Social security and health insurance.
 

So just recently on the news I saw something about insurance in America.
I always knew that some people in America are simply too poor to pay for it and because of it simply live without any insurance. The Dutch reporter was at some place in Virginia where alot of tents were sent up and volunteer doctors, etc gave away free health care.
Thousands of people were litteraly in line coming from all different places waiting even early in the morning to receive health care.
The demand for help in America was apparently so high, that even some international projects were stopped.(if I didn't misunderstand)
Also the problem with health care seemed to affect alot of Americans, because I think I heard about 40 million+ people have this problem.

1 guy even had such an awfull dental problem(couldn't pay for a dentist), that his teeth had to be pulled out and received a denture free of charge.
And it was said that a denture normally costs 2500 dollars.

As the Dutch reporter mentioned, it was rather suprising to see a rich country(although imho at the moment actually really poor with all the expenses,etc) such as America with this kind of problem. A problem as he said, you'd normally see in Third World countries.

So I was wondering what do you guys, think about this?
And also I hope you guys are adequately insured.
I did hear good news though that Obama is working on some new kind of system, but like with everything such plans usually take a long time before they even are in effect.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Not sure where they went in Virginia, but I'm guessing Appalachia, where America's so-called "hillbillies" live.

Here is the thing you need to know about the US system. No one is denied emergency medical care. Most people only need catastrophic health insurance, to cover them from financial devistation. (Cancer, MS, etc.)

$2,500 is not financially devistating. It is just damn inconvienent. But it is not like his teeth just fell apart over night. He most likely failed to brush after every meal and/or floss, did not go for dental cleanings which are cheaper, and could be worked into a budget.

I would not put much stock in the Obama health care plan. The government can't even run a car rebate policy without screwing it up.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

$2,500 is a lot of money if you're spending on bills and food when you only have a minimum wage job and people to take care of.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Thank you for putting it more politely than I would have.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Things like that make me glad that I live in a civiliced european country with a strong, tight social network...

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

The number of uninsured keeps rising... the people who balk at a 'socialized' medical system hardly realize how much uninsured people cost the economy.

To be sure, the whole healthcare system in this country needs to be thoroughly reevaluated and reorganized. We're in the bottom third when it comes to healthcare efficiency.

It's fucking pathetic that the richest nation on Earth can't afford to at the VERY VERY least let everyone go for free once a year for a checkup.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Who the hell does that?

Anyway, thankee much, NHS. You may be crap, but at least I can use you.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Nihtgenga I see the errors of my ways now, what was I thinking, assuming someone would try to take care of their teeth by following the instructions on a tube of tooth paste. Even if they droped 1 brushing a day.


As of 24 July 2009, the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour up from $6.55 per hour (July 2008) up from $5.15 an hour in 2005.

If you have minimum wage skills then you work two minimum wage jobs to make ends meet.
(and if you have a minimum wage job what the hell are you doing having "people to take care of".)


at the time Wal-Mart's average starting wage is already nearly double the national minimum of $5.15 an hour. So let's call it $10.00 average starting wage.


maybe Eviscerator can tell us what the starting minion rate is and weither they provide heatlh insurance.

Fun fact: Wal-Mart employs about 1.3 million people, about 1% of the American work force.

Want a McJob the starting rate is above minimum wage.

McDonald's advertises that its CEO, Jim Skinner, began working at the company as a regular restaurant employee, and that 20 of its top 50 managers began work as regular crew members over 1,000 of the men and women who now own McDonald's franchises began behind the counter.

people on the bottom of the rung are generally there because they choose to be.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Just brushed my teeth a moment ago, as I'm about to go to bed. The only instructions on my toothpaste (Colgate, a major brand) were to give children a pea sized amount for supervised brushing. Didn't say anything about brushing after every meal.

Brushing before bed makes sense to me, as does brushing in the morning (Which I admit I don't do as I'm lazy.) After every meal though? What's the point? And seeing as most people have jobs, unless they bring their brush to work, how are they going to brush after lunch?

Another thing- I read something a while back (Can't remember where, but I think it may have been New Scientist) that said brushing your teeth after a meal might actually do more harm than good, as the acids (I think it was acids anyway) in the food weaken the enamel up to an hour after eating. Brushing then damages it.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Health insurance as it stands is doomed to fail because it's set up to jack prices up with no end in sight. Sooner or later, it WILL become too high for anyone to afford and collapse. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but it can't last.

The best way to understand it is to apply the logic used to something else. What if we ran our food that way? What if you had groccery insurance rather than simply paying for it directly yourself? Sound convenient? Think again

If that was the case, you wouldn't care what your grocceries cost because you're not directly paying for it. Why buy cod when you can buy halibut? Why shop around? Why use coupons? Why look for sales? Heck, go nuts! Take whatever you want. Your insurance company is paying for it.

Are you starting to see how this could very rapidly get expensive? That's why healthcare has gotten so expensive. It's not because the medicine companies are meanies. It's because the system is set up to drive up the prices and there's no competition to drive them back down. People think it's terrible to charge people money for medical treatment but that's a fact of life. Doctors and pharmacists DO need to eat and pay for their education. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Free isn't free. Get that idea out of your heads now.

Now, people like to hype us Canadians up as having the solution but I will tell you right now, Micheal Moore is full of it. First of all, our healthcare is NOT free. We pay for it in taxes. In essence, it's not that different from yours. People who don't get sick pay for people who do, same thing. Just like the US's system too, it's monopoly run so the cost goes up and the quality goes down because there's no competition to keep it motivated. Worse yet, government run healthcare means rationing. I'm sure you've all heard the horror stories of people having to wait 6 months to see a specialist. Many go to the US for treatment because under our system, they're going to die before they can get help. I wanted to see my doctor when I had the flu last year. It took two weeks to get to see him and by then, it was cleared up anyway, defeating the whole point.

So in Canada, cost still goes up, quality still goes down and there's less and less to go around. No folks, ours is NOT the solution either.

I get slammed for suggesting we snip out the beaucratic dead weight in healthcare and let it run itself but to those who object to that view, ask yourself this. Why don't we run the food industry the same way? It's an essential service too isn't it? What about clothing? What about housing? Heck, if it works so well, why not do it to everything?

Who do you want deciding who lives and who dies? Insurance companies? The government? Or should it be you and me? Think about it


A video on social security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATsbbIJD3ew
In short, Social security is a Ponzi Scheme, nothing more. Worse yet, they've made promises they won't be able to make good on in the near future and our generation is the one that's going to be short changed.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Obviously it isn't free, Hawkeye.

And are you serious? There's tons of waiting times here in the US, too, even for those with insurance.

Basic preventative care would save billions of dollars.

Re: Social security and health insurance.
 

Yes, that's 1 of the reasons why I wanted to know how you guys feel about it.
Because even a little accident could be financially crippeling for people with families, especially big ones.

I know what you mean(living in Netherlands myself), but then I always feel you can't really compare a small country such as that of mine with America. ;p
However I'm glad that by law it's arranged in such a way that a portion of each person's income gets deducted towards social security. So that those that don't have jobs or are unable to work, etc, can still afford their basic needs.( rent, food, etc)
In a way, we all work and care for each other, I suppose. Too bad that there are also slackers and deadbeats taking advantage of it.

Although in the coming decades we're probably going to be screwed in the Netherlands, since alot of people are becoming old, leaving us young people having to care for them.

That's why I was also rather suprised when I saw that news report.
However I think every country has their fair share of waiting lines in the healthcare.
I know that it's 1 of the things people usually bitch about besides the declining education of the kids of today.

About the brushing thing. It's important to use an electric one, which makes the cleaning of your teeth much easier. But regardless you're still supposed to brush your teeth a couple of mins and I think brushing during 2 times is most efficient.
After breakfast, before heading of to work,school,etc.
Before you go to bed and maybe also use mouthwash.

Thankfully, I myself typically only have to go to the dentist to get rid of the tartar,(I think that's the word). But the last time when my dentist cleaned away all the tartar, my gums were bleeding a bit. So he mentioned to take care of my gums as well, when brushing my teeth.