Universal healthcare going broke in France

WSJ ^ | 8/10/2009 | WSJ

[mikelets456]

When Laure Cuccarolo went into early labor on a recent Sunday night in a village in southern France, her only choice was to ask the local fire brigade to whisk her to a hospital 30 miles away. A closer one had been shuttered by cost cuts in France's universal health system.

View Full Image France Fights Universal Care's High Cost Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Doctors, trade unions and others have called national protests against French health-care cutbacks this year. One petition signed by prominent physicians said they feared the intent of the reform was to turn health care into a 'lucrative business' rather than a public service. France Fights Universal Care's High Cost France Fights Universal Care's High Cost

Ms. Cuccarolo's little girl was born in a firetruck.

France claims it long ago achieved much of what today's U.S. health-care overhaul is seeking: It covers everyone, and provides what supporters say is high-quality care. But soaring costs are pushing the system into crisis. The result: As Congress fights over whether America should be more like France, the French government is trying to borrow U.S. tactics.

In recent months, France imposed American-style "co-pays" on patients to try to throttle back prescription-drug costs and forced state hospitals to crack down on expenses. "A hospital doesn't need to be money-losing to provide good-quality treatment," President Nicolas Sarkozy thundered in a recent speech to doctors.

And service cuts -- such as the closure of a maternity ward near Ms. Cuccarolo's home -- are prompting complaints from patients, doctors and nurses that care is being rationed. That concern echos worries among some Americans that the U.S. changes could lead to rationing.

[TXBlair]

Wow, I’m so glad we won’t ever learn a lesson from the failed French system! /s

[EyeGuy]

Eurosocialism only “works” because the beneficient fumes of decades of productive capitalism have not YET been entirely consumed.

It is only a matter of time before the 32 hour work week, 6 weeks of vacation and cradle to grave government-paid benefit mentality comes home to roost.

[GOPJ]

Here’s how dems recruit their “rent a crowd” people to fill fake town hall meetings.

I’d be happy everyone would send it out to anyone they know...

http://209.157.64.200/focus/news/2310139/replies?c=22

From Craig’s List:

Stop Complaining. Start Organizing! $400-600 Per Week (Minneapolis)
Date: 2009-08-03, 11:59AM CDT
Reply to: see below

President Obama’s top priority for Congress is health care reform. Insurance companies are spending over a million dollars a day lobbying against the reform, while feeding myths and fears to America. It will take the same grassroots energy that got Obama elected to see the change we voted for. Our work isn’t over.

Build support for health care reform with U.S. PIRG. Mobilize activists to cut the cost of health care, expand coverage, and stop sick from getting dropped by insurance companies. Go out in your community and make change happen. Make friends and money along the way.

Earn $400-$600 per week. To apply for a job, call Chris at 612-331-1434.

The Fund for the Public Interest has been working for over 25 years with organizations such as Sierra Club, Environment America, Human Rights Campaign, Progressive Future and U.S. PIRG to win concrete victories for the public interest. We are the nation’s premier nonprofit for raising money, building membership and winning grassroots campaigns.

* Location: Minneapolis
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PostingID: 1303502752

[xcamel]

Funny how last friday, there were quite a number of ‘freepers’ who were saying “how great” the french system is...

Go figure,

[PapaBear3625]

Eurosocialism only “works” because the beneficient fumes of decades of productive capitalism have not YET been entirely consumed.

They also have hordes of unproductive Muslim immigrants, who consume more in social services than they produce in taxable work. This is why I keep saying the demographic crisis in Europe will come much sooner than the predicted 2050. It will come to a breaking point closer to 5 years from now, as the social service infrastructure starts to break down from too many people on the dole for taxpayers to support.

Look at California for a sense of how things will go.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“That concern echos worries among some Americans that the U.S. changes could lead to rationing.”

Rationing is inevitable. The only questions remaining concern the methods of rationing.

[Mr. K]

‘Co-pay’s were the worst thing to happen to the health care system

No matter where you go, you pay $20 or $40... (or whatever)

As costs for health care skyrocketted, people never saw it- their ‘co-pay’ stayed the same.

ANd drug costs do not matter any more either- it does not matter if you go to the neighborhood pharmacy or to a major chain- your price is the same- you ‘co-pay’. So, no incentive to shop around for a bargain.

Liberals ALWAYS screw up the system because they DO NOT UNDERSTAND MARKET FORCES AND MOTIVATION

[Ciexyz]

We don't want our medical coverage regressing to the level of welfare recipients' medical coverage. Absolute bare minimum in everything. Of course, the co pay is low: one dollar a visit (in my state of PA, I've been told).

[taxtruth]

Call Chris and tell him to stick deathcare where the sun doesn't shine.Chris,612-331-1434.

[LucyT]

Here’s how dems recruit their “rent a crowd” people to fill fake town hall meetings.

How to Rent-a-Mob with our tax dollars. See #4.

[GOPJ]

Here’s the trick dems use so they only have to hire 4 “high pay grade” goons for each meeting.

Dems use the following technique at “townhall meetings” - be prepared...

...the Diamond Techniques is designed to convince the group that as few as four people represent the majority. Here is the strategy:

1. Plan ahead of time what action you want the group to take: nominate or oppose a candidate, support or oppose an issue, heckle a speaker, or whatever. Everyone on your team must know exactly what they are going to do, including contingency plans.

2. Team members should arrive at the meeting separately and never congregate together.

3. Team players should arrive early enough to take seats around the outside of the assembly area, roughly in the shape of a diamond. They must not sit together.

4. The object of the tactic is place your people around the perimeter of the audience so that, when they begin to take action, those in the center will have to do a lot of head turning to see them – to the right, then the left, then the rear of the room, then the front, etc. The more they turn their heads, the greater the illusion of being surrounded by people in agreement with each other, and the more they will be convinced that these people represent the majority opinion.

I have seen this tactic used by collectivists at numerous public meetings over the years, and I have participated in it myself on several occasions when confronting collectivists in their own tightly held organizations. It works. The only way to thwart the Diamond Tactic is to always be prepared to match it with your own team.

Never take a meeting for granted, especially if something important is scheduled to transpire, such as nomination of officers.
Even a simple gathering to hear an important speaker can turn into a nightmare if opponents send in hecklers.
So, always plan for the worst and be prepared to spring into action with comments from the floor such as: “I want to make it clear that these people do not speak for me. I am in total opposition to what they stand for. In fact, I would like to ask them to identify themselves. Who are you? Why did you come to this meeting? What is your agenda?”
If comments such as this are heard from three or four people around the outside of the room, the meeting will be very exciting, but the tactic will be defused.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The oft-stated reason that advocates of the “single-payer” health-care system here (Canada) oppose any supplementary insurance, or direct purchase of health services; is to shore up support for the health care budgets. They reason (probably correctly) that, if people could buy supplementary care, the government health-care budget would be squeezed. That’s why the U.S. is likely headed for a “single-payer” system — which means you will be left with few or no alternatives to the state-run system. (One alternative will be to fly to some foreign country & pay for procedures out-of-pocket. A lot of well-to-do Canadians now travel to the U.S. for faster or better care.)

[rfp1234]

Eurosocialism only “works” because the beneficient fumes of decades of productive capitalism have not YET been entirely consumed.

...And because the U.S., through NATO, has saved the Euros Billions of $$$ that they were able to divert from their own defense to their social programs.

[pabianice]

Obamacare is, at its base, a way to hasten the end of the US society and replace it with “fuzzy communism.” Rationing healthcare will let the government kill-off all we troublesome veterans, capitalists, and patriots, and replace us more quickly with low-IQ, passed through schools, sullen, angry dullards who have been indoctrinated with Leftist visiousness and greed.