The Democrats wanted a public option. The Republicans forced them to settle for a private mandate.
I'm happy with it either way. Our first baby was not covered by Obamacare. We spent two days in the hospital, and paid over $12k out of pocket. Our second baby was covered by Obamacare. We spent three days in a much nicer hospital, and we didn't pay a penny out of pocket. Obamacare also gave me access to dental coverage, which I was not getting from the VA. Thanks to Obamacare, I saw a dentist for the first time in 10 years.
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The VA doesn't seem like it takes very good care of veterans. If government and insurance companies weren't dictating price you would have only paid a fair market price. Health Care is outrageous I paid 1500$ to be there for about 8 hours a couple years ago. Also if health Care we're privatized insurance would still be a thing.
The VA has taken excellent care of my health. My only problem is I don't have coverage for my teeth or my eyes. If I could see a dentist or optometrist, and not pay anything our of pocket, my personal healthcare needs would be met. That means I don't always get regular check ups for my teeth and eyes, because it taps my wallet. Not getting it taken care of regularly increases the chance for something catastrophic happening. If I get hit with 5 figures worth of dental or eye doctor bills, my businesses and investments suffer, because that money has to come from somewhere.
Healthcare in this country is a national embarrassment. Every other civilized country in the world provides their citizens with healthcare, but America doesn't. Insurance and pharmaceutical companies make insane profits while they price-gouge Americans on life-saving medicine. We spend more than twice as much on healthcare per citizen, yet we live shorter lives. People in Canada think we are barbaric for bankrupting folks with medical bills, and they are right.
Articles that I've read said Canadians aren't very happy with their doctor waits. They get free care but it's not instant like it is in America. You might get a large bill after but not refused treatment . I agree health care needs to change but I think government should stay out of it. Look at how government runs it's other organizations every one of them is a joke especially the DMV
I'm sure articles (propaganda) you have read say all kinds of things. Let's see what happens when a Republican pharma-shill gets into it with a Canadian doctor.
A public healthcare system is more efficient than a private system. This is a statistically proven fact.
When has there ever been a completely private system? The article I read was in the NY times because I was looking for something main stream to prove a point to a friend.
I know what you're getting at. Here's why it is impossible to ever know. Hospitals are not allowed to turn people away. Take a moment to really think about that. If someone is having a medical emergency, it is against the law for the hospital to refuse treatment.
Socialized medicine is here, and there is no getting rid of it. That means the best thing that we can do is manage it intelligently and efficiently. To do that, we need to learn from the successes and failures of other countries.
We are sinking 15% of our GDP into health care costs. Countries with a single payer system are spending about 7%. Imagine the economic impact of that extra 8% of our GDP in the hands of the millions of Americans currently struggling with medical debt.
A free market would drive prices down and insurance would still be a thing but probably even cheaper with better/ more options.