More Bad Grades for U.S. Healthcare

im doing a final project for school what i need is why we have a rich country and bad healthcare with specific examples?

why cuba has good healthcare?

and why does britian has good healthcare

Ricardo Mayorga of CA 12:19PM January 28, 2010

Look at the three systems predominantly controlled by the government:

Education: High cost and low value--only advocated solutions are to give it more money.

Retirement: Social Security. Once a "funded" retirement plan. Has now become insolvent without MASSIVE benefit reductions to be finally targeted one income layer at a time. First with tax increases--then with benefit reductions.

Health Care: government run programs in cities are a complete disaster. Most cannot or will not even bill state or federal programs for funds. Worst access, longest lines, highest cost for service rendered.

Federal and State governments ALREADY have at their disposals the most valuable asset necessary to fix health care. Current pricing terms with providers under Medicaid and Medicare would immediately pay for all services and provide all care.

Selling the "pricing" contracts and the "established plans" to insurers or even companies OR individuals would reduce cost of health care by 20%. Most individuals would, astonishingly, be able to AFFORD to pay what Medicaid or Medicare actually PAYS for the services.

Making the program would be "easy." Medicaid pricing terms for people of low income, Medicare for everyone else. You could blend in the "middle," say at the median income level of income.

Under both Medicare and Medicaid, "providers" are obligated to provide all of the relevant care with the resources provided--so there are no "added" bills or "uncovered" services.

Government has squandered best asset so far.

Biggest obstacles to this will be:

1) BIG insurers who control the market--little insurers will like it as will companies longing to get a fair and consistent price.

2) Providers--not the poor ones--only the rich ones. Many top flight academic centers have dropped Medicaid and will drop Medicare--at least for the faculty practice plans.

3) Doctors--certainly do not want to have a consistent price. Perhaps you noticed on your "copays" and "balance bills" are nearly twice what medicare and medicaid pay for the entire service.

Health Advisor of IL 11:43AM July 22, 2008

MR. DANIEL DAVID CAN BE EXPECTED TO PRESENT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON ANYTHING NOT DEMOCRAT.

I GREW UP IN A DIFFERENT WORLD. MEDICAL INSURANCE DID NOT EXIST. IT STILL DOESN'T EXIST. WHAT WE CALL INSURANCE IS REALLY PRE-PAID MEDICAL TREATMENT. MY OWN UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SO-CALLED MEDICAL INSURANCE WAS PROPOSED DURING WORLD WAR 2 AS A LURE TO GET PEOPLE TO WORK IN THE WAR INDUSTRIES.

PRIOR TO THAT WE PAID THE DOCTOR FOR WHATEVER TREATMENT WAS NEEDED. I REMEMBER OFFICE CALLS IN 1961 WHICH COST ME $4.

TODAY, I BELONG TO A KAISER PERMANENTE PLAN, WHICH IS A ONE STOP EXPERIENCE. IT ISN'T PERFECT. IT IS ASSEMBLY-LINE MEDICINE.

IN MY VIEW, THE ANSWER TO THE COST OF AND IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICAL NEEDS IN THIS COUNTRY IS MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS.

SO-CALLED MED.INSURANCE IS A JOKE. SOME COMPETITION IS NEEDED.

WE HAVE BEEN CONNED BY THE INSURANCE PURVEYORS, THE MEDIA AND THE POLITIIONS INTO BELIEVING THAT EVERYONE NEEDS UNIVERSAL MEDICAL INSURANCE. OBAMA OFFERS ONE FORM AND MC'CAIN OFFERS ANOTHER AND THE POOR TAX-PAYER WILL FOOT THE BILL INCLUDING THE SKIM BY THE INSURANCE PURVEYOR.

MILLIONS ARE NOT COVERED. OFTEN BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE RIP-OFF COST. ALSO,MANY SIMPLY DON'T WANT TO JOIN IN THE GAME. MOST YOUNG DO NOT NEED ALL THAT COVERAGE. ONLY THE OLD.

of CA 8:14PM July 21, 2008

Healthcare in our country is overly expensive, inefficient, controlled by profit driven insurance companies and out of reach for nearly 50 million Americans. I've been a member of Kaiser Permanente for over 20 years and I believe it promises the best model for universal healthcare. I turned to it because it offered one-stop medical shopping, virtually no paperwork and nominal out of pocket expenses in the form of copays.

It's time for our elected representatives to get off of their butts and come up with a workable solution to our healthcare problems. McCain's plan is underwhelming to say the least with tax credits as its main feature and the same cold hearted insurance companies at the top reaping huge profits from excessive premiums. Obama's plan would give those that want affordable health insurance access to it but not mandate that they have it. What's missing from both of their plans is a model that can meet the needs of most people in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Roger Anderson of CA 5:51PM July 20, 2008