JPF Home Page Forums Alan Grayson on Republican Health Care

Thanks, John. In my opinion you did.



I don't like these either. But I don't see why they would be magnified under a single payer plan. At least with a single payer plan, I'd think it would be harder to dodge the system.



I don't like these either. But I would think that a plan to require people to purchase health insurance would appeal to you for this reason.



We should probably talk about illegal immigrants on another thread. My understanding is that, yes, they are a drain on the health care system. But the studies I've seen suggest that when you consider their NET effect on the economy, it's neutral to slightly positive. I'm not using this as an argument for amnesty - I'm using it only as an economic argument.



Agree that the first two would help. Can't agree on the last point though. I just don't think it will work (for many of the same reasons that the war on drugs is a failure).



This scares me too. You are talking to a guy that won't even take out a car loan. My wife and I paid off our house way early too because we don't like being it debt. It makes me nervous.
But I don't understand why a single payer system would be more expensive than what we have now. Certainly we wouldn't be paying for fat cats at the top to make huge salaries and to pay dividends to stockholders. I believe in capitalism. But that doesn't mean I think everything should be subject to a profit motive. I think it's immoral somehow that anyone should make a profit off of insurance. Protect the folks you are insuring, pay the folks that work for you a decent wage, and invest the rest to help the pool of emergency funds grow. Beyond that, why should folks profit on insurance?

An argument for capitalism is that it stimulates people with good ideas to do new and creative things. I don't think we need any more creativity in the insurance industry. I think we've had enough.




I should have been more careful. Certainly congress gets a lot of things wrong. It's populated by folks whose chief skill is to get elected to something. I meant government agencies populated by workers just like you and me. I think they do a good job, by and large. You can argue that those folks are under the control of nutcases though. My response to that is that we have to quit electing nutcases. My other response is that they are no nuttier than the bigwigs running the insurance industry.



I don't know enough about these to comment. I thought Clinton did quite a bit to reform welfare but I can't remember the specifics. I know you work in the medical profession. What is wrong with Medicaid/Medicare and the VA?



In regard to the present discussion, the question to ask, and the one we can't really answer, is whether the situation would be any better if all highway building was privatized. Based on my experience though, it would be a nightmare.



I think that is our fault - not government. They are being asked to do something that is impossible. In my opinion, illegal immigration will never be stopped on the supply side - only on the demand side.



In my opinion, these are due to greed in the private sector.

Well, John there are some things we can agree on and some we can't. I don't want to put words in your mouth but it seems like your objections are not so much against the single payer system but against government involvement. If so, I have to agree you have a point - I don't think we elect people of quality.

So what about non-profit co-ops? Would you find those more appealing?

Scott