Please DON'T read this or watch this video if...

Discussion in 'Free For All' started by Zackman, Mar 18, 2010.

  1. Zackman

    Zackman I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    Please DON'T read this or watch this video if you support Nationalized or Government Managed Healthcare.... If you think the Government is best suited to run Healthcare... You might change your mind!

    "The federal government admits that a staggering $60 billion is stolen from tax payers through Medicare scams every year. Some experts believe the number is more than twice that...... It's that easy because Medicare is based on trust. When the program was introduced in the 1960s it was assumed that no one would try to defraud a system designed to take care of the health needs of the elderly. The government was required to reimburse vendors in less than 30 days. To this day, in 99.9 percent of the cases, Medicare "auto-adjudicates" claims within 30 days. In other words, the computer decides if the right codes are in the right boxes. If they are, jackpot, the checks are sent.
    "That means that if you check the right boxes and fill out the right forms, you're going to get paid," said Kirk Ogrosky, who until recently was the federal prosecutor in charge of all criminal Medicare fraud at the Department of Justice. "

    Medicare Fraud Costs Taxpayers More Than $60 Billion Each Year - ABC News
     
  2. Steve

    Steve Administrator Owner

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    ...... and of course there are no dodgy dealings going on within the private healthcare industry :)
     
  3. Zackman

    Zackman I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    If the government is paying the bill to a private vendor: Yes.
    But, within private industry itself: No.

    Private industry needs to make a profit and therefore must watch how it spends its funds wisely or eventually go out of business. Since the Government has no such incentive or competition - the Government bureaucracy simply doesn't care how it spends our tax dollars...
     
  4. Steve

    Steve Administrator Owner

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    So, there's no tax avoidance, golden handshakes, pay offs, all expense paid freebie jaunts, dirty smear campaigns, embezzlement, money laundering, insurance fraud etc etc.

    I know what you're going to say: "that's just how business works" :)
     
  5. B & B

    B & B Guru Registered Member

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    C'mon Steve

    Do you think the private Health Care industry is like Wall Street and the Banking Industry. Do you think the multi-million dollared Salaried CEO's of the private health insurance companies would take advantage of the downtrodden. That just wouldn't be right.

    They will put into place all the checks and balances so that that type of injustice will never happen, and if it does and the government threatens to take over, then they will publicly lobby and find fault with the government of the day so that everyone else sees just how bad and terrible government run prudence can be.

    And if anyone argues with that then they are just left wing commies who use dishonest intelligence (or something like that, I would have to look back a few debates) to further their left leaning cause. We wouldn't want other un-named countries to become like Canada or Great Britian, and if we name those un-named countries then we will threaten to take our ball and go home.

    :icon_biggrin:
     
  6. Canadian Dos Equis fan

    Canadian Dos Equis fan Cancuncare's Most Interesting Man Registered Member

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    Economics aside here is some information from the UN on life expectancy.

    List of countries by life expectancy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    A few countries of note...

    Rank Country Life expectancy at birth
    10 France 80.7
    11 Canada 80.7
    22 United Kingdom 79.4
    38 United States 78.2
    48 Mexico 76.2


    If you were to pick the system with the best results I will take the one that gives me a longer life expectancy :icon_razz:
     
  7. B & B

    B & B Guru Registered Member

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    Here is a few more from Jamie's bumper sticker post back in January that I found during that debate:

    Life Expectancy as shown above, + infant mortality rates, obesity rates and (believe it or not) one showing that the US currently spends more on health care than Canada or Britian does.

    am not sure how to measure and compare health providers, but if we chose life expectancy, Canada is well ahead of the US:

    List of countries by life expectancy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Infant mortality rates are higher in the US than they are in Canada:

    Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy for Selected Countries, 2007 — Infoplease.com

    Beyond these two indicators of health coverage, I am not sure where else to look.

    Obesity rates are higher in the US, this might not be related to health coverage, but it is probably related to lower life expectancy's due to diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. Although it is an individual decision to be overweight, our medical system does provide advise with regards to obesity, I am not sure about the US:

    Fattest Countries in the World — Infoplease.com

    Here's an interesting one, especially as we like to quote how bad Canada has it, Public health expenditures are actually higher in the US than they are in Canada:

    Public Health Expenditure, by Country — Infoplease.com

    Anyway, some interesting information, I just googled some stuff and it opened my eyes even wider.
    __________________
     
  8. Jamie

    Jamie Mayor of Temptation Registered Member

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    You win... you all are right... The independent thinkers in the US should just shut up and send their paychecks directly to the government and save them time from having to collect it from us. Then they can provide us everything, housing, food, entertainment, health care,.. I mean we don't know how to do this for ourselves... And we need to make sure that everyone is equal, I mean that worked real well for Russia and China... everyone one is our brother and we are all our brother's keepers so we must make sure that everyone has everything they need. I mean to do otherwise would be cold hearted and mean spirited. And why stop at the borders... all nations should provide for all peoples.. it's only right... I mean to trap someone in a situation where they are hungry and cold would just be bad. So I know, since you have convinced me, that you both would support both Canada and England eliminating their immigration limitations and control points and have open borders. That way those deprived in the US could go use the Canadian health care and be cured. I mean since the US is so screwed up and does everything so bad you've just got to help us out. Like I said, to do otherwise would be mean spirited and you don't want to be that.

    And we'll make every company become a non-profit company. Profits are bad and greedy. I mean everyone can work for free because the government will be providing us everything. That way CEO's won't make the big bucks at the expense of the little guy.

    You guys are so smart and have saved the world. Thank you!

    Jamie
     
  9. Brewster

    Brewster I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    Hot topic, huh?


    Hi Jamie,

    Your comment about open borders reminded me of something. Back when I lived in Ontario I recall hearing that it was actually a booming business for Canadian's to sell or loan their health cards to people coming from Detroit and Buffalo so they could see a doctor. All you had to do was show the card. You didn't have to prove who you were or that it was yours. Eventually Ontario put picture ID on the cards to stop the practice.

    I don't think any one country has all the answers to health care.

    If I were an American I would be concerned that 35 million of my countrymen don't have health insurance and many others are denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Look at it this way. If you came upon a man who had just been struck by a car would you check first to see he had say a hundred dollars to pay you before helping him?

    On our side, I am concerned that there is little incentive for the government to ensure that they are getting the best prices to provide us with health care.

    But if you think about it the same holds true for the military, police forces, coast guard and tons of other government agencies.

    I've heard that some Scandinavian countries and New Zealand are doing better with their systems than we are. I think it prudent to look at other nations solutions and adopt those that make sense.

    There are lots of people here who visit a doctor or hospital emergency when I would consider it unnecessary and present burden on our health system.

    But, ultimately, I am proud of being a citizen of a country who provides medical care to all those who need it, regardless of their social standing, wealth or lack of.

    I'm also proud that we won more gold medals at the Olympics than you guys, especially in hockey ;)
     
  10. Jamie

    Jamie Mayor of Temptation Registered Member

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    Yup... we're heartless and cold... we're wrong and bad people... we're to blame for every evil in the world...

    Hey... I could run for President! :partyhorn:

    Jamie
     
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