Americans Unite for Public Universal Healthcare!

I found it ironic that after blogging here I watched a documentary on health care systems around the world this morning on TV.
What an interesting and informative show.
The "public" health care system as I saw it states that most are good systems and work well for the people but the hospitals and clinics are going broke because they are underfunded...meaning eventually they will have to ask the government for more money to operate thus the government is going to have to pass the increase on to it's citizens in those coutries to support the increase . So where does it end? and when will their "insurance" or "taxes" be as much as the United States" private health care?
The other thing I discovered after watching this show is that American's are supporting their (country's with public health care) lowered drug cost making ours skyrocket.
American's are the ones paying for the majority of research and funding the medical labratories to stay afloat because of other country's "public" health care systems.
What happens if the US goes to "public" health care? Who will support the research for new medicines such as cancer drugs, etc?
Bambi or HFG...have you done any research on these topics? Do you have any idea what damage a public health care system in the US will do for research?
Believe me I do not like footing other country's bills so to speak. I would love nothing better than going to the doctor for free or paying a very small co-pay. I would like nothing beter than to get medicine for a couple dollars. But who is going to pay? Do you suppose all of the countries will then share in the cost making the "public" health care system cost individuals more? Therefor being right back where we started?

Hi Kari, the reason why we ALL pay SO much for drugs, is because of the patent laws, in the 80's when free trade was brought in, patent laws were changed from about 5 years to 12! As far as the drug companies stated, this would enable them to recuperate their costs in research and have more money to create new medicines! In theory this is a good idea, but what has happened is that these companies have the monopolies on drugs and when insurance companies want you to use generic drugs - which can be upto 60% of the namebrand it created SUCH a strain on the healthcare system as a whole! In Canada the BIGGEST dollars go to drug therapy, because hospitals cannot use generic brands! So NOW they have started purchasing in bulk from these name companies - which cuts down on their costs!

I for one, feel that each of our governments should fund research seperately, via grants! And lower the patent laws back down to 5 or 6 years - affording the drug companies to still make their monies, but research is not paid on the back of those drug monies!

In my province we are the richest province in Canada, yet our "publicly funded healthcare" is being deterioated by a push to privatize - THAT is the truth! We payout less per person than we did 20 years ago! We have become SO Top heavy, that front line workers are laid off and the "Super Boards - yes that's what they call them" get heavier and fatter! Things have become so cut back that in the last 20 years an increase of over 50% in people getting hospital acquired infections! Some say it is from lack of cleanliness in hospitals, overcrowding, and people becoming sicker before being admitted! My Grandmother died from Clostridium Difficile - which she contracted in a private facility in England!

http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol12No3/infection.htm
http://canadianmedicaljournal.ca/cgi/content/abstract/171/5/466

What WE have to note is WHO is making the documentaries, WHO is making the movies, and look at the source! So when I watch movies like SICKO I KNOW that he is on one side of the fence! And I also know that you HAVE to look at both sides and try and come to your own conclusions. Unfortunately I know more than most about our healthcare system - because of my mother dying from cancer, my youngest son being born disabled, and the cutbacks that have hurt our family beyond nightmares! So that is why I went from a quiet stay at home mom, to a media advocate! I have been interviewed and misquoted, I have been interviewed and the story that was told - either by soundbites or "quotes" was NOT in the context of what was said!! BUT that is what media is about! THEIR story, not actually the story of the person they are interviewing!

All I can say to you Kari is that you HAVE to look at it with an open mind and do research! Neither a show, nor a column can clearly tell you the whole story! ESPECIALLY regarding something so complex as healthcare!

Thanks for your input bambi27.
The best resources are people who have experience and that you seem to have.
It will be interesting to see how far these health care bills go.

Definitely Kari, it is up to the people isn't it? I really do appreciate being able to talk to someone on the other side of the fence, in a non hysterical yet personal way! So thankyou very much for that! :-)

I agree. I have been mostly silent on the issue but really I think my mind is changing on healthcare. It looks like a lot of the information that you find is said by a lot of politicians but there doesn't really seem to be much support for it. Also, I looked this up, but someone said that pharmaceuticals wouldn't be advanced as they were without pharma companies. But who invented penicillin? It was done by a professor, just like a lot of other advances. We might lose vanity drugs like curing baldness or drugs for eyelashes, but we wouldn't miss out on core drugs like HIV drugs and diabetes.

That's what they threatened here too, and it was a Canadian Doctor - using his own monies - that invented Insulin!!! Where ever there is a need, there will be people trying to make monies. Just look at Asprin, before it came out that it was good for your heart, they were SO cheap and had been around for a VERY long time! Then WHAM over night they increased in price by 10 fold!!! The good thing is we already have generic! It we hadn't I think we would be paying through the nose! I think that we have to take out the politicians and there individual motives for voting the way they do! Because it is rarely due to their own constituants needs that they vote! And take away the medias role, and the radical left or right and really look at EVERYTHING! And what is correct and what isn't, and what is JUST!! And right for the people that need it! ONLY then can we come up with the right decision!

There's a really common misconception in the US that we're footing the bill for a lot of research but I know for a fact that's untrue. Pharmaceutical companies are making a ridiculous profit on what they do and they don't want to give that up, which is what makes me so sad. I really hope this healthcare bill passes here. It's too expensive here to get sick!

It is also your neighbours to the north that hope this bill passes! IT actually is VITAL that it does! Because if the Republicans and Insurance companies win - then we with our "Republican" Leader will follow suite! If the American people win, then we will win too! I hope and pray that EVERY American is covered - as are we!

I hadn't heard much about that--do you mean that Canadians are interested in getting rid of their universal health care? That would be really unusual as I know it's been a source of pride for many. Are they seriously considering that?

NO! Canadian aren't! Big Business and the Conservative Governments are! I live in a province which is run by right wing party, that has just announced 1,000 workers to be cut! They also are pushing more and more privatized systems on to us!

We had a hospital blown up, and 3 more closed down! With the government stating that we would be better off! The 3 hospitals were bought by a conglomerate of VERY powerful men, including our Premiers right hand man, and several American surgeons! and stake holders! The now rent back the space to public concerns - including our Cancer centre!!!!!! One is run by doctors who are public and private doctors, but they will put the public patients behind the privately funded ones - I was one of them when I was injured at work!

IF the Senate doesn't pass this vote, and it stalls, and Obama cow ties to the insurance company - we ARE next! I TRULY hope and pray that EVERY American phones their Senate leaders and tells them to vote for the people! Remember there is more at stake here!

Candians had the EXACT same rhetoric that is now on CNN and all your news channels! It will not cost over a Trillion Dollars! That is ridiculous! But as soon as they get that number out there, everyone starts freaking out! It is REALLY disgusting! I and millions of other Canadians and Im sure 10's of millions of Americans are keeping their fingers crossed for the Senate to actually do something decent and RIGHT Tommorrow!

I wondered why Canada was so interested and watching our health care reform so closely....
Are any of these post from US citizens?
Just curious.

I'm an American. Always have been, always will be. Have a brother in Afghanistan. :)

Same here, healthnfitnessguy.
My husband served in the field (battle) in Viet Nam. What terrible stories I have heard!
My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and brother. What a terrible thing war is!

Thank you. It means a lot. Of course, because he's in the military he's always going to have awesome health care but I'm not quite as lucky. I did consider enlisting for awhile though.

Get this about OUR government and our brave men and women fighting over in Afghanistan right now! IF they are seriously hurt, they get $2,000 for their injuries! BUT NOT if they have to be flown to Germany - for more intestive care and treatment!!!!!! There is something VERY wrong with our society today! When our bravest are left on their own, when they return injured or are SO severely injured that they aren't covered! Also that everyday men and women are willing to enlist to either get a job or healthcare! Something VERY wrong indeed! God bless your brother HFG and with your Thanksgiving in a couple of days, I wish ALL Americans, peace of mind and soul!!! And May God keep ALL whom are fighting in these atrocious wars safe and be returned to their families sooner than later!!!