Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in (1 Viewer)

[Stinger]

Oops, what will the left/Dems here say now after proclaiming themselves to be deficit fighters! After years of proclaiming how bad the economy was because the deficit was still there.

"Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit."
John Edwards: Invest in Universal Health Care

 

[Goobieman]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

"Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit."
John Edwards: Invest in Universal Health Care

It's good that he thinks that because there's no way we'll be able to do -anything- about the deficits with all the entitlements he's proposing placed on top of all the entitlements we now have.

Now that the dems are in charge of Congress, talk their of reducing deficits and lowering the debt will virtually disappear -- all we'll hear is how e need to increase spending, increase taxes, give to the poor, take froim the rich.

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Oops, what will the left/Democrats here say now after proclaiming themselves to be deficit fighters! After years of proclaiming how bad the economy was because the deficit was still there.

"Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit."
John Edwards: Invest in Universal Health Care

I can certainly understand a politician's desire to do what was successful for the Republicans and pander to the electorate and run up the debt rather than making the tough decisions. But this left/Democrat will support another candidate.

 

[Stinger]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

I can certainly understand a politician's desire to do what was successful for the Republicans and pander to the electorate and run up the debt rather than making the tough decisions. But this left/Democrat will support another candidate.

So you will oppose Edwards?

 

[Binary_Digit]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Grrr! You don't "lift" people out of poverty. You provide enough opportunities so they have no legitimate excuses, and the rest is up to them. Pay the friggin bills you idiots!!

 

[Skip]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Thanks for posting this Stinger, I can now definitvely say that I do oppose John Edwards and would vote for McCain over him.

 

[danarhea]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

So, is John Edwards a Democican or Republicrat?

 

[Morrow]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Oops, what will the left/Democrats here say now after proclaiming themselves to be deficit fighters! After years of proclaiming how bad the economy was because the deficit was still there.

"Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit."
John Edwards: Invest in Universal Health Care

What is it with people who want to make sure everyone has medical care? That is just so backwards, what is next free education?!

 

[RightinNYC]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What is it with people who want to make sure everyone has medical care? That is just so backwards, what is next free education?!

If people took advantage of that free education to get themselves a good education and then a job, it wouldn't be very hard for them to get medical care, would it?

 

[Zyphlin]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What is it with people who want to make sure everyone has medical care? That is just so backwards, what is next free education?!

YEAH! Then in 20 years or so we could come up with No Invalid Left Behind. People will move into specific neighborhoods because the local hospital is better than the one down in city. We could also put in clinic bussing, cause I mean...its not helping people become sensitive if they just go to a clinic that is all the same race as them. I gotta agree with you Morrow, when I look at the Public School system in this country its exactly the type of thing I'd want to compare a hopeful medical system with!

 

[Stinger]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What is it with people who want to make sure everyone has medical care? That is just so backwards, what is next free education?!

I want everyone to have medical care, it's the means that is the issue.

 

[faithful_servant]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What is it with people who want to make sure everyone has medical care? That is just so backwards, what is next free education?!

GUess what? In this country, if you can't afford to pay for your medical treatment, the gov't will pay for it for you. It's called Medicaid/Medicare. Hospitals/doctors can also write off your bill and be reimbursed for it from the gov't. So what's the problem????

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

GUess what? In this country, if you can't afford to pay for your medical treatment, the gov't will pay for it for you. It's called Medicaid/Medicare. Hospitals/doctors can also write off your bill and be reimbursed for it from the gov't. So what's the problem????

Not true. Medicaid only covers a portion of those without health care. You have to be over 65 to get Medicare.

You are correct to an extent. Medicare/Medicaid do represent a system of national health care that covers many and covers those who use the majority of health care services (ie the elderly). Since the Govt already pays for that health care, I find it hard to believe it would be that much more expensive to cover everyone with basic health care. The benefits of primary/preventative care would probably pay for the costs incurred now for unnecessary emergency room treatment, which those who are unisured have to turn to today. Our current system of providing health care to the unisured only thru the emergency room is really inane when you think about it.

 

[Stinger]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Hey Iriemon,

Surely with how you attack Bush and the Republicans on the deficit you cannot support Edwards in light of the statement he made as cited in the OP.

 

[faithful_servant]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Not true. Medicaid only covers a portion of those without health care. You have to be over 65 to get Medicare.

You are correct to an extent. Medicare/Medicaid do represent a system of national health care that covers many and covers those who use the majority of health care services (ie the elderly). Since the Govt already pays for that health care, I find it hard to believe it would be that much more expensive to cover everyone with basic health care. The benefits of primary/preventative care would probably pay for the costs incurred now for unnecessary emergency room treatment, which those who are unisured have to turn to today. Our current system of providing health care to the unisured only thru the emergency room is really inane when you think about it.

Get informed, Irie. We just went down this road last year (ended up doing a refi to pay off the bills) and one of the options was to go to the hospital and ask them to write off the bill. The gov't will reimburse the hospital/doctors for 100% of what they write off. I'm trying to remember the name of the law, but it's escaping me right now (Lands Law or something similar). I do agree with you about the use of emergency rooms for things that are not emergencies and I'm very well aware of how difficult it can be to get a doctor if you can't afford to pay (no insurance, on Medicare, etc.) and I think that these issues need to be addressed. But, to force the people to pay for the medical treatment of people who can afford to pay for it is wrong. Here in Oregon, we have the Oregon Health Plan which provides for assistance for low income people to receive medical treatment, but we also have one of the worst economies in the country, some of the highest taxes and constant budget problems. There is a price to pay, the question is who is going to pay this price. The US has some of the best medical care and research in the world and this doesn't come cheaply. We can't afford to put in place mechanisms that stifle medical advancement (money is not only a huge resource, but a huge motivation for medical advancement). Socializing medical care takes away the motivation to put high risk dollars out there to develop new and better treatments and unfortunately people are motivated more by personal gain than by altruism. There needs to be a balance between providing good medical care for everyone and providing the needed motivation to continue to improve on medical science, and socialized medical care is not the way to do this.

 

[BWG]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What if you can't buy it?

Scott Svonkin left a comfortable government job as a legislative chief of staff to start his own marketing and public affairs consulting business. Late last year he started shopping around for health insurance for himself, his expectant wife and his young daughter.

He knew he'd pay more without an employer picking up most of the tab. And he knew he'd have to fill out a medical questionnaire because, unlike job-based coverage, individual insurance in California is contingent on an applicant's health. But that didn't concern him because, he said, "I'm healthy as a horse, never smoked and have had no major surgery."

As it turned out, Svonkin was rejected by not just one but three of California's biggest health insurers, which cited his history of asthma, among other things.


"Our goal is to extend affordable coverage to as many people as we can," said Cheryl Randolph, a spokeswoman for PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. "But because of the medical underwriting, we do not accept everybody."


LA Times

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Hey Iriemon,

Surely with how you attack Bush and the Republicans on the deficit you cannot support Edwards in light of the statement he made as cited in the OP.

Didn't I state this in post #3? Trying your luck in this pond, Sting?

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Get informed, Irie. We just went down this road last year (ended up doing a refi to pay off the bills) and one of the options was to go to the hospital and ask them to write off the bill. The gov't will reimburse the hospital/doctors for 100% of what they write off. I'm trying to remember the name of the law, but it's escaping me right now (Lands Law or something similar). I do agree with you about the use of emergency rooms for things that are not emergencies and I'm very well aware of how difficult it can be to get a doctor if you can't afford to pay (no insurance, on Medicare, etc.) and I think that these issues need to be addressed. But, to force the people to pay for the medical treatment of people who can afford to pay for it is wrong. Here in Oregon, we have the Oregon Health Plan which provides for assistance for low income people to receive medical treatment, but we also have one of the worst economies in the country, some of the highest taxes and constant budget problems. There is a price to pay, the question is who is going to pay this price. The US has some of the best medical care and research in the world and this doesn't come cheaply. We can't afford to put in place mechanisms that stifle medical advancement (money is not only a huge resource, but a huge motivation for medical advancement). Socializing medical care takes away the motivation to put high risk dollars out there to develop new and better treatments and unfortunately people are motivated more by personal gain than by altruism. There needs to be a balance between providing good medical care for everyone and providing the needed motivation to continue to improve on medical science, and socialized medical care is not the way to do this.

While I appreciate your opinions on the subject, I'm not sure what in my post you are contending was incorrect that I need to "get informed" about.

 

[CurrentAffairs]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

So, is John Edwards a Democican or Republicrat?

Yes, we all know you are neither. No need to continue banging that drum. Just bring it up again when you decide what you are.

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

What if you can't buy it?

Scott Svonkin left a comfortable government job as a legislative chief of staff to start his own marketing and public affairs consulting business. Late last year he started shopping around for health insurance for himself, his expectant wife and his young daughter.

He knew he'd pay more without an employer picking up most of the tab. And he knew he'd have to fill out a medical questionnaire because, unlike job-based coverage, individual insurance in California is contingent on an applicant's health. But that didn't concern him because, he said, "I'm healthy as a horse, never smoked and have had no major surgery."

As it turned out, Svonkin was rejected by not just one but three of California's biggest health insurers, which cited his history of asthma, among other things.

"Our goal is to extend affordable coverage to as many people as we can," said Cheryl Randolph, a spokeswoman for PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. "But because of the medical underwriting, we do not accept everybody."


LA Times

Same thing happened to me when I took a sabbatical. Because I had a diagnosis of diabetes in my history, I could not reasonably get health care insurance. Never mind that I have controlled it for years with diet and exercise and my blood sugar levels were good and had never needed meds. Most carriers flat turned me down. One offered very limited coverage for like $2500 per month. After the Cobra expired, I went bare.

 

[Stinger]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Didn't I state this in post #3? Trying your luck in this pond, Sting?

So is that you unequivocal statement that you won't support Edwards? Just for the record.

 

[Iriemon]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

So is that you unequivocal statement that you won't support Edwards? Just for the record.

No, it depends upon the other candidates' positions. Anyone who won't even attempt to address the deficit/debt issue gets a big black mark in my book, however.

 

[shuamort]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Edwards is putting the cart before the horse here.

I'm not for universal health care at all, but, if the electorate decides to have it, this is the wrong way to do it.

1. Tort reform needs to be made long before universal health care. The lawsuits in med mal are what is driving the costs of healthcare through the roof. Reducing these costs will reduce health insurance premiums making it affordable again.
2. Either doing one of two things. Restricting prescription drug advertisements (which bring up the costs of the drugs) or remove the concept of requiring prescriptions to dispense drugs.
3. Figure out how to have this UHC privatized as introducing the government directly into this business would not only drive up bureaucracy (as if HMOs aren't bad enough already) but would be a blow to insurance providers and kill a lot of jobs.

Like I said up above, I am against UHC, but if someone is pushing the issue, they need to address those issues first.

 

[Morrow]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

YEAH! Then in 20 years or so we could come up with No Invalid Left Behind. People will move into specific neighborhoods because the local hospital is better than the one down in city. We could also put in clinic bussing, cause I mean...its not helping people become sensitive if they just go to a clinic that is all the same race as them. I gotta agree with you Morrow, when I look at the Public School system in this country its exactly the type of thing I'd want to compare a hopeful medical system with!

.

Touche

.

 

[Thales]

Re: Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to inves

Hmm... I'd never really had him in the "moderate" column anyway, but this will certainly be taken into account.

When people talk about spending no matter what the budget says, it worries me.