Americans must now buy bad health insurance policies - even if they don't need them.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Yes, there has been a lot of recent govt interference in the private sector, but isn't this a little like a chicken and egg scenario? The interference- specifically the increase in regulation and bailouts- were in response to problems caused by an initial lack of regulation.

 

The most regulated firms are the ones that went under, the least regulated were the ones that did the best...

Not to mention the crisis was not possible without monetary expansion and credit expansion, you can't have a bubble without the Fed printing the money to expand it.

 

but please don't suggest that's only happened since Obama took office. Let's not forget that GW Bush added TRILLIONS of dollars to the national debt during his time in office.

 

Bush was one of the worst presidents. Obama is just Bush 2.0.(more spending, more government, more war, more failed policies)

 

BUT, I don't understand how now there is this massive outcry about "how much this is going to cost!!!" *now*, and Bush's spending went largely unchecked. The war(s), defense spending... all that is OK, but when it comes to the health of citizens, we draw the line.

 

There were some complaining about Bush's spending. But when the economy was in"good condition" no one paid attention. But Obama quadrupled the deficit, not as comparable as to Bush spending a lot. It's not like Obama spent 10% more and people got pissed he quadrupled what Bush spent in a very short amount of time....

 

Overall government size has grown, that's a statistical fact.

 

Insurance companies will still get their money.

 

After people are forced against their will. No one should be allowed to do that. But people will only buy insurance when they're sick and pay the fee until then because it's cheaper, thus cheating the system.

 

Yea my sister was in labour for 4 days and the doctors and nurses weren't really doing much or telling her much. She finally got a C-section on the 5th day, she was breech, but that's still too long to be suffering. If it was a private hospital that time would have at least been half or something.

 

There is a reason why people fly from all over the world to America for medical procedures.

[Saffire]

Yeah that's one thing that must get on the nerves of people living in other countries (I can only imagine) - this continual propaganda that Americans are the most competent, best risk-takers, the guys you want to have on your side, etc.

 

There's nothing fundamentally special about Americans or American doctors. What's made America great is our (relative) economic freedom, which allows people to do what they enjoy and trade freely. But right now trends are reversing so that you get more freedom elsewhere.

 

I imagine if you lifted regulations and slashed taxes in, say, Spain or the UK... suddenly (and over a period of time) Spain / the UK would become the new global center of professionals in all fields of study. And prices would fall.

 

I actually spoke with a British woman in a grocery store the other day, while we were waiting to have our orders filled at the deli. This was before Obama's bill had passed - she was telling me that her mother's last years were spent in horrible conditions under NHS healthcare, and she warned me about the possibility of socialization here in the US.

 

What we have now is possibly even worse than the NHS, because it doesn't get rid of the middleman (the insurance companies), and even empowers them to set rates higher for their captive customers.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

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