American health (no) care system

[Ficko]

Health care generally isn't "free" anywhere, ....

I was born in Hungary and health care use to be FREE there. :lol

Just saying though - not being a commy -  :green

[NPNW]

health Insurance here used to cover about 50% of the cost. So lets say your bill is $1200. Out of that the company doesn't cover 50% of that.

My folks with 3 health insurance's used to still have to pay about 10-20%. You know stuff like Heart Lung Bypass Machine during heart surgery. Oh and  anesthetic was a non covered option. Bypass surgery cost us around $35,000 in 84 and $35,000 again in 92.  With 3 insurances.

What I like now is that the guy who stole 1 billion dollars is now Florida's Governor. Rick Scott. Yup, lets keep the crooks where we can see them... elected office. Then hear the Repubs complain about their taxes. SF.

[donkey]

Yes, Rick Scott ripped off the people of Florida but they still elected him and though I sympathize with the situation in the US, they made their bed etc... The sad thing is that most people in the US want health care reform but when they are presented with a plan they switch sides quick enough to make your head spin. I mean just look at the useless plan that Congress finally came up with under Obama, he had a real plan for health care reform that was crippled by the politics of polarized pluralism that has made the political system there dysfunctional.

The stark reality is that because of its two party system the US is doomed to failure on any major initiative that would actually help the people. Since any two party system will eventually stifle moderate opinions and push both sides farther apart the end result is almost always that one party will do anything up to and including hurting their own country in order to make sure their opponent does not succeed. Because of the staggered elections in the US any party can stop a long term initiative from being implemented by just delaying it long enough to allow their propaganda to filter through to the electorate. Even a good policy can be discredited as long as it is never allowed to be put into effect, after all its difficult to prove something would work if it never gets implemented. It has become the job of the opposition not to be a voice of sober second thought but to ensure that the current administration (regardless of party) is ineffective and inept. It is difficult to get elected if you allow your opponent to actually do something constructive that leaves the people better off because of it, better just to make sure that no administration can improve the situation and you'll have a shot at power.

The days of "building a better America" are over, they have been replaced by interest groups pushing their agenda at the expense of everyone else, no one willing to compromise and no voices of moderation are tolerated. It's a pretty depressing situation there and it's reflected in the outlook of Americans, it brings to mind a poll I saw about the differences between Canada and the US's opinions about the fairness of the economy, nearly 2 thirds of Americans do not believe the burden is shared fairly but consistently vote against and belittle those candidates who want to address the problem.

A stark contrast exists in North America between the US and Canada in terms of people's perceptions of how fairly economic benefits and burdens have been shared in the past few years. Americans increasingly say that benefits and burdens have not been shared fairly (65%, up 11 points since 2009), and their views are now closely aligned with the global picture (61% for the 22-country global average). In Canada the picture is radically different, as it is among the very few countries (four in total) where a majority believes that benefits and burdens have been shared fairly in the past few years—55 per cent, a proportion that has remained relatively stable since 2008. This is 22 points above the global average (33%), and the third highest percentage in the survey.

[NPNW]

Donkey,

Things are much worse. Now with the republicans requiring 61 votes in the senate to get anything passed. Unlimited funds in politics, mostly on the Republican side. The supreme court more right than neutral with 2 openly going to republican political meetings. i think it was thomas, and kennedy if I remember correctly.

[xiahan]

finally i find one thing China is sharing with other developed countrys ,

hasn't seen the thread i thought the China Health Care system is the suckiest in the world ,

uncounterable people died of can't pay the high treatment costs

but now i know that people in the world are the same