Will the USA every have free healthcare?

[Deleted]

I know perfectly well what OP means, because I've lived in a socialistic shithole more than half of my life. OP, most likely, hasn't, and is delusionally following his campus 'real communism has never been tried' sect. Once again: 'Free Healthcare' is basically 'Santa Claus'. Wanna make a 'Will Santa Claus visit every child in the US next year' thread in General Discussions?

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Oh the irony, a statist supporting the idea of robbing people who work in favor of those who don't, talks about woodwork.

And this is why I put the request about pedantic arguments which you ignored so consider yourself ignored

[Theodarzna]

Unlikely. We don't have a political parties for it.

[Kellhound]

If you're becoming a doctor for $$$ then I don't want your service

Even with the promise of very good $$$ there is a shortage of doctors in the US, remove the financial incentive and it will just get worse.

[Deleted]

Even with the promise of very good $$$ there is a shortage of doctors in the US, remove the financial incentive and it will just get worse.

Then there's obviously another reason because if you have a lack of doctors and it isn't due to money then what is the reason

[breadisfunny]

Even with the promise of very good $$$ there is a shortage of doctors in the US, remove the financial incentive and it will just get worse.

yep just ignore all the other reasons there is a shortage....it's purely the money reasons. nothing else. nothing else could possibly explain the shortage of doctors....because all doctors are clearly in it for the money.

[Emek]

not likely, states have the power to say nah. "obamacare" gave us the opportunity, but some states, florida for example, opted not to participate

[Kellhound]

Then there's obviously another reason because if you have a lack of doctors and it isn't due to money then what is the reason

Wow, I must say I am shocked at your inability to comprehend English. I never said the current issue was money (though it is why more doctors than ever refuse to accept medicaid), but that it would make it worse.

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yep just ignore all the other reasons there is a shortage....it's purely the money reasons. nothing else. nothing else could possibly explain the shortage of doctors....because all doctors are clearly in it for the money.

Wow, I must say I am just as shocked at your inability to comprehend English as Adam's.... I never said the current issue was money, but that it would make it worse.

[Baelic]

It'll only happen if all states were blue-states and that's not even a 100% guarantee at that point.

States-rights makes the idea of a national system nigh-impossible. That said, I'm looking to seeing how well California does with their attempt.

[LaserChild9]

personally i've never heard of any american that doesn't know about obamacare. the guy from NJ was obviously trolling or just playing stupid. also can you blame the system if a stupid person with all the tv ads and all the radio ads and all the bus ads and all the magazine ads and all the internet ads still cant figure out they have free healthcare available to them if they cannot afford it, well then they deserve to die from their medical problem.

So you are talking about Obamacare? See, I'm in the UK so I admit I don't have first hand experience with Obamacare, but I was under the impression that the affordable care act was just that, affordable. Sure some people qualified to have it for free, but if it is not free for everyone, then it really isn't free, it just means that there are concessions for some.

I found this website with some info about Obamacare, here are some quotes:

ObamaCare is free if you or your family qualifies for Medicaid / CHIP.

ObamaCare isn’t free if you are a single low income adult and your state didn’t expand Medicaid, in this case local charities may be your only option outside a public hospital in an emergency.

ObamaCare offers cost assistance on the marketplace, this won’t net you free coverage, but it could reduce what you pay in premiums to roughly between 2 – 9.5% of family income based on the federal poverty level.

Compared to the NHS:

the NHS in England remains free at the point of use for all UK residents. This currently stands at more than 64.6 million people in the UK

If I go to a hospital for any reason, regardless of my personal situation (unemployed, employed, student etc) I am able to be seen, diagnosed and treated for free, no fees, no bills, nothing. That is truly free healthcare for everyone. Is the NHS perfect? No, not at all, it has problems but it is better than nothing.

[truckboattruck]

Because doctors on the NHS feel enslaved

maybe they do, being forced to do anything for free is not the same as volunteering .

[Deleted]

There is 'free' healthcare for the truly needy. Everybody else can pay, thank you very much.

[Zython]

Not until white people can get over the idea of black people getting government services, no.

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There is 'free' healthcare for the truly needy. Everybody else can pay, thank you very much.

Maybe means testing does more harm than good?

[Deleted]

maybe they do, being forced to do anything for free is not the same as volunteering .

Google NHS please

[UnkLegacy]

there is no such thing as free healthcare....unless you mean you want to enslave doctors

How are they enslaved? They still get paid. Just by the government instead of private insurance companies. Where you get the idea that doctors are "enslaved" is beyond me.

Say both mom and dad are working and the household income is $110K a year, with European style free health care they would pay $5K to $7K a year in taxes for that free care.

In the US the same family would pay $0 to $400 a year. You can see why some don't want free health care, it's much more expensive. You're forcing them to give out charity. This is from their employer.

I was paying $14 a month my gf looked the plans over and we decided to do the $33 a month plan.

I don't know where you get that a $110k family would only pay $0 to $400 a year. My family is around that much and our health insurance is $21k a year. My employer pays 90% of that. I'd gladly play more in taxes if it ment EVERYONE got health care.

[Nihilist74]

Please don't be pedantic and say free healthcare isn't actually free, we're aware we pay via taxes but it's free in the sense we don't pay a bill

So do you think the USA will ever adapt to a healthcare system similar to the NHS? I know the US on whole isn't a huge fan of welfare systems partly due to Capitalism but it can not be ignored that the statistics regarding people dying simply because they couldn't afford healthcare is alarming

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...alth-coverage/).

I think we may have single payer health care one day. They say the younger generation wants things like this. Maybe when the older generation dies out that believes in ultra conservative capitalism, we can have single payer health care. Maybe when we have really good robots and computer systems that can do the job that doctors and other health care workers do, health care will be so cheap that it will be more of a universal health care.

[Independent voter]

I don't know where you get that a $110k family would only pay $0 to $400 a year. My family is around that much and our health insurance is $21k a year. My employer pays 90% of that. I'd gladly play more in taxes if it ment EVERYONE got health care.

You're paying $21K a year? Your employer insures you? My employer ensures me but we pay a small amount each month.

Many people don't pay anything at all, there employer covers 100%.

[Nihilist74]

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/abo...ne/pay-doctors
NHS Doctor Salaries

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/...Doctors/Salary
American Doctor salaries

I wonder in america or anywhere in the civilized world how long it will be before computer AI systems take over the positions of primary physicians and make basic healthcare a lot cheaper. Even now if you take a computer system like IBM's Watson or googles top AI system. I would not imagine it doing a good job at basic primary physician work. The doctors prescribe medication to you based on what works well with the majority of people. I think I would trust a computer more actually. When it came to my diabetic medicine, I researched more about what was working for me than the doctor. I told what i thought i needed and he prescribed it for me. A good AI system would have all that knowledge saved and have access to it immediately. The AI would know when to send you to a specialist doctor.

[Deleted]

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/abo...ne/pay-doctors
NHS Doctor Salaries

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/...Doctors/Salary
American Doctor salaries

First link isn't working

[UnkLegacy]

You're paying $21K a year? Your employer insures you? My employer ensures me but we pay a small amount each month.

Many people don't pay anything at all, there employer covers 100%.

Between my employer and I, we pay $21k/yr. My employer covers 90% of that, so I only pay $2.1k/yr. Granted this is a pretty expensive family plan as I have no deductibles or co-pays, but still. I've never heard of any employer covering 100% of insurance. Most of my experience has been 70-80%.

[Zan15]

Insurance companies need to be not-for-profit. Then, health coverage could be universal.

there are plenty of non profit insurance companies and the prices of their products are in line with just about every other for profit insurance company.

between cost of care and administrative cost there is only a 2-4% profit margin on the top 6 insurance companies in this country.

everyone thinks they are some kind of profit machines when they are not.

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The largest increases I have seen in my premiums was post Obamacare, and my coverage hasnt changed.

then you were not around in the 90's lol

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It'll only happen if all states were blue-states and that's not even a 100% guarantee at that point.

States-rights makes the idea of a national system nigh-impossible. That said, I'm looking to seeing how well California does with their attempt.

Ya look at all those states that prevent people from collecting Medicare.....umm..