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Health Care in USA or lack thereof


Marty Hamrick

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Hi,

 

>highest concentration of enlightened educated human beings on the planet

 

Not sure I quite agree on that. It's partly true, but perhaps only because it's easy to be scholarly and learned when you're rich and powerful and can afford the time to concentrate on such things. I think the main thing that Americans have is the overwhelmingly positive attitude. This is not always helpful - it leads to a sense of disbelief when bad things happen, to wit felling of the World Trade Center, and the conviction that the US is somehow immune to the maxim that if you piss people off, you will get whacked. Obviously, it isn't. However, it's unquestionably made the US into the world power it is today. It's worth noting that the US is a mere strapping adolescent of a country, barely older than some countries which were Crown colonies a lot later, and look what they've achieved. Look also, though, at what they've done with it.

 

Phil

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Hi,

 

> And I know you wore your name tag backwards at NAB last year

 

....but I didn't, I had it latched on a belt loop on the right hand side the entire time. Christ, the things I have to justify.

 

Phil

Funny that that's the only thing in my post that you'll respond to. You run your mouth and then don't defend yourself. Typical. You can't even manage to muster up enough respect for yourself to defend yourself or apologize for making a mistake by making those comments. You just run and hide and then do it again later. Maybe one day you'll be a man......

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gentlemen lets stop arguing about politics and return to filmmaking. we all have our beliefs and we've had more than enough opportunity to present them. in my humble opinion any further debate will only further distract us from what we should be discussing.

jk :ph34r:

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This is not always helpful - it leads to a sense of disbelief when bad things happen, to wit felling of the World Trade Center, and the conviction that the US is somehow immune to the maxim that if you piss people off, you will get whacked.

Funny, this seems like something you should think about every time you run your mouth and piss people off. If I thought everyone in England was like you I'd hate everyone in England, just like you hate the U.S. and everyone in it. You need to stop spouting off about things you know nothing about Phil.

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Hi,

 

> just like you hate the U.S. and everyone in it

 

This is abundantly not true. I may be one of the few people left in the UK who bothers differentiating with the overwhelmingly good-natured, helpful and generous people of the US, and their horribly bent system of government. I mean, nobody (much) blamed the people of Iraq for Saddam Hussein, to make a slightly untoward comparison. Criticise me for my views, by all means, but don't put words into my mouth.

 

Phil

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there are reasons i've left the states and am livin abroad...

 

and, as an american citizen, wether or not you agree with phil, the *vast majority* of the wrold outside the states agres with him. whether it is right or not, americans need to wake up and take notice of this fact.

 

and, while we're bashing the lack of healthcare in the states, why don't we complain about lack of arts funding too... (another reason to head to europe...)

 

peace

 

jason

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You can't mention arts funding here. I said to transfer some of the junk film box office profits to art films and got jumped all over. The French government was refered to as "leftist-fascist".

 

With thinking like this it is very clear why we have George Bush a president and arts funding on the level of one of the banna republics. It's a catch 22. Unless you fund the arts and educate the people what art is, they'll fight the funding.

 

What's funny is that a DP would think like this.

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Hi,

 

> just like you hate the U.S. and everyone in it

 

This is abundantly not true. I may be one of the few people left in the UK who bothers differentiating with the overwhelmingly good-natured, helpful and generous people of the US, and their horribly bent system of government. I mean, nobody (much) blamed the people of Iraq for Saddam Hussein, to make a slightly untoward comparison. Criticise me for my views, by all means, but don't put words into my mouth.

 

Phil

When you make justifications for people flying into our buildings you sure sound like you hate us. You have even implied that we deserved it in previous posts. Why would you say the things you say if you believe that Americans are "overwhelmingly good-natured, helpful and generous people". Many people in the U.S. lost friends, family, and co-workers in those attacks. There is no justification for it, no matter how poorly our government has acted in the past. You saying that a certain kind of thinking is the reason people flew planes into our buildings is one of the most ignorant and offensive things I've heard in a long time.

My apologies to everyone else on this board for wasting space with this kind of discussion, but I can't just sit and read this kind of bullshit and blow it off. I'm not a blind flag waver, and I'm definately not a Bush supporter, but a lot of people died on that day, and I can't listen to anyone trying to justify it without responding.

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Hi,

 

> There is no justification for it, no matter how poorly our government has acted

> in the past

 

Of course not, but if you try to understand why these things happen, no matter how twisted or incredible the thinking behind them, you are empowered to avoid them happening again. Few people in high levels of US government seem to realise this, because hell, here we go again, into Iraq, giving the bad guys yet another reason to get nasty. Frankly I think that's just as twisted and incredible as the whole world-trade-center thing.

 

Phil

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  • 3 weeks later...
no, you just dont see the whole picture. the cost of providing free health care to the 300million+ citizens would be debilitating to say the least. as i mentioned before it would also cripple many other departments paid for by tax dollars: military, education, retirement funding, transportation etc. there simply is not enough revenue to pay for it. that leaves two options:

 

Those are good points yet there is something about the health care system that makes itself it's own worse enemy.I had this very same discussion with a director friend of mine who fancies herself very conservative.She tells me she financed her own health care,paying for many expensive medical procedures herself,maintaining that it could be done,by bypassing the insurance companies and establishing the relationship between patient and medical care provider and paying far less because you're paying out of pocket.That is,the medical bills are jacked way up and padded because an insurance company is footing the bill.I myself have seen this when doing stories on people who complain about their insurance companies or their medicare being billed for things they never got.Example, an elderly man gets a fish hook in his thumb and goes to the ER to get it taken out.He's there about an hour,no stitches, a tetanus booster and bandage.Medicare is billed for over 900 dollars!And this was over 12 years ago!His itemized statements showed things like plastic splints and such that he never saw.

Also,have you ever seen the markup on prescription drugs?Some meds are marked up 250,000 %.In the last years of her life,my mom was paying over 350 dollars a month for her medications while her social security check was less than 325.

Medical care in my opinion is not something that should be marketed like merchandise to be marked up or down depending on who is paying.This is life and health we're talking about.Not designer shoes.

Marty

Those are good points yet there is something about the health care system that makes itself it's own worse enemy.I had this very same discussion with a director friend of mine who fancies herself very conservative.She tells me she financed her own health care,paying for many expensive medical procedures herself,maintaining that it could be done,by bypassing the insurance companies and establishing the relationship between patient and medical care provider and paying far less because you're paying out of pocket.That is,the medical bills are jacked way up and padded because an insurance company is footing the bill.I myself have seen this when doing stories on people who complain about their insurance companies or their medicare being billed for things they never got.Example, an elderly man gets a fish hook in his thumb and goes to the ER to get it taken out.He's there about an hour,no stitches, a tetanus booster and bandage.Medicare is billed for over 900 dollars!And this was over 12 years ago!His itemized statements showed things like plastic splints and such that he never saw.

Also,have you ever seen the markup on prescription drugs?Some meds are marked up 250,000 %.In the last years of her life,my mom was paying over 350 dollars a month for her medications while her social security check was less than 325.

Medical care in my opinion is not something that should be marketed like merchandise to be marked up or down depending on who is paying.This is life and health we're talking about.Not designer shoes.

Marty

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"It seems to me, that the US has forgotten about the people and is concentrating on the all mighty buck. One can only hope that congress wakes up!"

-karen

 

no, you just dont see the whole picture. the cost of providing free health care to the 300million+ citizens would be debilitating to say the least. as i mentioned before it would also cripple many other departments paid for by tax dollars: military, education, retirement funding, transportation etc. there simply is not enough revenue to pay for it. that leaves two options:

 

1. double taxes. i don't know about the rest of you but i'm paying quite enough right now.

2. get rid of something. everyone on this board should choose one government department they would like to see hacked off. and before you all say military, pull out a history book and ask yourself if thats really the kind of power vacuum you want right now.

 

now what will we get even if by some miracle we can do the impossible and give free health care to our millions of citizens? i predict we get long waiting lists, shoddy care (right now we have the best doctors in the world, believe me they will not stick around when the government paychecks start getting issued.), and a seriously lowered standard of living (remember, the money has to come from somewhere. and its hard to pay for a new television or a trip to bermuda when two thirds of your paycheck is going to pay for the 2cd rate doctors your country keeps on the payroll), and (and here is where i'm always amazed that i dont win more liberals over) A LARGER DISPARITY BETWEEN THE CARE AVAILABLE TO THE LOWER AND HIGHER CLASSES. yes of course its true. will the rich not continue to see private physicians while the lower classes are forced to sign up for the lists to receive government care? and what about the middle class? some will struggle for the privilege of private health care while others will settle for the "food stamp" system.

 

 

"Your health care system is the major reason why I will always maintain Canadian citizenship and residency."

-karen

 

sure, but our military system is the major reason why you have that option in the first place. not to mention why you dont have to speak russian/german/japanese, etc. check out the monroe docerine.

 

im not saying i dont want universal health care to be a reality, of course i do. and believe it or not, most "congressmen" do as well. but i also know that when my dad came, starving, from greece, he was able to build a life here because of the powerful economic machine in the US, not because of the easy social programs. and i know that millions of others have done the same. i also know that when i go to see a doctor, expensive as it may be, im getting the best health care in the world. all paid for by hard working people, insurance companies, research patents, etc. lets not go crazy and turn it upside down just yet. we all chose to be in the "entertainment industry", right? you give up a lot when you do that. stability and easy health insurance are two good examples. i have a family whose health care needs i dont want being put on some list we cant afford to circumvent.

 

jk :ph34r:

you just dont see the whole picture. the cost of providing free health care to the 300million+ citizens would be debilitating to say the least. as i mentioned before it would also cripple many other departments paid for by tax dollars: military, education, retirement funding, transportation etc. there simply is not enough revenue to pay for it

 

no hun you dont get it, we have a transportation system to die for, beats the hell out of jacksonville fl, and as for ny, just dont know, all i know is the met isnt all that and taxis are 2 expensive.... although we dont have as many people in canada as you do, the medical system still works, the deal is the employer pays for it, private benefits through the enployer are cheaper as a result, and we dont have dor.'s giving out percriptions to the local drug addict or dealer, cause everything is monitored... dont get me wrong, i like the us, but when we are talking bout medical care, we have you beat by far.

 

karen

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"It seems to me, that the US has forgotten about the people and is concentrating on the all mighty buck. One can only hope that congress wakes up!"

-karen

 

no, you just dont see the whole picture. the cost of providing free health care to the 300million+ citizens would be debilitating to say the least. as i mentioned before it would also cripple many other departments paid for by tax dollars: military, education, retirement funding, transportation etc. there simply is not enough revenue to pay for it. that leaves two options:

 

1. double taxes. i don't know about the rest of you but i'm paying quite enough right now.

2. get rid of something. everyone on this board should choose one government department they would like to see hacked off. and before you all say military, pull out a history book and ask yourself if thats really the kind of power vacuum you want right now.

 

now what will we get even if by some miracle we can do the impossible and give free health care to our millions of citizens? i predict we get long waiting lists, shoddy care (right now we have the best doctors in the world, believe me they will not stick around when the government paychecks start getting issued.), and a seriously lowered standard of living (remember, the money has to come from somewhere. and its hard to pay for a new television or a trip to bermuda when two thirds of your paycheck is going to pay for the 2cd rate doctors your country keeps on the payroll), and (and here is where i'm always amazed that i dont win more liberals over) A LARGER DISPARITY BETWEEN THE CARE AVAILABLE TO THE LOWER AND HIGHER CLASSES. yes of course its true. will the rich not continue to see private physicians while the lower classes are forced to sign up for the lists to receive government care? and what about the middle class? some will struggle for the privilege of private health care while others will settle for the "food stamp" system.

 

 

"Your health care system is the major reason why I will always maintain Canadian citizenship and residency."

-karen

 

sure, but our military system is the major reason why you have that option in the first place. not to mention why you dont have to speak russian/german/japanese, etc. check out the monroe docerine.

 

im not saying i dont want universal health care to be a reality, of course i do. and believe it or not, most "congressmen" do as well. but i also know that when my dad came, starving, from greece, he was able to build a life here because of the powerful economic machine in the US, not because of the easy social programs. and i know that millions of others have done the same. i also know that when i go to see a doctor, expensive as it may be, im getting the best health care in the world. all paid for by hard working people, insurance companies, research patents, etc. lets not go crazy and turn it upside down just yet. we all chose to be in the "entertainment industry", right? you give up a lot when you do that. stability and easy health insurance are two good examples. i have a family whose health care needs i dont want being put on some list we cant afford to circumvent.

 

jk :ph34r:

you just dont see the whole picture. the cost of providing free health care to the 300million+ citizens would be debilitating to say the least. as i mentioned before it would also cripple many other departments paid for by tax dollars: military, education, retirement funding, transportation etc. there simply is not enough revenue to pay for it

 

no hun you dont get it, we have a transportation system to die for, beats the hell out of jacksonville fl, and as for ny, just dont know, all i know is the met isnt all that and taxis are 2 expensive.... although we dont have as many people in canada as you do, the medical system still works, the deal is the employer pays for it, private benefits through the enployer are cheaper as a result, and we dont have dor.'s giving out percriptions to the local drug addict or dealer, cause everything is monitored... dont get me wrong, i like the us, but when we are talking bout medical care, we have you beat by far.

 

karen

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