Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[ice grillin you]

how awesome is it that barry is having gates and that cop over to the white house for beers

[Butchers Bill]

how awesome is it that barry is having gates and that cop over to the white house for beers

That is very cool.  Good move by Obama.

[ATV]

much of this is subjective and viewed through the eyes of an organization that clearly believes in Socialized care

Yea, that must be it. If the U.S. is rated that low then clearly they must be communists and stuff. This World Health Organization list is very subjective. Clearly.

[Butchers Bill]

much of this is subjective and viewed through the eyes of an organization that clearly believes in Socialized care

Yea, that must be it. If the U.S. is rated that low then clearly they must be communists and stuff. This World Health Organization list is very subjective. Clearly.

I listed the criteria they used, what more do you need?  Why didn't they use survival rates for disease?  How about the wait for surgery?  Why didn't they examine the time lag from diagnosis to treatment?  You know, REAL indicators of the quality of a nations health care that can be quantified.

[Munson]

The quality of the nations health care can be excellent, but it still suffers when that quality is only extended to certain members of society and rest are left to fend for themselves.

[Diomedes]

One thing our system is better at than the rest of the world:  treating gunshot victims.

Most of whom have health care, of course.

[Munson]

Well, practice makes perfect.

[rjs246]

I hate to agree with Munson about anything, but he's absolutely right. Wealthy people and those who work for big corporations who can offer top notch health insurance get great care. We have well trained medical professionals with a wide array of specialized knowledge. But people who work for small companies with minimal coverage or have to pay for their own care or don't have any health insurance have a teensy little impact on the grading curve. Teensy.

I don't even believe that universal coverage is the most pressing issue, but to argue that we have the best care in the world when so many people are uncovered or under-covered is laughable.

[Rome]

I watched Cronkite Remembers for much of the day on Discovery Channel.

Incredible.

[Diomedes]

Laughable?  Worse, it's downright unseemly.

[ATV]

Health care in the US tends to be excellent when...

A) You're wealthy and don't mind overpaying for the services
B) The insurance companies decide not to reject your claims
C) You aren't attempting to switching coverages with pre-existing medical problems
and
D) You don't mind all the BS involved when changing coverages, paperwork, finding new doctors, etc.

So, if you live in a vaccum and A,B,C and D are working for you I can see how you might believe our health care system must be the greatest thing in the universe.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I hate to agree with Munson about anything, but he's absolutely right. Wealthy people and those who work for big corporations who can offer top notch health insurance get great care. We have well trained medical professionals with a wide array of specialized knowledge. But people who work for small companies with minimal coverage or have to pay for their own care or don't have any health insurance have a teensy little impact on the grading curve. Teensy.

I don't even believe that universal coverage is the most pressing issue, but to argue that we have the best care in the world when so many people are uncovered or under-covered is laughable.

Pretty much.

I make pretty decent cash but the healthcare blows. I'm on the hook for the first 500 bucks of each year. It resets after each year. Luckily I don't have to go much, but when I went the last time for the flu I had in 2008, it cost me 275 bucks.

My old plan was a simple 50 co-pay.

[ATV]

[Geowhizzer]

I hate to agree with Munson about anything, but he's absolutely right. Wealthy people and those who work for big corporations who can offer top notch health insurance get great care. We have well trained medical professionals with a wide array of specialized knowledge. But people who work for small companies with minimal coverage or have to pay for their own care or don't have any health insurance have a teensy little impact on the grading curve. Teensy.

I don't even believe that universal coverage is the most pressing issue, but to argue that we have the best care in the world when so many people are uncovered or under-covered is laughable.

Pretty much.

I make pretty decent cash but the healthcare blows. I'm on the hook for the first 500 bucks of each year. It resets after each year. Luckily I don't have to go much, but when I went the last time for the flu I had in 2008, it cost me 275 bucks.

My old plan was a simple 50 co-pay.

Makes me feel better about mine.  $15 co pay.  The painful part is the $500 per month to add the kids.

My wife's plan is like yours, but it's the first $2000.  It took effect this year.  Prior, her's was a $25 co-pay.

Plans get more expensive and offer less coverage every year.

[fansince61]

If the new health care reform system proposed by Obama is so friggen' great, then why is congress exempt? It's good enough for us but not for them or our president.

Also, people who don't pay for the health care system that will be forced upon them will be fined up too and over $1,000.00. Thats not socialism?

farg Obama.

Omit Obama.  Health care at the POTUS level has always been over the top.  But we should have learned that the more rules and laws Congress is exempted from the more "out of touch" they become.  A line has to be drawn somewhere and I don't think congress should be allowed to vote for health care they are exempt from.