OK guys. We are talking about two separate issues and getting them mixed up. Single payer and McCain’s healthcare plan. I think you all are so blinded by your hate for single payer, that you are ignoring McCain’s plan. Let’s ignore the whole single payer issue for a minute and examine McCain’s plan.

If the choice is to keep the system we have now or switch to McCain’s plan, which would you prefer? I would MUCH prefer to keep what we have now. I don’t mind paying $12,000 per year for insurance. That’s not my complaint. But under McCain’s plan, I won’t be able to buy ANY insurance. How could I be happy with that? How could you?

I’m just wondering if you guys don’t understand what McCain’s plan will do, or if you really and truly think it is a “Good Thing” for at least one-third of the country to be shut out of the whole insurance equation. Because the odds are pretty good that you will be shut out, too. So are you all like multi-millionaires who can self-insure, or do you really believe that only multi-millionaires should get healthcare, even if that means you or your loved ones would die if you got sick?

D. Walker

I can agree with your thoughts on unions. The problem I see, is that they have been taken over by the mob, and are as corrupt as anything we have ever seen.

Lisa12

Ma’m everyone is going to die. My sister just died on June 3. She lost her insurance 15 years ago, after being cured of leukemia (sp), after reaching the dollar limit on her policy. She was in SLU Hospital for 4 1/2 weeks before she died, with no insurance. I don’t need you to tell me about insurance, having, or not having insurance.

As I said in a previous post, you have gun barrel vision, and need to look at the whole picture. If the libs let the terroists take over this country, you will not need medical insurance, you will need a new head.

BUY AMERICAN

JD: Ma’m everyone is going to die.

Well, under that logic, I guess we should shut down the hospitals and all of the doctors could find a new line of work. If we think it is OK to not treat people for cancer, heart disease, or anything else, because “everyone is going to die”, then why do we even have a health care system?

But thanks for your vote.

Lisa12,

Maybe I am in the minority here, but I am lost by your argument.

You say that you don’t like MCCain’s plan and that government single payer health insurance is better than MCCain’s plan. But you would “MUCH prefer” to keep what you have now.

Then why not just argue to keep what you have now if that is what you believe and leave the single payer healthcare completely out of your argument?

Lisa12

There you go again with that liberal bull crap, putting words where they don’t belong, and twisting the words, that I wrote.

BUY AMERICAN

Lisa12,

Part of the problem is that we keep too many people around too long. What we need is a little more timely dying around here. Stop spending the big bucks trying to make the old people really old. Put the healthcare money into widespread public health service for the young. In a way McCain’s plan will help trim the wasted dollars. Of course he would be one of the first I would cut off.

Buy American? No, buy the best. That and that alone will force American corporations to compete.

havetolaugh,
Unfortunately it’s complicated. I’ll try to explain.

What about our current system?
There are 158 million people who get insurance from Employers, and about 17 million who buy Individual insurance. Individual insurance is the WORST part of our current system. Employer insurance has protections by law — it cannot reject anyone for any reason, and they can’t cancel your policy if you get sick. Not true with Individual insurance. (I could write a book about the problems with our current system — for now I won’t.)

What about single payer?
Yes, that would be my preference. Let me point out that Obama is not even proposing a single payer system. Neither was Hillary.

What about McCain’s plan?
McCain wants to scrap Employer insurance, and put everyone into Individual insurance. He is trying to force everyone into the very WORST part of our current system. Rather than improving the situation, he will make it MUCH WORSE. That is why I say, I would prefer that he do nothing rather than implement his plan. Even the Wall Street Journal writes that McCain’s plan is sucky. So under McCain’s plan, the 158 million people who get Employer insurance will try to get Individual insurance — probably 1/3 will be REJECTED. Including me. I honestly don’t understand how anyone, even a republican, can be happy about McCain’s plan. Why would 52 Million hard-working people be happy to LOSE their health insurance?

So, yeah, even though I would prefer to keep our current system over McCain’s plan — that would still leave a litany of problems with our current system. There are probably many other ways to address those problems besides single payer, I just don’t know what they are. But I think every person (even republicans) who gets Employer insurance should be VERY worried about McCain’s plan.

jb: Stop spending the big bucks trying to make the old people really old. Put the healthcare money into widespread public health service for the young. In a way McCain’s plan will help trim the wasted dollars.

I actually agree with you. Ironically, McCain’s plan will do the opposite. Medicare will continue to spend obscene amounts of money on old people who are dying. And McCain will force millions of children, teens, and young adults to go without health insurance — meaning if they get sick they won’t get treatment and will die.

Lisa you are right about McCain’s plan. I had not looked at it that way. Thanks.