Obama Care in the U.S.A.

[Butterz]

Hahahaha. All of this talk makes me laugh.

 

In Australia, yes we pay a shit load (and a half) of taxes, for example, if you earn over $200,000, almost half of it has to go to the government. However, we have brilliant health care, and in Perth, we have an amazing public transportation system. And our health care, while nearly everybody has supplementary Health Insurance, is satisfactory, and will definately keep you living.

 

But even after all of this public stuff, is Australia communist? No, we are not, and I know that in Australia, the US has almost become laughing stock.

[GlasShadow]

Hahahaha. All of this talk makes me laugh.

 

In Australia, yes we pay a shit load (and a half) of taxes, for example, if you earn over $200,000, almost half of it has to go to the government. However, we have brilliant health care, and in Perth, we have an amazing public transportation system. And our health care, while nearly everybody has supplementary Health Insurance, is satisfactory, and will definately keep you living.

 

But even after all of this public stuff, is Australia communist? No, we are not, and I know that in Australia, the US has almost become laughing stock.

 

exactly

[PHANTASM]

Interesting thread.

 

Twelve years ago I was bitten on the hand by a brown recluse spider while in the woods. I didn't have insurance at the time. After I went home it started to get infected, and I knew I was in trouble. I was living in absolute poverty at the time, and had no way to go to a doctor and pay thousands of dollars for surgery.

 

The initial bite had swollen to the size of a golf ball between my thumb and index finger on my left hand. In the center was a black spot, like a pencil lead, where the poison had killed the meat of my hand. It was starting to get infected, and I knew it had to come out.

 

I got a scalpel and some rubbing alcohol to clean the wound. I got drunk first with some seagrams and some rum a buddy gave me so I wouldn't feel so much pain. I wiped the scalpel clean with the rubbing alcohol, and slowly dug it into my hand, forming a circle around the dead flesh. The brown recluse venom sits in one spot and doesn't travel quickly through the body. It causes gangrene and death eventually. So, I knew I had to get the bite out of my hand to remove the necrotic tissue and the poison.

 

I used a sawing motion in and out of my flesh to cut a circle around the bite. I wedged the blade under it and ripped the dead meat out. It was black. I poured rubbing alcohol on the open wound and wrapped it up to stop the bleeding. A few weeks later it was healed and I was back to normal.

 

That's what life is like without health insurance in the USA.

[FeM]

.... that's a very "puck-able" story Phantom

 

Talking about everything else on this topic...

complains about health care .. complains about this and that.... but yet..

I know loads of people who dont have money for basic needs and still insist on having a brand new BMW in the garage... or has the tummy tuck or liposuction they "NEED"...

 

We should be glad if the problems here in the US and in the world would just be what health care is all about.

 

I have a friend who has a health insurance that doesnt cover anything but it does cover costs of abortion... how weird is that?

 

Also a complain about the QUALITY of health providers....

Once we stop graduating doctors that prescribe Antabiotics for every single symptom you might have, or once we stop accepting being seen by the nurse even though you made a DOCTOR'S appointment.... Once we stop being treated as a damn number instead of a patient... well then I guess it will improve.

 

I HAAAATE DOCTORS HERE IN THE US... when I say HATE.. I mean HATE......

 

And... another thing.... Once we all start thinking of PREVENTIVE CARE first... then we wouldnt be needing to be going to the doctors office as much anyways... Healthy diet, exercise and checkups.... not mentioning STOP POISONING OURSELVES with drugs, alcohol and all that shit...

 

Just a thought...

[milli vanilli]

STOP POISONING OURSELVES with alcohol

 

 

if i could, i'd slap you through the intewebs for calling alcohol evil...

[GlasShadow]

lol @ interwebs .. a personal fav of mine .. anyway this happened to my mom about a month ago .....

 

first of all my mom is 54 had (matter of fact just got it back after not having a job for a while) insurance and has had asthma and allergies all her life. She was having trouble breathing and went in to see the doctor and they gave her a breathing treatment some allergy prescripts and one for an inhaler. She gets the bill and the insurance company refused to pay for it saying it was a pre-existing condition, I'm like no crap what do u think allergies and asthma are, right. Well after the denied paying her bill she wanted to change her provider and no-doubt the HR dept told her she had to wait tell next year to do it. So now shes stuck paying for a health plan that wont do anything to help but hold out their grubby hands.

 

that's a good story about the spiders to, this all reminds me why I learned to fix cars, I can even rebuild engines, maybe i'll have to add surgery to that list to drugs, alcohol = self medication.

Edited March 27, 2010 by GlasShadow

[FeM]

if i could, i'd slap you through the intewebs for calling alcohol evil...

 

ROFL... I'm not talking about occasional alcohol intake...

[Butterz]

if it means i can go to the doctor for the first time in over 5 years and not pay over $100 for a simple physical, i really don't care. the patriot act gave the government more power than this bill will, but you don't see me whining about it. if it means i can actually get a prescription for an anti-biotic for when I'm sick, and i don't have to miss more than a day of work(since i don't get paid sick days), i don't care. they say it will effect around 40 million people, i think its many more than that. i KNOW how many low income people work their asses off for this country doing the stuff that allows you to have your creature comforts and are denied insurance because they make less than $30k a year. I'm TIRED of a f***ing company being able to tell me IF i can even afford to go to the doctor.

 

and don't even preach the 'get a better job' argument to me. its baseless. there are MILLIONS of people who can't get a better job because they can't afford to take classes for a degree, or aren't cut out for college. those are the people who feed the water to your house. or the people who built your house. or the people who pave your roads. I'm a 24 year old in good health. i can get insurance that will cost LESS than $400 a month because i USED to smoke.

 

Lol, you can come to Australia, and claim yourself as a skilled immigrant, especially West Australia. As you may or may not know, West Australia is packed full of iron ore, gas, oil, gold, diamonds, copper, aluminium, mineral sands etc. etc. Now, because this boom in jobs and money is being driven by the mining industry, you can get payed $150,000+ a year (Almost $130,000 USD) for driving an iron ore truck on the mines up north, if you are willing to work 12 hr shifts for 2 weeks. Or, you can stay in Perth, and get payed $95,000 for being a lollipop man, and stand there all day directing traffic.

 

My point is, there are always opportunities. Oh and, btw, my health care is in a Public fund, so there aren't profits or losses, only money for the customer.

[PHANTASM]

Lol, you can come to Australia, and claim yourself as a skilled immigrant, especially West Australia. As you may or may not know, West Australia is packed full of iron ore, gas, oil, gold, diamonds, copper, aluminium, mineral sands etc. etc. Now, because this boom in jobs and money is being driven by the mining industry, you can get payed $150,000+ a year (Almost $130,000 USD) for driving an iron ore truck on the mines up north, if you are willing to work 12 hr shifts for 2 weeks. Or, you can stay in Perth, and get payed $95,000 for being a lollipop man, and stand there all day directing traffic.

 

My point is, there are always opportunities. Oh and, btw, my health care is in a Public fund, so there aren't profits or losses, only money for the customer.

 

lol I've been to Perth (when I was in college) the job situation is no better than the USA. And everything costs twice as much as it does in the US. Maybe up north in the 45 C (130 F) desert you can get a good job if you know someone.

 

Plus it takes years to get accepted into Australia if you want to be an immigrant not just a tourist.

 

American truck drivers make $400 a week working 14-hour days.

 

first of all my mom is 54 had (matter of fact just got it back after not having a job for a while) insurance and has had asthma and allergies all her life. She was having trouble breathing and went in to see the doctor and they gave her a breathing treatment some allergy prescripts and one for an inhaler. She gets the bill and the insurance company refused to pay for it saying it was a pre-existing condition, I'm like no crap what do u think allergies and asthma are, right. Well after the denied paying her bill she wanted to change her provider and no-doubt the HR dept told her she had to wait tell next year to do it. So now shes stuck paying for a health plan that wont do anything to help but hold out their grubby hands.

 

Yeah I hate insurance companies. They take your money, deny you care, and try to kick you out if you get sick. Some companies are worse than others. It all depends on which company you get it from. I pay for a private plan now so my wife and kids are covered. I think you are better off getting it privately than getting it from your employer and being locked into their plan.

 

I had COBRA last year when I was laid off and it was more expensive than just getting coverage myself in the private market. COBRA cost $1260 a month for a family of four. The government subsidized it so I only had to pay $430 a month. This is because I was unemployed. Most people drop their coverage when they get laid off because they can't get extra money obviously. Luckily I can daytrade.

 

The government subsidy ran out after nine months and it went up to the original price of $1260 a month, so I had to get a private plan and drop the COBRA coverage. I had to have overlapping coverage for a month so I wouldn't get denied by the new company.

 

The private plan we have now costs $250 a month. We have a huge deductible. So we pay for all our visits ourselves until we reach $4000 (not sure exactly) in medical bills. Then the insurance kicks in. Some plan huh.

[NoGooD]

I HAAAATE DOCTORS HERE IN THE US... when I say HATE.. I mean HATE......

Why is that FEM? Could you give us an example?

 

 

And... another thing.... Once we all start thinking of PREVENTIVE CARE first... then we wouldnt be needing to be going to the doctors office as much anyways

+1, I couldn't agree any more to that statement.

 

 

... Healthy diet, exercise and checkups.... not mentioning STOP POISONING OURSELVES with drugs, alcohol and all that shit...

I'll drink to that! Granted not many people would agree with you on that considering the amount of obese people I see every day walking the streets.

[Butterz]

lol I've been to Perth (when I was in college) the job situation is no better than the USA. And everything costs twice as much as it does in the US. Maybe up north in the 45 C (130 F) desert you can get a good job if you know someone.

 

Plus it takes years to get accepted into Australia if you want to be an immigrant not just a tourist.

 

American truck drivers make $400 a week working 14-hour days.

 

 

 

Yeah I hate insurance companies. They take your money, deny you care, and try to kick you out if you get sick. Some companies are worse than others. It all depends on which company you get it from. I pay for a private plan now so my wife and kids are covered. I think you are better off getting it privately than getting it from your employer and being locked into their plan.

 

I had COBRA last year when I was laid off and it was more expensive than just getting coverage myself in the private market. COBRA cost $1260 a month for a family of four. The government subsidized it so I only had to pay $430 a month. This is because I was unemployed. Most people drop their coverage when they get laid off because they can't get extra money obviously. Luckily I can daytrade.

 

The government subsidy ran out after nine months and it went up to the original price of $1260 a month, so I had to get a private plan and drop the COBRA coverage. I had to have overlapping coverage for a month so I wouldn't get denied by the new company.

 

The private plan we have now costs $250 a month. We have a huge deductible. So we pay for all our visits ourselves until we reach $4000 (not sure exactly) in medical bills. Then the insurance kicks in. Some plan huh.

 

Wow, you actually mean, you visited Perth? I think you should deserve a prize for being Perth's first ever tourist. But, the part about Australian paying a lot for everything is true, like 1L of milk is maybe $3, and so on... But the Australian health care system has changed quite a bit, first it was Medicare, then the Medicare Levy, the tax on working people directly going to Medicare, and the PBS, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which is a government subsidisation for widely used drugs, and stuff. It has changed quite a bit recently.

 

Oh, and if anyone here works for the police department, it is almost an automatic entry into Australia, because we need more police.

[=FA=ArmTheINSANE]

Oh man. Thank god I read this post.

 

Yesterday I hurt my shoulder at Judo and I was planning on going to my doctor. But now that I read this post I better not go, since there will be government committee that decides what treatment I get. Since I already have one bad shoulder, an injured back, and I'm balding, they will probably just take me outside and shoot me.

 

--

 

I didn't read the entire bill yet but I did read a short 30 page summary, followed by a commentary. The bill is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.

[V!p3r]

Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro are so proud..

 

 

Now is time to give citizenship to all my illegal mexican brothers !!

 

Yes we can !!!

 

Heil Obama !!!

 

[=FlA=ibabyblink]

Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro are so proud..

 

 

Now is time to give citizenship to all my illegal mexican brothers !!

 

Yes we can !!!

 

Heil Obama !!!

 

 

+1 win

[fred]

ok health insurance is f***ing expensive i will admit that. but i have a couple questions

is medicare doing good or failing?

is medicaid doing good or failing?

we are sopposed to get nationalized health insurance like this. if its failing now why the hell would we spread it throughout the country?

and a good example of socialistic policies failing is very obvious. social security is an example of another epic fail from the goverment and if they cant handle this which is much less hard than medicare from most americans what makes you think its gonna work?

and someone brought up a good point about possesions. many of these people that whine and complain about healthcare have a nice car like a bmw or something and they also have their 60 inch tvs. honestly it all comes down to do you think the goverment can spend YOUR money better than you can. and if the answer is yes you sir are a dumass.