tpanther,
I’m sorry to hear that you and your wife had a bad experience. No one here has claimed that our healthcare system is perfect. I personally have many complaints about our current system. That’s why I didn’t mention the horror stories I’ve heard about socialized medicine. We have some horror stories here, too. See my tagline: My poor father had a terrible experience, and our family continues to question and regret the decisions we made in doctors, surgery, etc.
However, all of those problems we experienced would be worsened under increased government control.
The poster is asking why we oppose socialized medicine. Our question should be: What would be the advantages to socialized medicine? In what way would it be better than our current system, which already is partly controlled by our government? The onus is on the poster to convince us to change our current system to his.
Thanks for the kind words...but...No no no...it was a series of episodes of inadequate care, broken billing, fraud...over a series of years! Not A (single) bad experience...sounds like you’ve had some tough times too. And this is what I’m talking about, once you actually need it, it’s an UTTER nightmare!
This was HARDLY an isolated incident, I only wish it were!
My wife had a mis-diagnosed bladder tumor that nearly killed us both (me from stress) for 6 YEARS...
AS in 365 days times SIX! MRI’s, CT scans...labs...surgeries, medicines...And once you have a $400,000+ bill, 20% of that is NOT a small number, particularly when she’s out of work and I’m missing alot of days too!
And keep in mind ‘m a nurse, in fact, had I NOT been a nurse (and Air FOrce medic prior to that), I’M CERTAIN she’d be dead!
Additionally, I worked at a nursing home, where the CEO and CFO are now in the Fed. pen for medicare and medicaid fraud, and oh yeah...bilking employees...ME by taking health insurance premiums but NOT passing that money along to the insurance company leaving hundreds of employees without coverage...and then filed bankruptcy, so they couldn’t be touched and the lawyers in NY got the funds after 5 years later...WE never saw a dime.
Soooo...we paid out nearly $700 in monthly premiums AND got to pay for for our dtr’s birth...100%!
No...I’ve also got dozens of stories both inside and outside the industry, and I’m not alone: and unless people wake up, we’ll have universal coverage...and THAT is my warning! Take it or leave it!
What we now have is CLEARLY a broken mess also.
But let me be crystal clear AGAIN, I’m NOT for socialized medicine...that would be even worse. I think I’ve mentioned that in every single post!
BUT that IS my warning...unless we honestly address the nightmare of these insurance companies, it’s what we’ll get! Sure as I’m sitting her typing! Frankly, I think it’s already too late!
MY point is the rosy picture some people paint are based mostly on anecdotes from people that simply haven’t been through either too many issues or a major one with our system, that’s all.
And I’m busy now with trying to determine today why my healthplan will not cover eye drops for allergies...CVS wanted $50 for some eye drops because the pollen is KILLING me today (here in Atlanta it’s not just high, it’s high on steroids!)...
I get SOOOOOOO tired of trying to get a prescribed med. and it’s not covered for some kooky-assed reason or another!
SHEESH, We pay $700 a month to have the crap and they don’t want me to have eye drops that actually work (patanol)...NOTHING OTC works...
and I won’t start with our dental plan...not today! :(