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Re: Because we talk too much about Trump - Hilary
I absolutely hear ya!!! But that's just for me only. We don't have kids, so none of that. Unless something happens, my H never goes to the doctor and doesn't have prescriptions. In fact, he doesn't even go for his annual check-up (which irritates me), which is the only thing we get free on our super high deductible plan.
You're going to get me on my soapbox again, lol. It's one of the reasons I feel we as a community...and by that I mean the government...should help our citizens with healthcare. I'm 42. I guarantee you $400/month for prescriptions/dr. visits is vastly above average for the average 42-year-old. But then I was also paying the same thing (adjusted for inflation) even when I was much younger. And there are certainly so many people much worse off than me...especially when you start talking about senior citizens on a fixed income. I know life isn't fair, I get it. But I've spent half my adult life going without some of the medical care I needed because I couldn't afford it. Usually because I had group insurance...but my pre-existing condition wasn't covered for the first year. That's the one part of the ACA that most people seem to agree on.
Some people, a lot of people, spend their life healthy. Or don't develop health problems until their into old age. But some people get very sick once or twice in their life. Some people develop devastating medical conditions. And, quite frankly, most of that is luck of the draw. I know its an UO, but healthcare is too precious and we need to make sure our citizens who get the short end of the health stick have the help they need.
Hardworking parents shouldn't have to file for bankruptcy because their 5-year-old child developed leukemia. A 24-year-old just a couple years out of college, living paycheck to paycheck...except she was laid off two weeks ago...shouldn't be crying in the Rite Aid parking lot because she just had to spend her last $70 buying life saving medication instead of groceries. At least I had canned veggies and soup in my pantry.
I don't think it should be a completely socialist program either, just more safeguards. But I feel that way because of high income tax rates, not because of quality of healthcare. Many countries with largely subsidized healthcare programs have healthcare as good as ours. And I don't think ours so great anyway. There is a lot of incompetence out there.
I definitely hear what you're saying, and agree, that the government is not an efficient machine. But the privatized healthcare we have now is a complete clusterf**k and absolutely atrocious. It is already a grossly inefficient trainwreck. 80% of hospital bills have errors according to the Medical Billing Advocates of America. Probably a biased group, but that sounds about right. It seems like every time someone I know is in the hospital, they complain about an error(s) on their bill. I know I find errors on my doctor bills about 1/3 of the time.
It has also prompted hospitals, doctors offices, and pharmaceutical companies to charge outrageous sums of money. Like $50-$100 for a dose of aspirin. I know from experience I typically get charged $30 when my blood sugar is checked in a doctor's office. The strip they use is probably all of 30 cents and it is one minute of a nurse's time. Sure, throw in some change for overhead, but you're still talking about at least a 10x profit.
I buy one of my medications from an online Canadian pharmacy. Because it is half the price than what I can buy it for in the U.S. Exact same medication. Not all medications are that drastic, but most are cheaper. Which makes me ponder why and leads me again to the dysfunction of the way insurance, pharmaceuticals, and medical services are handled in our country.
I certainly don't pretend to know the answer. But what we have now is pretty broken.
Yep. Also, why can't the politicians and leaders and then the U.S. population just look over the Atlantic Ocean to see how versions of socialism haven't worked out very well? Greece? The other nations with heavy tax burdens on their citizens aren't doing all that great. Why does the U.S. have to join that party when the party isn't so hot? We already know that. Why do we have to check it out for ourselves? Where I'd like the USA to emulate Europe more is in transportation - trains, etc., but leave the economics alone and go for the free market with the necessary checks and balances to limit and/or eliminate dire abuses of the work force and environment. It can be done!
Separately, we watched The Iron Lady the other night - a movie with Meryl Streep about PM Margaret Thatcher. WOW!
I understand what you mean. My family hails from Norway (at least a part of the family ancestry). I don't thing you're nation bashing. What good are we if we cannot look to other examples of failure but also of success for nations' policies and economics?
The naming thing, is frankly quite scary to me. Why does the government do that, I wonder.
One of the poignant books that has always stuck with me from high school was Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle and the abuse of the working class. We do need government oversight to prevent abuses of workers, employees, and the environment, but people and businesses do thrive more with freedom from government oppression.
I view socialism as very oppressive - a form of bondage to something. That's why I cannot in good conscience vote for any Democrat. The current state of the Democratic party has moved away from what it once was, even a few decades ago, to a socialistic-leaning, freebee-giving group. Freedom does not arise from "gifts" from the federal government.
Interesting you all brought up unions. There is a push right now in NOLA for hotel workers to be unionized. There are currently demonstrations going on...this will sound familiar to you @BlueBirdMB
...at the Hilton Riverside. Though, right now its Mardi Gras season, and I suspect the demonstrators will be gone after the festivities are over.
Overall, I agree with you. Unions were very necessary in our earlier history, not as much now. But then, at the same time, I am more on the side of the unions in this particular struggle. Generally speaking, a tourism industry=crappy, low paying jobs. Its not unusual for hotel workers (in NOLA) to have worked for the same company for years, but barely make above minimum wage.
The hotels here also do a lot of shadiness like hiring "heavy part-time" workers and then keep their hours JUST 2-3 hours/week under what would entitle them to the company benefits.
Overall, most of the big name hotels here treat their employees abysmally. So guess what? Now there is a push for unionization. Companies who treat their employees well don't need to worry about unions.