From: mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
Newsgroups: tx.politics
Subject: Re: YOU OWE ME FREE HEALTHCARE!
Date: 18 Nov 92 14:21:53 GMT
Distribution: tx
Organization: Texas Instruments Inc

In <1992Nov16.125039.16927@montagar.com> davidc@montagar.com (David L. Cathey) writes:

>In article <1992Nov15.223808.28181@mksol.dseg.ti.com>, mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
>> In <1992Nov13.142251.16920@montagar.com> davidc@montagar.com (David L. Cathey) writes:
>>>	But the quote I heard was "Health care is a right, not a privilege".
>>>So just what does he mean?
>> 
>> It means that we shouldn't just let people die on the streets because
>> they can't afford health care.  Is this a problem?

>	People dying on the streets because they can't afford health care?
>Is this a problem?

It sure would be if taxpayers weren't picking up the tab for emergency
medical care (public hospitals HAVE to take emergencies, and if the
patient can't pay you can guess who does -- you can be sure that the
hospital isn't going to eat all of that cost, so they are going to pad
out everyone else's bills or charge the State directly (depending on
where you are)).

>	How about giving people all the health care they want (it *is* a
>right), even though they can't afford it.  Are you willing to pick up that
>bill?  

Gee, I don't remember anyone advocating THAT, either.  Skip the
ringing phrases and look at the proposed plan, Dave.

>Remember how much of our taxes pays for Medicare and such, and Clinton
>is going to add to that.  Clinton is going to "streamline" government? Isn't
>that kindof an oxymoron?

Yes, and Medicare and such costs us a lot more than it needs to and is
growing a lot faster than it needs to because of the way the health
care INDUSTRY works in this country.  We spend more per person and get
less per dollar than any other developed country -- even spending some
4% more of our GNP on health care, we still have 40 million people who
have no heath insurace.  We die younger, have higher child mortality,
etc.  Doesn't this sound like a system that needs a bit of fixing to
you? 

>	
>>>	Much of even what Clinton has said is directed toward socialized
>>>medicine.  That means that one way or another, we pay the bill.
>> 
>> Pardon me, but I don't believe the plan Clinton is proposing falls
>> under the term 'socialized medicine' (unless they redefined
>> 'socialized' when I wasn't paying attention ;-)).

>	Read it again, I didn't saw it was socialized medicine, but it is
>HEADING that way.

>	How about some of the plans by Bush, like tax refunds for health
>insurance?  As I'm self-employed, I sure would appreciate that.  How about
>getting rid of this "deep-pockets" trend in American Ligitation?  Does this
>benefit the economy?  Or is it a different kind of lottery system?

I'm all in favor of fixing the litigation problem.  We spend some $34
billion on DEFENSIVE MEDICINE -- procedures that are unnecessary, but
only performed because of fear of litigation.  We also need to do
something else, though, in my opinion, to convince people and the
courts to back off on these punitive settlements.  We need to take the
examination of doctors' errors out of the hands of the medical lobby.
How much malpractice is covered up by other doctors every year?  I
can't put a number to it, but I think that just about everyone but the
AMA is willing to concede that it happens A LOT.

>	I've been reading much of what you have said about Clinton, and I'm
>rather suprised at you.  When it comes to polititians, I tend to be a cynic,
>whereas you seem to more than willing to take Clinton at his word.  He has
>been vague at politically correct times, and at times even sounded
>contradictory during the debates.  He is a politician, he should be closely
>watched.

Yes, he should be, but accusing him of being terrible because of
things you THINK he MIGHT do seems to me to be stretching just a bit.

-- 
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
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Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.