Public health care in the USA?

I don't understand why people say public health care couldn't work in the USA. They work in almost every other developed country and some are even considered superior.

I'm British who's fianc茅e is an American currently working as a nurse in the USA. I am neither Republican nor Democrat and it really won鈥檛 affect me whether America has a public system or not I'll still need travel insurance.

It really seems bizarre to me that a country that can put a man on the moon can't or won鈥檛 take care of its citizens. What is stopping it happening? Is it purely the public objection, too powerful insurance companies or simply impossible to complete?

Jimmy J - As I noted in the question I have no intrest in whether USA has a Public system or not as it won't effect me. My fiancee works as a nurse in the USA so I do have an Interest.

There is no good reason why we can鈥檛 have a universal health care system that is as good as, or probably better than, the health care systems in the other industrialized countries.

There is a lot of mindless anti 鈥渟ocialism鈥?propaganda, perpetuated mostly by those entities that are profiting most under our current faulty system. I hope that when people think this through properly they will support the development and implementation of a universal health care system for all Americans.

When you get to the bottom of this issue, the only reason the government isn't sponsoring a univeral system is because they just don't care.
Watch as Bush vetoes CHIP a plan that would cover 9 million children.

It depends on your definition of "works" - - - - the government could potentially provide something more efficiently than the market could provide that thing. It's just not the "thing" the consumers necessarily would have chosen for themselves, and generally when the government provides it, it provides it to everyone and forces some subset of that everyone to pay for it.

Be it healthcare or anything else, with "government" anything, you lose the power of choice in what to buy with your own money, and for whom you must buy it.

That is why the Founders envisioned the government as providing only those things that the market couldn't provide - defense, courts, roads and bridges... not ordinary goods and services. The test wasn't whether something was "needed" versus "wanted" it was whether only the government could provide it, because the government provides through coercion, and the Founders valued Liberty.

Health care is available to ALL US citizens...if you cannot afford to pay we have free clinics and emergency rooms that cannot turn you away... what exactly is the issue? That someone might have to spend their money on health insurance or a Dr. visit versus a new car payment or that credit card bill? Best friend is an RN currently studying to be a Nurse Practitioner.

In stead of saying Public Health Care why don't you call it what it really will be. Public Paychecks from the working class Health Care Giveaway Program?

I've used government provided health care. As a retired member of US Army, I'm entitled to use military health care facilities. Guess what? I don't. I have my own insurance. I've been paying my own freight my whole life and don't want to pay yours or anyone elses. I'll take care of my family, you take care of yours. Also, I suggest that as a British citizen, you stick to the problems in England. As an American, I don't give a #*>@ about what happens in England or how people govern themselves. I've heard some lovely stories about your public health care system that doesn't leave me all warm an fuzzy. Brits seem to embrace the sacrifice of liberty on a regular basis for an ever increasing big brother government. That won't fly here.

Edit:

And I'll stick by my contention that European's need to mind their own #*$*@ business. The only time you arrogant snobs need America is when your balls are in a vice from some petty tyrant.

I'm a Vietnam vet,covered by VA insurance...I don't care about Public health care...If you're worried about being covered,join the military,or buy your own......(Mine was paid for USN/UDT 1964-1970)....what's your excuse..? Want coverage....earn it....

Of course it would work. It would work and, if done properly, it would require less of our GDP to cover everyone than our current system does. The insurance companies rake in obscene profits. And they don't provide health care. We need to put the money into the health care system and not into the insurance companies.
The insurance companies spend a lot of money on misinformation campaigns and buying politicians.
I'd be willing to bet that at least one of the anti universal health care posters on here, right now, is on their payroll. At least one!

Changing the health care in the US is like trying to change course on a fully loaded supertanker. Nothing is going to change very rapidly, and changes need to be taken in small increments.

Overall the US Healthcare system is on par with the British system in most major catagories.
Cost for care (on a per-capita basis)
Quality of services
Convenience
Coverage

The difference is that where you guys pay for healthcare through a tax, we get insurance through our employer, or through medicare. (or is it Medicaid for the non-retired?)

I'm an American married to a Brit, and I have seen your system in action, and while it is generally quite good, there are problems with it. If there weren't, there would not be a thriving private medical industry in the UK.

It's all about money and the fact that a minority of american tax payers who already get taxed for every extra penny they make would have to foot the bill for 47+ million people!

Because is of public knowledge that with the health care will happen exactly the same that is happening with the welfare system. Most of the people in welfare are on the system just because they "do-not-want-to-work". I've personally heard many saying that they get more in welfare that what they will get if they work. When you're dealing with such an irresponsible and lazy parasites in your society, you know ahead what is going to happen if such a health care system is implemented....And don't be so sure about the success of government health care systems until you thoroughly research what's going on in Canada with it.

I never heard of any FREE emergency rooms. Where are they located? Probably in selective areas. Any who, if you haven't noticed everything is about money. Legally, the hospital can't turn you away if you don't have insurance but they send you a FAT bill. There was a special on MSNBC, where it examined the public health care system and it mentioned that hospitals and doctors charge more to patients who don't have insurance compared to what they charge insurance companies. If that isn't wrong, I don't know what is. I don't understand why some Americans don't support universal health care, do they believe that's the first step to socialism? Are we relating back to the "Red Era" again?

What is wrong with all you other Americans? I'm an American Nurse and see the system for what it really is. A system for the wealthy. Where are all these free emergency rooms at? Last time I checked, if you visit an emergency room you'll be getting a lovely bill no matter your insurance status. I pay $100 for every ER visit. I can't imagine those who are uninsured, they get stuck paying bills in the thousands.

You all seem to think that a universal system only hurts the middle class...think again. Our current private system is screwing over the middle class right now. Those who are uninsured often get treatment that costs thousands of dollars. These people usually cannot pay the bill and hospitals are stuck in the red. The hospitals therefore increase their charges to makeup the difference, and the cost gets passed on to consumers. Yep that's right, middle class consumers are fronting the bill for all these uninsured people even under our private system you seem to charish!

Quality of care in America. Well we are behind most of the western world in infant mortality and primary care. How about nursing quality? I know first hand the system is made to be profitable and doesn't care about your healthcare quality. The hospital I work in would rather have the fewest amount of nurses with the maximum amount of patients than to hire an extra nurse. Many times me and fellow co-workers will volunteer for extra shifts but are told we don't need to come in. The hospital would rather give each nurse 6-7 patients than to pay an extra nurse for the day. This means overworked nurses and decreased care. Many of times I've had several patients that I only saw once during a shift because I had other critical patients that I was swamped with. If you happen to be a patient that ambulates independently, don't expect to see a nurse very often. I also hope you don't have a sudden heart attack, it could be hours before a nurse would notice. By the way, I work in a top 50 hospital in the US and cannot believe how poor the quality of healthcare is. I can't imagine what inner city hospitals must be like.

Why does everyone assume that the uninsured don't work hard? You all seem to say people who can't pay for their healthcare must be unemployed or work at McDonalds. I know people who went to college and have decent jobs that still struggle to pay for healthcare! Social workers for instance are often only paid $11-12/hour in my area. Most of them have college degrees as well. I have a social worker friend whose insurance premium is $75/month and she has a $800 deductable each year. We aren't even counting co-payments. That's alot of money for someone who works hard and is only paid $12/hr.

What about people who have cancer and are unable to work? The FMLA only guarentees you can leave for 12 weeks without losing your job. You don't receive any pay at this time. I work on an Oncology floor and have seen many cancer patients who begin to develop anxiety disorders because they are likely to lose their homes. Not only do the patients suffer, but so do their families. This just isn't right. Why in America would we allow the most vulnerable of people to suffer so greatly?

To whomever said that we should look after our own family and let others fend for themselves.....would you like to meet some of my cancer patients and tell them it's too bad they got cancer. Do you want to tell them sorry for losing their house and job, but good luck with the chemo? You are one of the completely heartless people that makeup this forsaken country. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd gladly pay a bit more in taxes if I knew it was helping those in need. If I should come down with cancer, I'd like to know that if I beat cancer I'd still have my home and job to go back to.

Many European countries have more socialized medicine and do just a well, if not better at treating their citizens. I hope some of you with the "me only" attitude have the brains to actually research the topic and talk to citizens in other countries. I think you'll find America could do much better than the current system.

Bottom line: Money. Everything else is just an excuse.

Too many people working in the health industry in the US (and not generally the dr's and nurses) making a fortune off the misery and devastation of the sick. Think pharmaceutical companies and medical supply, the list is endless.
the last thing they want to see is their prices for services / medicine go down. These people are a powerful political lobby.

Theres also a fear of higher taxes to the middle class who want to maintain their lifestyle now. They fear a German style 75% tax eventuality.

I have health insurance. I pay $250 a mos for it *thru* my employer, I then have a $2,300 K yearly deductible. This will get worse and worse each year. Eventually it will be cheaper to go in a nationalized direction as this is just going to continue to pull more and more $$ from worker's pockets.

Its amazing how many people have mentioned free ERs. I know you can't be denied, but how expensive the ER is! Its is so much CHEAPER to treat those conditions before they get to that level of care needed.

Well, look at it this way, If the US had public health care then pharmaceutical and research companies wouldn鈥檛 have to strive to compete over each other so we wouldn鈥檛 be able to make the strides in medicine that we make all the time. Like Artificial organs, robotic arms, miracle cures, and even cosmetic surgery (if you really go for that sort of thing).
I have a perfect and easily understood example too鈥?in a 鈥渇ree health care鈥?world, companies would have never developed lasik eye surgery for bad vision. Think about it, you would be registered as an individual with poor eye vision, be given a 鈥渇ree eye exam鈥?(after your 30-60 day waiting period) and have to purchase your own pair of glasses鈥?unless you REALLY want the government standard regulation glasses that make you look like a dork. The government would never try to develop something like corrective eye surgery with lasers because, the government would see no need to evolve beyond their current system of doing things. And thus- no medical progress is made, unless a terrible plague breaks out, and it becomes a national matter.
Face it, in a country with free health care you will be stuck with a hook, instead of a robotic arm, you will be stuck with glasses, instead of real working eyes, you will be placed on a organ donation list, instead of getting an artificial heart, you will be stuck with a horn instead of a cochlear implant, for a hearing aid, you will be stuck with a dissatisfied woman instead of an erection, you will be stuck with dental cap, after dental cap, instead of proper fillings or false teeth, you will be stuck in a mental institution instead of getting depression pills. (some of these examples are bogus- but you get the picture)
Our advancements will surely come to a standstill鈥?Your entire healthcare system will be measured by social status.
It is because of the medical advancements in the United States that makes your mediocre foreign free healthcare possible/ acceptable.

Umm.. No, it was invented in the United States read this article (http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinve... this one is also good (http://www.westchestervision.com/history... Also, the idea did not come from Holland at all, this is preposterous- I did dig up a Holland Michigan laser eye surgery center (located in the united states) the only thing that happened in Germany was the first hotorefractive keratotomy which was first performed in Germany in 1988 (which is still 1 year after Steven Trokel). The Federal Drug Administration did not endorse the use of PRK until 1995. (http://www.lasersurgeryforeyes.com/histo... That鈥檚 another good link, sorry but all fingers of lasic eye surgery鈥檚 success points towards the United States, sorry for the dual accounts.
Sincerely Ruiner.
... I wish we could talk in person, it's a shame but- in a sense you will alwayse get the last word. This is my last account.

because health care in our country is BIG BUSINESS that makes BIG BUCKS. We no longer have doctor offices any more...they are medical corporations who see too many patients a day with no concern for the patient but for the almighty dollar.