i read all the different views and i concur that the best way to solve this is take the middle road,the government should (i believe) fund a government owned health insurance co., offer health insurance based on the over all health of the person rather than a group of people, (healthier people getting the lower price). lets say a moderately healthy person pays 30 dollars a month ( just throwing out numbers) and the money that he pays will be a sort of bank. so when some thing occurs where he is sent to the hospital he may use HIS money to pay for the expenses. if there is a large bill that cannot be fully covered by his “bank”then the government will pay 40% of the costs while the person pays the remaining 60%. i think that there are wrinkles in my proposal but that can be ironed out. thoughts?

Consi, nice folksy dancing, if to a tune that’s getting old.

Elwed,

Call me a relic, call me what you will,
Say I’m old fashion, say I’m over the hill,
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul,
I LOVE THAT OLD TIME ROCK N’ ROLL!!!!!!

Still like that a old time rock n’ roll
That kind of music just soothes my soul
I reminisce about the days of old
With that old time a-rock ‘n’ roll

-Bob Seger, Old Time Rock N’ Roll

Practically speaking, whichever of the two options you support, your dollar gets squandered. It becomes a matter of degrees as to who screws you worse, public or private institutions.

That said, drawing the line between public and private powers, in the era of an unusually rich government, is getting very difficult. Although which you choose to support is telling, I find that deciding how to spend your money is secondary to how you secure it in the first place.

Consi, nice folksy dancing, if to a tune that’s getting old.

I had time to reread what’s been said before and concluded that everything has been said. Uncle Sam takes money out of your wallet, whether you like it or not. That money is put to some uses you don’t object to, others you (would) oppose. What you agree and disagree with speaks for itself.

All I have to add is that there is a lot of shit my government engages in with the tax dollars I pay that I’m not particularly happy about. Given the choice between having those taxes go to an unjust war against a foreign nation under false pretenses or toward the goal of providing health care to everyone so that we all have the means to stay healthy enough to find a job, I’d choose the latter over the former. Alas, I don’t get a choice in the matter.

Near as I can tell I’ve gotten no benefit from the war in Iraq, just a record deficit and a lot of dead people. I can at least see some potential benefit in helping to ensure that everyone has at least basic medical care available to them so they have one less thing to worry about.  No one seems to have a problem with the government “stealing” your money to pay for corrupt wars where lots of foreigners get killed, but man, the moment someone suggests that money could be better spent helping your fellow Americans you get all bent out of shape that you’re supporting people who are “undeserving.”

Taxes to kill lots of people? You’re all for it. Taxes to save lots of people? No fucking way.

That’s just sad.

from the deserving to the NON deserving.

If so, what exactly determines in your mind who is and who is not “deserving?

And like some very sensitive conservatives, I would agree that anytime our arguments involve “morality plays,

Some guy said: I have about had my fill of the “everyone should have medical insurance

I have about had my fill of the “everyone should have medical insurance

Xxena, I agree with your point about the drug companies being bloated and corrupt, but I want to address a few of the points that you’ve made.

First,

Thirdly… socialism is great in theory but in reality IT DOES NOT WORK.  NEVER HAS, NEVERWILL..

I may be missing something, but where in this thread was socialism seriously brought up? There is a lot of middle ground between wishing to see health care in this country repaired on the one hand and actual socialism on the other. Or do you consider the two issues to be one and the same? I personally would disagree.  I don’t think there are a whole lot of true socialists here at SEB.

Second,

but those of us here that get up every day and go to work and pay our taxes and the rest of the crap ARE paying for those that cannot.. from the deserving to the NON deserving. 

Are you seriously insinuating that some people are not deserving of health care? If so, what exactly determines in your mind who is and who is not “deserving?”