Statistician Nate Silver from 538 analyzes several polls on the public option for healthcare reform

[brandonbull]

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: brandonbull

Originally posted by: Phokus

Do you believe we should get rid of the VA and just throw out all the old/poor/sick vets who use the system onto the street then?

Edit: also, the VHA provides better care than private healthcare. Even though veterans tend to be older and sicker. The cancer thing you pointed out was 1 type of cancer from 1 doctor (that was contracted from UPENN).

http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...2005/0501.longman.html

Why would you say that? I never once said sick people shouldn't have health care. A veteran getting medical care and some illegal getting medical are worlds apart. Service mean and women do their jobs at a very reduced cost as opposed to civilians doing the same job. I don't hear you complaining about the cheap labor you get provided to the military.

People put into the position of being in harms way did so with getting medical care as a payment for their service. If the VA were a little closer to me, I might consider using them. I did my time and got an honourable discharge so why shouldn't I use something that I earned the right to use?

I guess I should thank you as well for subsidizing a good portion of my college tuition via the GI Bill.

You said this: "I'm all for the public option but as long as I don't have to subsidize others."

Which was vague, you didn't specifically say 'illegal aliens'.

Sounded like you wanted an opt-out clause or something

Why shouldn't I have a say in what manner what little money I do earn is used?

I wouldn't mind some financial assistance to help medical providers upgrade technology thus making them more efficient. Maybe having financial rewards tied to the quality of care would be a good start. That would help provide some financial sense to invest in tech.

I just having a problem with the government becoming involved with one more aspect of our lives.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: brandonbull

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: brandonbull

Originally posted by: Phokus

Do you believe we should get rid of the VA and just throw out all the old/poor/sick vets who use the system onto the street then?

Edit: also, the VHA provides better care than private healthcare. Even though veterans tend to be older and sicker. The cancer thing you pointed out was 1 type of cancer from 1 doctor (that was contracted from UPENN).

http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...2005/0501.longman.html

Why would you say that? I never once said sick people shouldn't have health care. A veteran getting medical care and some illegal getting medical are worlds apart. Service mean and women do their jobs at a very reduced cost as opposed to civilians doing the same job. I don't hear you complaining about the cheap labor you get provided to the military.

People put into the position of being in harms way did so with getting medical care as a payment for their service. If the VA were a little closer to me, I might consider using them. I did my time and got an honourable discharge so why shouldn't I use something that I earned the right to use?

I guess I should thank you as well for subsidizing a good portion of my college tuition via the GI Bill.

You said this: "I'm all for the public option but as long as I don't have to subsidize others."

Which was vague, you didn't specifically say 'illegal aliens'.

Sounded like you wanted an opt-out clause or something

Why shouldn't I have a say in what manner what little money I do earn is used?

I wouldn't mind some financial assistance to help medical providers upgrade technology thus making them more efficient. Maybe having financial rewards tied to the quality of care would be a good start. That would help provide some financial sense to invest in tech.

I just having a problem with the government becoming involved with one more aspect of our lives.

Eh? Government is involved in everything you do whether you know it or like it. Everything from your [relatively] clean water to what you had for lunch, government has had its hand in its procurement and regulation. This is of course unless you're one of those off-the-grid crazies living in the middle of some desert, but I'm assuming that's not the case since you're here.

 

[brandonbull]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: brandonbull

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: brandonbull

Originally posted by: Phokus

Do you believe we should get rid of the VA and just throw out all the old/poor/sick vets who use the system onto the street then?

Edit: also, the VHA provides better care than private healthcare. Even though veterans tend to be older and sicker. The cancer thing you pointed out was 1 type of cancer from 1 doctor (that was contracted from UPENN).

http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...2005/0501.longman.html

Why would you say that? I never once said sick people shouldn't have health care. A veteran getting medical care and some illegal getting medical are worlds apart. Service mean and women do their jobs at a very reduced cost as opposed to civilians doing the same job. I don't hear you complaining about the cheap labor you get provided to the military.

People put into the position of being in harms way did so with getting medical care as a payment for their service. If the VA were a little closer to me, I might consider using them. I did my time and got an honourable discharge so why shouldn't I use something that I earned the right to use?

I guess I should thank you as well for subsidizing a good portion of my college tuition via the GI Bill.

You said this: "I'm all for the public option but as long as I don't have to subsidize others."

Which was vague, you didn't specifically say 'illegal aliens'.

Sounded like you wanted an opt-out clause or something

Why shouldn't I have a say in what manner what little money I do earn is used?

I wouldn't mind some financial assistance to help medical providers upgrade technology thus making them more efficient. Maybe having financial rewards tied to the quality of care would be a good start. That would help provide some financial sense to invest in tech.

I just having a problem with the government becoming involved with one more aspect of our lives.

Eh? Government is involved in everything you do whether you know it or like it. Everything from your [relatively] clean water to what you had for lunch, government has had its hand in its procurement and regulation. This is of course unless you're one of those off-the-grid crazies living in the middle of some desert, but I'm assuming that's not the case since you're here.

So that makes it ok how?

So I'm "a crazy" if I have issues with the Fed wanting to control too much in our lives? The US of A is still a republic until we let people in DC change that.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: Paddington
Polls are irrelevant. The Democrats are trying hoist a massive new government plan on the public with no way to pay for it, with a government already heavily in debt.

As far as I know, tight now our nation spends the highest percentage of its GDP on health care of any nation in the world, including nations that have socialized medicine. Surely we can take some of those expenditures and use that, instead, to pay for national health care. So, perhaps instead of paying money in premiums people would pay that very same money (or less of it) in taxes.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: Paddington
Polls are irrelevant. The Democrats are trying hoist a massive new government plan on the public with no way to pay for it, with a government already heavily in debt.

As far as I know, tight now our nation spends the highest percentage of its GDP on health care of any nation in the world, including nations that have socialized medicine. Surely we can take some of those expenditures and use that, instead, to pay for national health care. So, perhaps instead of paying money in premiums people would pay that very same money (or less of it) in taxes.

Yes, that may work. But here's the problem. Will we be able to implement it in one pass? No way. What does that mean? Huge spending, so not only will people pay for health care insurance, but they will also have to pay taxes on the governments healthcare plan as well. Oh boy, doesn't that sound like fun?

Right now, thinking about setting up expensive government programs while we are already floundering is retarded. We need to be considering cutting programs rather then making new ones.

Its like your home budget. You don't fix your credit card debt by going out and buying a new car because "It will last longer, and you'll save on repairs!" You fix it by cutting back on driving, cutting back on pizzas and luxury items, and focusing on paying back the debt. That would be econ 101.

 

[Mxylplyx]

I am all for a public health plan, and I sincerely hope that the fears of the right are correct, and that the public health plan is a trojan horse for a single payer system that supports a private health provider model. The whole insurance industry is a needless drain of health care dollars, sucking precious dollars out of the system and giving nothing back in the form of better care. Lets move to a single payer system so hospitals and doctors offices can toss their needlessly large billing departments, and get back to patient care.