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47 Million without health care, 31 percent of 1.9 trillion healthcare costs is admin fees. What do you think?

Does it bother you that American business thinks that healthcare is only important if it involves the word profit. OR should it all be non-profit. These are some of the facts... * 60 percent of small business owners say that the rising costs of health care amount to a "crisis." * 23 percent of Americans have problems paying medical bills, and millions go bankrupt every year because of medical costs. * 29 percent of Americans say they skipped treatment, tests, or prescriptions because of costs. * 46 million Americans are uninsured. Middle class families are the fastest growing segment. * The average cost of health insurance for an American family now exceeds the yearly income of a minimum wage worker. * Many Americans may be tied to jobs they dislike or stopped from opening their own businesses because of the excessive cost of health care coverage or preexisting medical conditions that deter them from changing insurance providers. (source AARP)

Public Comments

1. I THINK ITS TIME FOR CHANGE, Obama 08!!!!!!
2. There are plenty of interests in the US that want to keep the system just the way it is. My job is to help people get medical assistance. I'd love to see it abolished.
3. You're absolutely right that medical costs are excessively high. No one would dare argue that. However, if you take the profit out of medicine, you will also lose the best minds and reduce the quality of care because many people will leave the field. There's no easy answer to the problem.
4. having lived in a "non-profit" universal health care model in Canada for 45 years I can tell you we will hang any politican who advocates a private for profit system. Non-profit isnt perfect, everyones covered so sometimes theres a waiting period but it beats the heck out of "limited insurance" or "pre-exitsing coniditon" nonsense that those in the US have to put up with. Basically, no one should profit from another's misery. We all share the pain and the costs!
5. Get the Government out, get the lawyers out and run it like any other business.
6. Why do people think a government run health care system would cost less? It'd cost more. It's just another middle man sucking more money out of the current system. If socialized medicine is so good, why do the people in countries that have socialist medicine want it privatized? Perhaps the grass is always greener, but I look on the socialized side of the fence and see a field of dead grass.
7. ...and your solution is MORE government. 50 years ago you could actually pay doctors from your wallet. That was before the government got involved in health care.
8. Yeah, it doesn't make sense. That's why as a Canadian I am shocked Americans don't want a socialized health care system. Why does your government make socialized health care look bad by using China and the UK as examples? Why not talk about the extremely successful countries with socialized health care (France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, etc.). All 1st World countries have socialized health care!
9. I think it is very sad that our government will spend trillions on a senseless war, send foreign aid to third world countries, send highly qualified doctors over sees to take care of sick people along with give vaccines......but the Americans living on American soil are denied a basic health care. I'm so lucky to have health care for myself and my family, but it worries me....all of the 'what if's'
10. I think more people should vote and get a president who has his priorites straight!
11. There is no fastest growing segment. The percentage of uninsured in this country has been around 16% since the 80s. I actually have to give credit to Clinton and Bush on this one. As bad as the economy has been under these two presidents, the number of uninsured only rose 6 million over the last 16 years.
12. Perhaps you could also show us your statistics on where the majority of the advances in medicine has come from. Going to socialized medicine will stifle all incentive and research for better treatments. The U.S. medical/research community has been at the forefront of 95% of the life saving procedures that are practiced world wide (bypass surgery, organ transplants, et al). Advances in drug research in the U.S. benefits every country, world wide. I know from personal experience that part of the "uninsured" and "underinsured" people in the U.S. is from individual choice. I have had co-workers who were on the same payscale as I was who turned down employer offered group insurance as being "too expensive" while they bragged about their new cars and other luxuries that I couldn't afford for me and my 3 children - but, we were NEVER without health coverage and medical treatment when it was needed. Drive through a subsidized housing project sometime and note how many boats, new cars, and satellite antennas you see. Yes, there are times when responsible adults do have to make tough choices, and that may entail working in a job that is disliked (that's why it's called a JOB) but, I would rather provide for my family and set an example of self pride and worth than to suck at the Nanny government's tit.