[News] Obama signs historic healthcare reform into law

[Mish]

Guess what? He racked up something like $300,000 in medical bills and had ZERO health insurance. Maybe he couldn't afford it......or maybe it was all chewed up on the TWO bikes he owned. He's doing something that is statistically a death trap...riding a motorcycle and doing it without insurance. These are the situations that rub me the wrong way.

I wasn't badly hurt, banged up from head to toe, messed up both shoulders and fractured my ankle, but I had full coverage insurance on my bike and coverage on myself. My motorcycle and my body were covered and taken care of because I was responsible and took the precautions I needed too. Now I have to pay not only my premiums, but the bills this other guy racked up having no insurance.

I'm 23 and in college. I pay for school, rent, my bike, utilities, insurance, etc, and I do it all working an hourly job. I by no means know everything there is to know in the world, but I feel like if I can pull it off, why can't the guy my age with the $50,000 M3 do it?

I hear what you are saying rider. I think it was the guy's fault for riding a bike and not being covered. In this example I think you are right to be angry.

Though, the system you guys have operates in a very different way from us. If this would have happened here the guy would have been automatically covered, the care he would have recieved in a public hospital as opposed to premium private hospital may not have been supreme, but they would have patched him up just the same. Those $300,000 in Medical bills, were they all realistic amounts? Or were they artificially inflated prices? For example I read a case where it cost a man in US $10,000 to have a medical procedure that would only cost $500 here. The theory goes that once you have private insurance companies competing against public health care they can no longer artificially inflate their prices and have to charge realistic figures.

[vashti]

I am going to get screwed with this health insurance plan, in a BIG way, since I currently have free medical insurance for life, and I can now probably look forward to a huge tax hike, but I guess I don't mind so much if the insurance companies are forced to cover my daughter (she has a chronic medical condition).

Also, I confess: I didn't vote in the last election. To vote for anyone other than McCain or Obama was a waste of a vote, and I couldn't decide which was the less of two evils. And honestly, I still can't decide.
This was the first time in my life I have been unable to choose someone.

[DulceReina]

Yea but the way I see it is to always pick the least of two or more evils...nobody is going to be perfect....but I would rather vote and not get the person I want elected then not vote and not get the person I want elected...then I can say at least I tried.

I mean truly who you vote for or don't vote for can greatly impact not just your country but the world.

I don't mean to call you guys out and I certainly don't know you but I think generally people just use that as an excuse because they are to lazy to get involved....once again I don't know you guys and I'm not talking about you in particular...I just hear this a lot and its what I think people really mean.

So, totally agree with everything you've said.

People that don't follow politic nor vote deserved to be b**ch slapped!

[DulceReina]

Brainwashing is sick.. I hate politicians using people like puppets because of it.

This is unpopular, but I'm not a democrat, I think people should pass an exam before being allowed to vote.

THIS!

Dems would win every election

[dewilliams2]

In the end, it was addressed to us in some way, wasn't it? You were comparing us to people who say exactly the same things about voting but are not interested in politics. I assume you were talking about us.

No truly I wasn't...you misunderstood and took offense where I did not intend there to be offense....I was really trying to make sure I was not "calling you guys out"...meaning I'm not saying this is you...I was just using what you were saying as an example of what goes on here...your argument was relevant to a point I wished to make....I am truly not familiar with current events in Poland...I'm not in a place to pass judgment on you.

[dewilliams2]

Whole different group you are talking about Mish. I am talking about those people who chose to buy toys and live extravagantly rather than cover their own ass.



[url=http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10188]Coverage Matters: Insurance and Health Care[/url]

There is a fair amount of information packed into this article if you feel like reading it through. There are far more people who chose to not carry insurance in lieu of spending money on other things not crucial to their survival (i.e. Boats, Hummers, Vacations, etc, etc...). Read the Myths Debunked section if anything.

Those people should NOT be covered. If you are too stupid to take care of yourself when you have the ability to, then I really think the population is better off without you.

America has this fantastic history of protecting stupid people we call citizens. We just hand things out left and right in exchange for absolutely nothing.

Sure the banks made poor choices, but someone making $50,000 a year knows they can't afford a million dollar home, even if the banks approve them. When things go to hell in a hand basket, they all point to corporate America and blame it on them. Not recognizing that these people are as much and more responsible for their misfortune than their lender is naive and foolish.

Accountability....we need it.

I just realized that I have a perfect example of what I am talking about happen this summer.

I was out riding with friends up in the mountains and we were being stupid. One of the guys I rode with wrapped his bike around a tree. I hit the dirt he flung onto the road and went down as well. He got air lifted out and went into ICU on and off for two weeks.

Guess what? He racked up something like $300,000 in medical bills and had ZERO health insurance. Maybe he couldn't afford it......or maybe it was all chewed up on the TWO bikes he owned. He's doing something that is statistically a death trap...riding a motorcycle and doing it without insurance. These are the situations that rub me the wrong way.

I wasn't badly hurt, banged up from head to toe, messed up both shoulders and fractured my ankle, but I had full coverage insurance on my bike and coverage on myself. My motorcycle and my body were covered and taken care of because I was responsible and took the precautions I needed too. Now I have to pay not only my premiums, but the bills this other guy racked up having no insurance.

I'm 23 and in college. I pay for school, rent, my bike, utilities, insurance, etc, and I do it all working an hourly job. I by no means know everything there is to know in the world, but I feel like if I can pull it off, why can't the guy my age with the $50,000 M3 do it?

I'll rebut this tomorrow...I've had a few drinks and I think I'm getting a head cold....I'm not really drunk but that is way to much reading at this time of morning when you have been drinking and are getting sick...however I did scan it and I do have an argument to be made at a later date...accept this as an official rain check from me.

[LailaK]

Either way, people like me who pay taxes and stay healthy end up with the tab for the idiots without coverage.

My parents run a non-profit organization aimed at helping others. They pay over $500 a month for my little sister's healthcare, and maintain a mortgage. After paying their taxes, just like you, they don't have enough to afford health care for themselves. They are also not "poor" enough for Medicare.

How are they idiots? Because they make a living helping people instead of working for corporate America?

I wish people would think a little before they talk about things they don't understand.

[IndiReloaded]

Those stupid ppl, Cbrider, are a small fraction of the population. We pay for folk who don't wear seatbelts, drunk drive, etc. But the good news is, most of those high-risk folk end up killing themselves, so it averages out. High-risk lifestyle generally ends in early death.

What you need to be concerned with are the freaky moms who will bring their kids into the doc for every sniffle and hypochondriacs. Those types of things, while small, add up b/c of volume. Co-payments are a good idea. Also, all those baby-boomers who will eat up the medical services as they age. I'm not really sure how to allot that kind of thing fairly tho. Its a problem everywhere.

[Petit Papillon]

No truly I wasn't...you misunderstood and took offense where I did not intend there to be offense....I was really trying to make sure I was not "calling you guys out"...meaning I'm not saying this is you...I was just using what you were saying as an example of what goes on here...your argument was relevant to a point I wished to make....I am truly not familiar with current events in Poland...I'm not in a place to pass judgment on you.

Fair enough

[Junket]

I don't even know where to start with this.

Think I will start with my coffee.

[LailaK]

initiate sarcasmI can't wait to hear whatever offensive thing you have to post about Latinos and Blacks, Frasbee end sarcasm

I'm really hoping you'll surprise me though, and come up with a good argument that doesn't involve race.

[Gigabitch]

Also, all those baby-boomers who will eat up the medical services as they age. .

Two words: Soylent Green

[IndiReloaded]

Two words: Soylent Green

Ewwwww....

[Junket]

initiate sarcasmI can't wait to hear whatever offensive thing you have to post about Latinos and Blacks, Frasbee end sarcasm

I'm really hoping you'll surprise me though, and come up with a good argument that doesn't involve race.

I don't know what you're all up in arms about. Anything I've ever mentioned in regards to ethnicity were just, considering I was referring to specific, and rather large groups of people. I believe I only mentioned "mexicans" once, and "blacks" once, otherwise I was referring to illegal immigrants in general. If you found anything I said to be offensive, then you were looking to be offended.

In any case, the title of this thread is incorrect, the bill was passed in Congress and was moved to the Senate, and now due to two technicalities, it's back in Congress again.

[LailaK]

Calling blacks lazy and following that with the words you used was offensive. You could have chosen a better choice of words. There are plenty of lazy a**holes all over the world and they come in all kinds and colors.

I'm not up in arms. I'm not calling you names, I'm not even running around calling you a racist. I'm just telling you your statement was stupid, because it was.

Because of your previous statement, I was expecting to see you write something ignorant, but you didn't. I stand corrected and pleasantly surprised.