The Insured vs. The Uninsured.........

United States
August 16, 2009 9:55pm CST
After watching the news coverage this weekend of some of the demonstrations against health care for all...I was saddened at the tone by the Insured.....this country has been divided by US vs. THEM....THE INSURED vs. THE UNINSURED.... There are American Citizens out there that have worked in this country their entire lives, paid taxes and contributed considerably to their communities....that can not afford heathcare! I watched one gentleman raddle off the approximate breakdows by percentage of people that would be affected...out of the 47% of the Uninsured he said 12.5% were illegals...20% or so were young people that really did not need healthcare.....leaving a small percentage of Americans that should for a lack of a better way to describe his ATTITUDE, just make the decision to DIE! DISGUSTING were his comments.....disgusting were the people that stood up and clapped and the US Senator that basically backed his opinions. I watched a gentleman say he was simply "afraid he was going to loose something" he did not know what.....but SOMETHING was his reason for being out there. My question is, how low is everyone willing to go with this? How uneducated are the politicians and people who are against the current healthcare initiative, that think they are not already paying for illegals healthcare???? Why has no one debated about it in the past 8 years??? Have you not seen the increase in healthcare costs over the past 9 years? Or is it only an issue now because THE UNINSURED citizens of this country now have a voice and a chance of receiving the healthcare they need.....How did our country turn a blind eye to IT'S Uninsured CITIZENS. How can people tell someone to choose death, rather than fight through illness. How did this Country get to be so cold hearted?
6 people like this
12 responses
@caver1 (1762)
• United States
17 Aug 09
Health care is something we pay for. Just like a house, food, clothing. It is my responsibility to provide these things for my family. I choose to have health insurance to help with the cost of health care. The government already has a plan to help the poor with their medical cost, its called medicare/medicaid. The government needs to keep its nose out of private industry (health insurance and medical care).
2 people like this
@caver1 (1762)
• United States
17 Aug 09
My point exactly. The constitution doesn't cover health insurance or health care. It is not the government's responsibility. I'm responsible for mine and you for yours. I give money to my church for charitable works. I know that we have helped people with their medical expenses. People should take care of people who are in need, not the government.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Aug 09
but the churches dont help; all who are uninsured who worked' like dogs and still cannot afford your fat cat insurances.of course you who have money for insurance will not give a tinkers'damn about other people,just sneer and say oh I gave to my church'that will do. wrong. churches cannot begin to have the money needed to help all the uninsured in this country.nobody really wants to help any one who is not in the same tax bracket asthemselves.let them die or use our tiny little charity gifts,no matter if they arent enough to pay for one doctors visit. medicare does not cover all the uninsured,and has an age limit. thats why the government has to'help; give us a break.
@Koriana (302)
• United States
17 Aug 09
So, you are providing these things for some... those that the gov't defines as "poor", through their assortment or programs, income elgibility charts and the like, according to what the gov't deems as the most "worthy" to help...mainly children, elderly, the physically disabled (as long as they can access the healthcare system long enough to make it official) and single moms it seems. Some cannot afford the insurance, others can afford the insurance, but still not afford the healthcare.....and guess what. They are helping the "poor" gain something that they themselves cannot find access to. So, my question is basically this. Just where in the constitution does it give the government the power to decide just who deserves the healthcare and who doesn't among all the needy that need the help?
2 people like this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
17 Aug 09
I'm not even sure where to begin here. You make a number of suppositions in your post that cannot be reconciled with the reality of things. You make this to be an issue between the "insured and the unisnured". You also prepetuate the very same "us vs them" mentality you rally against. You also assume that the majority of those who are oposed to the current plans for reform are oposed to reform altogether. And to top it all off, instead of debating an issue on facts cited, numbers etc, simply summarily dismiss them. The numbers the guy cited are accurate and if you need me to, I can even show you an invesitgative piece in the new york times that supports those numbers, since they are the same numbers he was using. So, do you have your own data to counter them? can you demonstrate that he was wrong? Can you argue this issue on it's own merrit?
2 people like this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
17 Aug 09
I don't think I understand your argument. I don't have health care because I have a "pre existing condition," and can't afford premiums that are more than half my take home pay. I don't want the government's health care plan. If they run it as well as they have Medicare and Medicaid and the US Postal service, do you really think people like me are going to be better off? Better study the actual bill.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 09
I am pretty sure it is intended for the people who are denied medical insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
17 Aug 09
You're "pretty sure"? I don't know, but I want to be certain of everything before agreeing to it. My life depends on it.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 09
Exactly! Thank you ladybugmagic. I have studied the bill and if you need heathcare, how can you not be in support of this? The fear that is being pumped in by the insurance companies has taken over this debate. I have insurance and the care I receive is substandard and I know it, but I only have the option now of switching doctors. Same situation, different Dr's office, more copayments and insurance bills! Dr's have no obligation to be efficient. They have no accountability to the patient only the INS co and the hospital. There is something fundamentally wrong with the system we have now. Did you know that Dr's are supposed to see 10 patients per hour? thats 6 min per patient...and off to the pharmacy or to another dr's office you go! That is what everyone should be afraid of!
1 person likes this
@Celanith (2327)
• United States
17 Aug 09
We let the Tories come back after we won the revolutionary war and they have been making inroads ever since and now they are in complete and total control. They want the old feudal system of lords, ladies, moneyed and wealthy to lord it over the serfs and peasants and anyone they consider unworthy. But they shall not prevail. First a lot of the uninsured have learned to get by, cope, survive and make do. Also God takes care of his people. He is in control. The evil will not win in the end. I am uninsured cannot afford it and my health, life and well being are in the hands of God every day. One day at a time.
• United States
17 Aug 09
im uninsured. ive been looking for work for over 7 months now, cant even find temp work!! the only money i earn is online and its only enough to pay a bill or 2 each month..not anything else, not even food. im not eligible for Medicaid..cause im 35, not ill or disabled in some way, im not pregnant or have a child, nor am i on welfare. im basically SOL if i get sick. would i actually have insurance through this new plan? or would i still have to make the above qualifications?? Someone (i think Obama but i cant remember) said that the new plan would make the cost of insurance much lower so ppl with low incomes could afford it..well hell i cant even buy groceries on my own, how the hell could i afford ANY price right now?? ive also been told (by the local rumor mill source unfortunatly lol) that the news (for what thats worth) was saying that ppl who did get insurance would either go to jail or be FINED!! how is that better?! that would make me getting sick even worse if thats possible! i seriously doubt the going to jail part, but i could easily envision a fine of some sort when i finally gave in and went the the hospital! i dont know what is better, leaving as is, or trying to "fix". nobody says the same things and everybody claims the other is lying..sounds a lot like a presidential campaign doesnt it?
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 09
rather..ppl who did NOT have insurance would go to jail or be fined..oops.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
17 Aug 09
I heard about a sliding scale so, if your financial situation is such that you can't afford to pay, perhaps there will be a no cost plan for people who are struggling like you are. I can't see fining poor people...the news would have a field day with that one!
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
17 Aug 09
I didn't hear the remarks. I am uninsured. I have worked hard my whole life and at 53, I can't afford insurance. I don't know how I feel about all this. I don't feel that I deserve free health care. I used to have insurance. I was paying 37.00 per week for it which is really not bad but I had to drop it. I'm a single mom and at the time 3 of my kids were at home. I really didn't have a choice in the matter. Now only one of my girls is still at home and I would have thought finances would have improved....not the case. The economy as it is....times are as tight as they were when I was raising 3 of them. Maybe worse. I am of the belief that no one owes me anything in this world. Then again...I've paid into the medicaid system my whole life and I don't qualify to receive it because I work.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 09
sid556, thats what a lot of people do not understand. It is not a handout. You have been paying into the system your whole life. God Bless you and your family. I hope you all never need healthcare...wouldn't that be wonderful if your entire family were healthy through old age! Unfortunately, people need healthcare and people need education on how to stay healthy, how to stay out of the hospital. My mom does not have insurance and she has worked, paid taxes and lived right here in the US her whole life. She has some medical problems which I know she tries to treat at home. A year ago she was seen by a clinic Dr. He wrote her a very extended perscription....(she is still refilling the meds) however he has not seen her in months. How do we know her condition has not changed? We don't because we can not afford the bills that come along with those visits. That literally rips me up inside to know she could be taking something that she does not need. I tried putting her on my ins at work and ofcourse they said no, even though I was willing to pay for it. The sick part about it was, they told me if my mom were my lesbian partner or my DOG I could put her on my Insurance plan. I was so upset I had to leave for the day!
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
17 Aug 09
I am so sorry about your mom's health. I really don't understand why a person can't add on whoever they want to their insurance as they are paying for it. That just seems wrong.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
17 Aug 09
Nothing about this bill ensures healthcare for all.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
17 Aug 09
I would be interested to know which particular gentlemen said that a percentage of uninsured people ought to just die. I do know that anywhere from 11% to 13% of uninsured people are illegal aliens and another 20 million or so could buy insurance but don't because they simply would rather not spend the money that way. But even if there were 50 million uninsured, why not simply devise a plan to cover them rather than take control of ALL the health insurance companies? Could it be that the proponents of this health insurance reform don't really care about the uninsured? Seems that they really don't since they have just announced that they are dropping the public option from this reform bill. That means no option for the uninsured. So don't blame the American people who didn't want government controlling their health care. They would like to see everyone insured. They just didn't want this bill with its takeover of their options. It is not the American people who did not want a public option for the uninsured, it is the president and congress that will sell out those uninsured people to get what they really want - control.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
17 Aug 09
There isn't much point to learning about the Canadian system. Obama said the Canadian system wouldn't work in the US and this bill will be nothing like it. Although I appreciate the interest of others around the globe in our welfare, it really doesn't affect them.
2 people like this
• United States
17 Aug 09
I really don't think it is about control. I think the government wants a healthier country. From my understanding, they are still willing to let insurance companies operate the same way they do, and you will still have your option of which doctors to go to. I think there is a lot of speculation and fear. There was a post by a canadian who commented that we are being lied to. http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/2098117.aspx?p=1#1_11976390 Scroll up to the top and through all the messages. He addresses a lot of misconceptions.
2 people like this
@izathewzia (5134)
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
Here in our country, insurance industry in way, way down the drain because of our government's trying to get involve with it. Insurance here are being offered by private companies. But the government overly regulates and controls it that causes the closure of many of these companies. Sad to say that the insured persons suffers from it. They secure their future only to lost it together with their hard earned money.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Aug 09
hi bailey I do so agree with you and I bet we will get a lot of static from other mylotters.Let them,\ make this bill let them give peope like my son insurance and quit already with all the false assumptions. our health care is tooexpensive and it does need to be reformed. the uninsured need to be given a chance to get the healthcare they deserve, all the restof the 'fat cats can afford private insurance, so the uninsured deserve it just as much.Of course the big fat cat insuranc companies are going to give us a bunch of hooey but they will back down.
• United States
17 Aug 09
I know, its sad and shameful. That is why I call this discussion the Insured vs. The Insured. Another name could have been The Haves vs. The Have Not's. 90% of those in opposition to the healthcare plan are comfortable. They have jobs, insurance coverage, etc... How soon do they forget how many comfortable people lost their jobs and coverage less than a year ago. Some of those people are their own family members. It's disgusting. We may be in the minority here on myLot, but Hatley we are not the minority amongst the American Public. Thank you for your post!
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
17 Aug 09
As you can see Bailey, there are a lot of misconceptions about the healthcare legislation. The current bill includes both good and bad points, and the final version will be different from this one...and will change again in committee. People use Medicare/Medicaid and the Post Office as examples of how the government is incapable of running any kind of health initiative yet the nationwide network of V.A. medical centers...the majority of which provide excellent care to our vets...are overlooked. People talk about illegal immigrants and those who don't want healthcare yet overlook those who desperately need it yet are either denied or can't afford the high monthly premiums. People say that the elderly will be encouraged to "up and die"...as if that's possible...yet overlook those who die needlessly EVERY day from treatable diseases because they are unable to get care. People say that the government will take over existing insurance companies yet overlook the fact that they are private companies and that what the government wants to do is to establish standards for all to follow when it comes to affordability, access to care and consumer protections. People say that doctors and nurses will be poorly paid and will quit yet overlook the fact that doctors and hospitals have been accepting what the insurance companies say their services are worth (asssignments) for decades without any problems. Those who are insured don't want change because they fear losing what they have. Those who aren't insured want change because they fear living without it. Each side plays on the fears of the other...getting us nowhere.
• United States
17 Aug 09
If you think that man's comments were disgusting, have you even read what the healthcare bill would do? It'd form a group of people who would play God to those needing care. Too old and you have cancer? Sorry. Time to die! Heart attack victim who weighs 350 lbs? Sorry! You're gonna die! Meemaw slips and falls and breaks a hip? Sorry! You're gonna die! Your 3 year old gets a very rare and incurable form of cancer? Sorry! You're gonna die! Don't like it? If 0bama gets his way, that'll be how it'll be. Only those who are "deserving" enough to get treatment will. On top of more men in suits coming to your home and telling you how to raise your family and correcting you on YOUR lifestyle. It's gonna be Animal Farm acted out in real life.
• United States
18 Aug 09
What makes you think Obama wants to go down in history having caused several American's deaths? People in his position are forced to make themselves look good, and, denying people the right to medical coverage would make him look really bad. I am having trouble reading the full bill, but saw in the summary, the only things that raise eyebrows are age, area, and family. What does the full bill say about that? I think family because of the income limit tied to it, but I was unable to get further info on age and area. It does not mention diseases, so you being a little glib. If you are so worried about the government coming to your home and telling you how to raise your family, where were all the conservatives when my fellow californians were having their right to marry whom they choose voted away, because their marriage was placed in a ballot initiative?