I fear we have no way to pay for Health Care. I think the Right is getting to me

[SamCooke]

Damn Morning Joe. It makes sense, where are we gonna get the money for this? Obama's numbers are starting to slip becuz people are starting to question is handling of gov't spending. I'm starting to panic.

As Rachel Maddow would say: Talk Me Down

[supernova]

1. We could take the 1 bil we're spending in Iraq

every month and pay for it that way.

Most importantly we can't afford not to. We pay double what other countries with UHC pay, and we receive far less in real care.

[SamCooke]

2. That's not 2 trillion dollars. nt.

[CreekDog]

11. 2 trillion over how long?

can you afford a $300,000 for a house?

in a month, probably not, in 30 years, a lot better chance.

don't throw a giant number at me like i have to pay for it all today --that's stupid and misleading.

[Synicus Maximus]

23. At a billion dollars a month it would only take a lillle more than 166 years to

make up 2 trillion dollars

[CreekDog]

26. but we're not spending 1 billion/month in Iraq, we are spending far more

and have spent more on Iraq than universal health care would have cost us over the same period.

think about that.

[CreekDog]

27. your Iraq estimate is wayyyy off: we're spending more like $150B/year in Iraq

NPR stated that universal health care is expected to cost $120B/year (that's just one estimate).

[supernova]

32. It doesn't diminish my point

the amount of money we spend on wars and military upkeep, could go to UHC, no question.

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. Fist of all Morning Blow is a right wing tool who you should

always assume is lying to you. Secondly Obama's numbers are not slipping, and thirdly we will find the money just like we always do. Even if we have to "tax and spend".

[HamdenRice]

4. Public option will be paid for as a "fee" not a "tax" but will come out of paychecks

That's how to pay for it. People already pay for private health insurance. If as the admin suggests, public option is one choice people can sign up for, then they will do so, and will see it as a fee for service, not a tax increase.

[Dawgs]

5. "Obama's numbers are starting to slip becuz people are starting to question..." - Says who?

Is it you, or Scarborough, pulling shit out of your ass?

[DrToast]

6. Oh well, if Morning Joe says it, I guess it's true. nt

[SoCalDem]

7. We ARE paying for it NOW..we just aren't GETTING what we pay for

Insurers/Administrators/CEOs are skimming off the FIRST 30%+ of every dollar we spend..and the pharma people are grabbing 100%+ more than in other countries FOR THE SAME MEDS..

If EVERYONE was folded into medicare (even vets and the military & the govt employees too), we would have a simplification of services, and then all those employers who say they are "spending thousands of dollars per employee", could GIVE THAT MONEY TO THE EMPLOYEES , AS WAGES.

There could still be insurance for the GAP (20%), but everyone would be on the same plan.

There would be no need for each state to run their own version of medicaid, there would be no need for SCHIP. Veterans could go anywhere, and not have to drive for hours, and camp out while seeing VA doctors. There should still be specialized VA re-hab facilities though, because we OWE the vets a chance to get that extra care.

[prolesunited]

15. +1

[Seldona]

24. Excellent post.

I agree 100%.

[gmoney]

25. +1

Instead of paying thousands of dollars a year to my insurance company (which has a 30% overhead cost), I'd gladly pay into the general fund (about 3% overhead, and KNOW I'm covered, instead of dealing with deductibles and HOPING I'm covered.

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. Roll back the tax cuts for the rich, and eliminate all the loopholes

And I don't just mean the Chimpy tax cuts for the rich. Or even the Reagan tax cuts for the rich (as Thom Hartmann often suggests)

I'm talking the JFK tax cuts for the rich. Roll it all the way back to where Eisenhower had it. And make it retroactive for anyone who inherited their money. Fuck these perpetual rich leeches like the Bush & Rockefeller crime families.

[Thrill]

9. I like the taxing of high frutose drinks

And raising the taxes on millionaires another couple percent. Paid for

[napi21]

10. You & everyone else who questions the benefits of insuring ALL

PEOPLE need to do some more research.

1. Where are the bigest COSTS to any hospital system? Mandatory treating of the uninsured poor.

2. Why do the poor go to the ER (which is the most expensive care to be found)? Because they can't afford a visit to the local dr's office.

3. Would all this health care be free? NO! Medicare is not free either! There are monthly premiums associated with medicare, as there would be for any plan...public or private.

4. What aboutthose who are soo poor they can't afford premiums of any kind? Even medicare has programs for the very poor that supplement or eliminate their premiums.

Combine fixing all the above problems, combined with computerizing medical records and instituting a data base of procedures that would show BEST practices wouldn't require MORE MONEY! Also a public plan would by it's nature surtail those insane Million & sometimes Billion $ compensation packages for many execs in the private sector ins. co's cutting even more $ out of the HC system!

[damntexdem]

12. We'll have to pay for health care no matter what.

If not with money, then with our bodies.

The only question is whether we'll pay for what will bring better health.

[izquierdista]

13. Watch Bill Moyers

Go to Videos, watch the interview Bill Moyers did. The overhead of the for-profit insurance industry can pay for most of it once they quit shuffling claims and bills.

[elleng]

14. I think we will be able to pay for it,

but I also think we all must be patient and work thru some modifications first. I know that patience is one of those difficult virtues.

[Phred42]

16. Nonsense.The overhead in the Current system averages around 30%

just for Administration. Eliminating these Parasitic Dinosaurs provides a 30% break right off the top.

From there you move to actually NEGOTIATING with the other parasites (Drug Companies) for price - the way all other countries do. There is another huge savings in exponential orders.

[grantcart]

17. Why don't we start with Tabula Rasa

let's start with funding health care and see what remains at the other end that we can't afford.


since we haven't had a dog fight in 50 years maybe those $ 800 million fighters are not so essential after all.

[MannyGoldstein]

18. Universal Single Payer *Saves* Money. *Saves* Money

The US spends 50%-200% more for health care per person compared to any other industrialized country. We're also the only industrialized country that does not have universal health care and something like single-payer.

Thus, unless Americans are uniquely incompetent, we can expect to save 30% or more by implementing universal single-payer health care.

[unpossibles]

19. You are missing a big part of the whole point

which is that we would likely save money, not spend more.

The other point being that we can't afford not to and still consider ourselves civilized.

Your concern is misplaced, I fear.

[PretzelWarrior]

20. you crack me up. you REALLLY don't know how it works? let me break it down.

instead of money coming out of your check for insurance premiums and coming out of an employer's profits for insurance premiums, those same payments would be made to a federal agency who would manage payments for care. They would be tasked with operating in the black, but not necessarily making a profit. See?

So in the end the people who need health care would win. Those who would like routine exams and preventive health care would win. Insurance giants might lose or at least have to become leaner and more competitive to compete with the public health option.

The people screaming the loudest about this are the insurance companies. Second loudest are the drug companies. Third loudest are some doctors who fear not getting paid what they are used to for services.

We can do this, and it will be a wonderful thing for our nation going forward. It will save budgets for many years to come and provide better health care to a larger section of our population.

GOP is very good at FEAR! and NO!

[ErinBerin84]

21. step away from the Scarborough.

[stray cat]

22. Prepare to pay more taxes - its our choice

nothing is free

[MasonJar]

28. Single payer would cost millions less than we spend now. Watch Bill

Moyers show of 2 or 3 weeks ago (PBS) for proof.

[Oregone]

29. Of course you can't pay for it. The USA lacks the economic might of countries from Canada to Cuba

Riiight

[JimWis]

30. I think most of the replies to this thread say it best - it would save

us money, if they do it right. People need to research single payer, it is simple and would work.

[stevietheman]

31. Consider the alternative: How will we pay for the much more costlier _current_ system? n/t

n/t