http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/america-takes-a-step-towards-universal-health-care-and-the-21st-century/ What Is The Third Estate? Everything. What Has It Been Until Now In The Political Order? Nothing. What Does It Want To Be? Something. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:10:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/america-takes-a-step-towards-universal-health-care-and-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-5341 Danielle Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:39:30 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=2851#comment-5341 One step forward, and a long battle ahead. As the cost of healthcare in the States continues to soar, it is good to see that the Universal Healthcare bill has passed the first step to becoming law. It is hard to believe that people are so opposed to this bill. Just this week I was speaking to someone I'm close to who lives in the States and has been unemployed for quite some time. He told me that he just found out the health insurance premium he has covering him and his wife is increasing to $750 a month. In addition the co-payments they have to make every time the go see a doctor or specialist ($10-20 per visit), or buy a prescription ($10-35+ per medication) are all increasing as well. Sadly, though this is true, he and his wife still stand by their beliefs that having a Universal Healthcare Plan would turn the USA into a Socialist country. In fact, they both have said they would rather go broke trying to pay for their much needed medicines than be 'owned by their government'. Personally, I see this as missing the point entirely, and having a basic right to healthcare is no more being 'owned by the government' than it is to accept unemployment payments every week. There is a large group of people who watch things like FoxNews and believe every scare mongering lie that is said on these 'news' programs, even when their 'journalists' tend to contradict themselves from month to month. I'm hoping for the benefit of the nation and especially for the people I care about who are blinded by their own ignorance about what Universal Health Care really means, that this will go on to pass through the Senate. It's certainly not going to be an easy battle though for that to happen. One step forward, and a long battle ahead. As the cost of healthcare in the States continues to soar, it is good to see that the Universal Healthcare bill has passed the first step to becoming law.
It is hard to believe that people are so opposed to this bill. Just this week I was speaking to someone I’m close to who lives in the States and has been unemployed for quite some time. He told me that he just found out the health insurance premium he has covering him and his wife is increasing to $750 a month. In addition the co-payments they have to make every time the go see a doctor or specialist ($10-20 per visit), or buy a prescription ($10-35+ per medication) are all increasing as well.
Sadly, though this is true, he and his wife still stand by their beliefs that having a Universal Healthcare Plan would turn the USA into a Socialist country. In fact, they both have said they would rather go broke trying to pay for their much needed medicines than be ‘owned by their government’.
Personally, I see this as missing the point entirely, and having a basic right to healthcare is no more being ‘owned by the government’ than it is to accept unemployment payments every week.
There is a large group of people who watch things like FoxNews and believe every scare mongering lie that is said on these ‘news’ programs, even when their ‘journalists’ tend to contradict themselves from month to month.
I’m hoping for the benefit of the nation and especially for the people I care about who are blinded by their own ignorance about what Universal Health Care really means, that this will go on to pass through the Senate. It’s certainly not going to be an easy battle though for that to happen.

]]> http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/america-takes-a-step-towards-universal-health-care-and-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-5217 Roland Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:15:00 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=2851#comment-5217 I just hope he hasn't used all his political capital on this particular battle instead of the far more important one of climate change. A defeat probably would have boded poorly for a successful climate bill. However, there have been suggestions that one of the reasons Copenhagen is going to fall over is that the Americans have said they will probably not be able to get anything through the Senate. I just hope he hasn’t used all his political capital on this particular battle instead of the far more important one of climate change. A defeat probably would have boded poorly for a successful climate bill. However, there have been suggestions that one of the reasons Copenhagen is going to fall over is that the Americans have said they will probably not be able to get anything through the Senate.

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