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Health-Care Debate: Issues for Small Business

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Brent DeDear May 6, 2009 3:40 PM GMT As usual, the people in Washington sugar coat the message and spin it to their advantage. The salaries of nurses have pretty much remained stagnant over the past three years. The cost of a doctors visit is the same as it was three years ago. However, the premiums I pay for INSURANCE coverage has risen three times inthe past year alone. We don't need Health care reform. We need INSURANCE reform. The problem is that our politicians have their hands so far into to the insurance companies pockets, that it will never be stated this way on Capital Hill.
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Bill Watson May 6, 2009 4:20 AM GMT Offering two options, which would allow individuals and businesses the choice of either using a free, government, owned and operated, VA style civilian National Health Care System free treatments and medications, funded by a national sales tax: Or the alternate choice would be for individuals and businesses to continue to pay for and use private systems for care.?? Stemming the overuse and misuse of health care alone would trim at least $450 billion a year in health care costs ?? four times the amount needed to cover health care access for the uninsured.?? Said former Senate Speaker Dr.Bill Frist, as quoted by writer Scott Takac in a Nashville Banner story on April 29, 2009 .Costs of health care paid for by government programs could be reduced, to a fraction of their current expenditures. The Best Care Anywhere is an article by Phillip Longman that documents how the VA was transformed by Dr. Kizer, into a system that is producing the highest quality health care in the country.
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Strategery May 6, 2009 1:02 AM GMT Short of universal healthcare; we should allow small businesses to cross state lines and build pools and trust funds much like large companies already do. Also, we cannot forget the responsibilities of large employers. Many fortune 500 companies are also responsible for offering either NO benefits, or offering ones that are substandard. There needs to be strict regulation on health insurance companies, and those with chronic illnesses will probably need some sort of government assistance. Finally, there needs to be transparency on the part of medical providers. Having different billing rates for those with insurance, without insurance and those on Medicaid / Medicare is unacceptable. In addition, you should be able to get an accurate price quote before undergoing any procedure and re-importing drugs should be legal.
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Pete Turner May 5, 2009 11:08 PM GMT To the people that say a government shouldn't run the health care system, I say look to western Europe. The average cost per person for health care in the ten largest economies is 1/2 the health care cost per person in the U.S. And people are healthier, and live longer, and everyone is covered.To the physicians that blame the patients - I suggest you look to another career. You are unsuccessful in your current career.The insurance companies have created this mess of a health care system and it needs to be removed from their hands. Agreed, it should not fall on employers, who have some of the highest tax rates in the world.The key to this will be the transition from a non-functional system to a system that works.
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Fred Thysell, MD May 5, 2009 10:07 PM GMT As a primary care practitioner my bias is that 'the patient is the problem(and the solution)'. We have an epidemic of obesity/gluttony and its resultant elevated blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol/triglycerides. This is overwhelmingly an issue of patient responsibility (or lack of). This is not a failure of the health care system. If you're sick you're probably doing something wrong (like eating too much of the wrong foods). If you don't want to be sick you don't have to be. The information is all there. Just do it. Quit blaming the system. Good health is more your choice and your responsibility than your right. Let's get rid of these preventable lifestyle disorders and take care of those who truly do need help.
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Bruce Dunlap May 5, 2009 6:48 PM GMT If you think Health Insurance is expensive now, wait until the Federal Government wants to give it to you. The very thought of putting the US Government in charge of desiging and administering a health benefit for all Anericans is utterly ludicrous! Just look at the Medicare and Medicaid programs. they are going broke due to the incompetence of the federal government. God have mercy on our souls if this ever becomes reality! This would be the most mis-guided, liberalized decision ever made for the American people. This would be like putting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed in charge of your life threatening surgery!!
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Tyler Durden May 5, 2009 6:37 PM GMT Insurance and Medical industries have created a bubble. Just like the banks and real estate industry artificially elevated housing prices, the same is being done for healthcare costs in this country. This cannot be sustained. At some point these industries will need to come to terms with the fact that there is not an unlimitted amount of wealth to be sucked from the consumer. I hope the government doesn't foolishily participate in susidizing the bubble by forcing us all to be part of a broken system. Something does need to change. We can't solve the problem until we correctly recognize that the issue is runaway prices. Average consumer couldn't afford a $1 million home, and they can't afford $1000 doctor visits. The government needs to accelerate the busting of this bubble.
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bbold May 5, 2009 5:23 PM GMT This is just another step closer to Socialism. Please America wake up! Medicare and Medcaid are both "going broke" as stated last week by President Obama. This just as Baby Boomers begin to retire. If the government can't successful manage Medicare and Medcaid at this point in time; how will they be at managing your personal well being!? A very very concerned citizen!
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