their tax-free status. A lot of non-profits do, and they all fear they would lose donations if people couldn't use it as a write-off. The big organizations in that position have influence with Congress.

The other argument against the flat tax it is that it will put a lot of IRS and CPA workers out of a job. We shut down asbestos factories even though that put people out of work. I'm sure those people are smart enough to apply their skills elsewhere.

The problem with laws about lies in politics, is that they will just get better about loopholes. They already do that now. they float a vague statement and others run with it playing whisper down the lane. For example the Romney comment about Obama conspiring with the Italians to build Jeeps in China. If you look at the exact statement, they implied things, but it was all the right-wing liars (Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump) that said Jeep was going to move all production to China and shut down the US plants and that Obama was behind it. They will claim it was a tweet, or opinion, and can't be held accountable. The facts were that Jeep *considered* reopening a Jeep factory that has been in China for a long time, but closed about 5 years ago. It would only make Jeeps for the Chinese market, none of those Jeeps would come here. The workers at the Jeep plant knew it was a lie, and it backfired locally, but it's incredibly irresponsible and arguably criminal.

BTW, I mostly agree with your points.

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I wish I were in charge. There would be no loop holes. The tax code would only be a few sentences. In the example you listed about lying in ads and stuff, Limbaugh and Trump would be thrown in jail...actually, if I had my way, they'd get thrown in jail right now so we don't have to be subjected to them any more.

It's funny you mention uninsured having to pay full boat for bills. In March of last year when Brenda and I were coming back to Vista from L.A. we got in a really bad wreck. Traffic was stopped on the freeway and some clown plowed into me doing 70mph. Totalled the new car I had just bought. First time in my life I've been knocked out. Anyway....we get to the hospital, and since I had just started at K-Tek, my health insurance wasn't lined up yet. I had an ER visit and a CT scan (I think it was a CT scan...some sort of scan since my brain got rattled pretty good). Anyway, I get the bill in the mail about a week later, and the total charge is around $200. I got a "no insurance discount". I was floored. Now, I'm not going to assume every hospital does this, because that would be dumb, but this one specific hospital did. If I had insurance, the co-pay would have been way higher than $200. It's just so random.

But that example right there is why I really like the idea of a well run single payer system. It would have been a non-issue. I would have walked out not worrying about a thing. There are so many things we stress about when it comes to money. Wouldn't it be nice to not have health care be one of them? I really hope this can get figured out in my lifetime.

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Right now, as it stands, the government has not prioritized health care spending. If they did they wouldn't pay hospitals a small percentage of an actual bill. THAT RIGHT THERE is the achilles heal of the whole idea of a single payer system in the US.

That's also known as negotiating with your supplier, you know, buy in bulk and save.

…because they aren't paying for tons of other stuff like debt on war and financial aid to countries that hate us…

Hey, blame the Bush administration for that nonsense. So you're willing to screw future generations even more because of W's mistakes?

When I said "bringing freedom to the rest of the world", I was joking. :)

Then it should have been in quotes, shouldn't it?

Pay all government workers federal minimum wage, this includes congress. Get rid of all pensions and free health care for government workers. This goes for all federal, state, and local government workers. This frees ups TONS of tax revenue right there. If the government workers don't like it, they can get a gig in the private sector.

Of course, to make things completely fair, everyone, including you, should also get no more than minimum wage, but you're okay with that, right?

You can tax the wealthy at 100% all you like, that won't solve anything. Everyone needs to pay taxes. Almost half the country pays no federal income tax. That has to change.

They rich paid 91% during the Eisenhower years and things seemed to go along okay. But let's knock that down to 50% just to be nice, okay?

The people that don't pay "income tax" pay a boatload in payroll taxes, remember?

Ban all paid government lobbyists.

Ban all TV and radio ads for political campaigns.

Make lying in politics a federal offense.

Next time we need a bail out, give the money to the people, and throw the bankers in jail.

Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, PBS, NPR, National Parks...those are all drops in the bucket compared to the big stuff. Those things don't need to be cut.

Do you realize that you're sounding like a Socialist?

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I'm so happy I live in the United States of America, where there is a Constitution that enshrines the freedom of speech. That means you are able to wish that people who say things you do not agree with, you could arrest and put in jail.

Luckily, that is not the way it works here, but it does in Syria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and China. If you lived there, your wishes could come true.

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I think I am a fan of so-called FLAT TAX system.

The idea of a flat tax on income is designed to pander to the wealthy among us. I prefer a progressive income tax in which the wealthy, who benefit the most from what this country provides in terms of legal systems, financial regulations, etc., pay somewhat more than their poorer brethren.

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I'm so happy I live in the United States of America, where there is a Constitution that enshrines the freedom of speech.

Enshrines but doesn't always practice. There are quite a few people who have been held, and are being held, by the United States, in a prison of one sort of another, because of what they've said.

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