Read the bill

[Anmar]

Larryj,

Happy 35th.  Thanks to you and Pam for debunking this one.  I think a general rule to go by would be,  If it sounds like a dispicable thing to do, it's probably not going to be done.  I'm not really sure why anyone would believe that a group of people who rely on votes to keep their job would actually try encourage the death their constituents.

[Cellar]

5)  I going to get off the forum for a while and take my wife some coffee and wish her Happy Anniversary (#35).

Larryj

Happy Anniversary!  I hope you and your wife have a wonderful day/night 

[Mom70x7]

Have a Happy Day - It's a good thing. 

[Teresa]

soooooooooooooo.. You are for it?

[pamsback]

Don't know if you were askin me or not Teresa..but am I for advance directives and living wills? You bet your ass I am. The LAST thing I want is to be hooked up to some machine or fed thru a tube and lay in a bed for years rackin up boocoo medical bills just to kick eventually anyway AFTER everybody has spent their money and years wishin they had let me go because all I am is a husk and a burden. We start dyin the day we are born....I don't want to go out early and I don't want to stay too late......I have talked to my husband, my kids about this subject and we all feel the same way. Does it make lettin go easy? HELL no but all of us have made our wishes clear and we all have agreed to honor those wishes no matter HOW hard it is.

I am about QUALITY not quantity.

Living wills and advance directives have been around for at LEAST 25 years that I know of.

Did I see anything in this bill that makes me think the government is gonna start selectively knockin people off? No I didn't, and I actually read most of it so far.

[pamsback]

One more thing....Am I for government healthcare? No I'm not.
Do I think the healthcare system needs some changes ? Yes I do.
Do I think the government is the entity that should make those changes? No I don't
Do I think I personally will ever have health insurance? Not in the forseeable future....I go once a year for prescription renewal and pay cash. I go to a nurse practitioner, who as far as I can tell knows just as much as the doctor I saw once or twice for about 30 seconds and the nurse practitioner will actually answer the questions I ask and is cheaper. A family plan thru Joes employer is almost 500 dollars a month....We can't afford that and if I had the money the deductible costs I'd have the money just to go to the doctor.
So I can understand why some people are all for this deal. Specially if they run to the doctor for every little thing.

[Teresa]

One more thing....Am I for government healthcare? No I'm not.
Do I think the healthcare system needs some changes ? Yes I do.
Do I think the government is the entity that should make those changes? No I don't
Do I think I personally will ever have health insurance? Not in the forseeable future....I go once a year for prescription renewal and pay cash. I go to a nurse practitioner, who as far as I can tell knows just as much as the doctor I saw once or twice for about 30 seconds and the nurse practitioner will actually answer the questions I ask and is cheaper. A family plan thru Joes employer is almost 500 dollars a month....We can't afford that and if I had the money the deductible costs I'd have the money just to go to the doctor.
So I can understand why some people are all for this deal. Specially if they run to the doctor for every little thing.

uhhh.... thats really all I was asking.. but thanks for all the information.. 

[larryJ]

Like Pam, I am all for living wills and advance directives.  I have both and have discussed this with my wife and children and they have seen and read all instructions in both documents.  The hospital I currently use also has a copy of my advance directive in case I am not able to converse with them upon arrival.  The Doctors and nurses there are able to access my file and see all they need to know.  

Like Pam, I don't think government health care is necessary.  Our health care system privately run by the insurance companies and our health care providers, meaning Doctors and hospitals, are the ones who manipulate the system.  I think I have posted my thoughts on this on another thread.  The drug companies raise their prices and the insurance company pays, the Doctors raise their prices, and the insurance companies pay, and the insurance companies pass along this increase to us through our employment or Medicare. What the government needs to do if the big "O" wants to help, is regulate the insurance companies much like he has regulated the banks, (more socialism), causing the system to readjust itself.  If the insurance companies can't or won't pay, the Doctors lose money so maybe they lower the price a little, and if the insurance company can't or won't pay for the medicine, the drug companies will cut the over inflated price some because if they can't sell the drug they lose money.  AND, if the insurance companies don't or won't pay for services, they might lower the premiums. (fat chance of that happening).  AND, if the drug companies and health care providers attempt to pass along their increases or costs to the patient, they lose patients and money.  So the government should step aside and let us, the patients, regulate the system.  Let us say no, your premiums are too high, no, your office visits are too much, no, the price of your drug is too high.  I know of and have personally met two Doctors who priced themselves right of their practice because they felt they needed more money.

Larryj

[larryJ]

BTW, thanks for all the good wishes. 

You know what they say, "there is at least one fool in every marriage."

After 35 years, we are still trying to figure out which one of us is. 

Larryj

[Varmit]

Couple of things here...

1 - Pam didn't debunk anything, she just posted a part of the healthcare bill.  At first glance, it may look good to some, however, why would a person need to be counseled every five years on the same thing?  Please take note that this is not voluntary, it is mandatory.  You don't have a choice.  Under gov't healthcare do you honestly think that there won't be rationing of services? 

2 - I have heard it said many times when talking about healthcare that it is a "right", I have also heard people say "what am I going to do when I get old, I can't afford healthcare".  I disagree with both statements.  Healthcare is not a "right" in that it is not administered equally to all. Nor should it be.  You do what you can afford to do.  The cost of "end of life" treatment is nothing new, it does not take a degree in astrophysics to realize that extensive medical care is expensive.  Therefore, if you are not smart enough to plan and save for such costs, then frankly, you should not expect others to pay for you.

3 - If people are not happy with the cost of medical insurance, then don't buy it and pay for your complete medical treatment out of your own pocket.