Will you give up the safety of your employer based health care

[slipslidingaway]

for a single-payer system where everyone has the same basic coverage for medical needs? Insurance companies can still sell extra care policies for coverage over what the basic system covers...private room/nurses, elective surgery etc.

[LongTomH]

1. Proud to be the first to vote - and K & R

:kick:

[slipslidingaway]

3. Thank you and I just found out you can vote in your own poll :) n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

2. What is this "safety of your employer based health care" that you speak of?

[slipslidingaway]

11. It is what we hear from politicians who say their constituents want

to keep the HC coverage that they have through their employers.

I realize not everyone is so lucky, but for those who are, I'm wondering how many will are willing to give up what they know for a SP plan where everyone will start on an equal footing.

[babylonsister]

4. You need a "Does not apply. I don't have insurance." That's a

segment that needs to be heard, too.

[slipslidingaway]

12. Left out on purpose to hear from those who currently have coverage,

those who do not have insurance are the people we need to think about when answering the question.

[babylonsister]

32. Those who don't have insurance may be voting.

That's all I was getting at. Sorry.

[slipslidingaway]

36. No problem and I thought about that, but wanted to keep it as

simple as possible.

[Donnachaidh]

5. private rooms should be reserved for patients who need to be quarantined

If these people need private rooms for elective procedures, let them fly to India to get the work done. We don't need a class distinction in health care too.

[ejpoeta]

8. according to that heidi klein (?) chick on ed show today.... the wealthy

will ALWAYS have better healthcare. it's just a fact.

[Donnachaidh]

14. So let them go elsewhere for it.

IF they need *better*, let them add the costs of flying to those countries that are offering *frills*.

[ejpoeta]

17. oh i agree with you. i liked how ed said she was for the health insurance companies

and big pharma. lol.

[Medusa]

21. That's the way it works in England

[slipslidingaway]

25. Yes, because they can buy coverage to duplicate what is

provided by the NHS.

[slipslidingaway]

13. I do not expect my husband to share a room with Bill Clinton or a

number of other people.

:)

[Donnachaidh]

15. so if you want private, and you go for elective stuff - go elsewhere.

I don't care if it's the Pope. You want *special treatment* - pay for it elsewhere. Take a nice flight to India and trust in their outsourced goodies.

[slipslidingaway]

19. But what is it not elective? I just used private room as one

example.

:hi:

[CTyankee]

61. I have some problems with that too. I had "elective" surgery to cure my continuing

bouts of diverticulitis, one of them severe. After the surgery my surgeon said if it hadn't been done I would have wound up with a perforation of the colon, in which case I would have to go to the Emergency Room since I would be at risk for peritonitis,which can be fatal.

Luckily, my insurance (through my husband's union job, as I am retired) covered it.

This is what I don't get: why is surgery to prevent a serious emergency medical situation considered an "elective"?

[ejpoeta]

6. 'safety'.... really??? the price keeps going up to the point we can't afford it.

we had to switch to a cheaper, high deductible insurance. luckily we didn't have to have the kids without insurance for six months to qualify for child health plus for them.

[slipslidingaway]

18. I understand, ours continues to climb as well, the company just

lowered the dependent age from 25 to 23, COBRA was almost 600 per month for my daughter. We were hoping to get her through Med school on our insurance, we chose a different plan.

[xchrom]

7. and tell my mother fuckin bosses to kiss my ass when i collect my paycheck to boot. nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. The "safety of your employer based health care" ain't so safe when you lose your job.

Oh sure... in many cases you can get "cobra" coverage for 6 months, but that will cost a hell of a lot more than it did when you were working, and on unemployment, you can't afford that.

So even if you have a good job with a decent health care plan at the moment, you might not next week, next month, or next year? Then what?

At least having single payer health care would be one less thing you would ever have to worry about.

[slipslidingaway]

20. I agree n/t

[tabbycat31]

35. applause

[alfredo]

10. I'm using government provided health care and I like it a lot. It's call the VA.

All I have to pay for is my medicine. That is eight dollars a month.

[slipslidingaway]

22. Thank you n/t

[The River]

30. I Lost My Job Last Week

and need to look into enrolling in VA and find out if
I qualify for any help with prescriptions.

[alfredo]

52. Please do. Take your DD 214 and they will want some earning statements

for means testing. Call first to see what you need to bring and to make an appointment.


If you aren't working you will get a good rating.

I just got my service related disability. It's just 10%, but it pays $123 a month. I have bilateral tinnitus from copying morse code for over three years. I have hearing loss but not enough for compensation. An added bonus: my wife doesn't complain about me not listening to her anymore.

[The River]

54. I Will Thanks

I just sent an email to the local rep to
set an appointment. Reports of past neglect within the VA system
has kept me away from them for almost 40 years.
Thank the Voters we have Obama now and people who care
are in charge.

[alfredo]

56. I was treated so poorly (early 70's) in the Detroit office I stayed away too.

They seemed to hate Vietnam and Vietnam era veterans. Times have changed,

I go to the Lexington Ky office. They are wonderful.

[peace13]

16. We have a small business and are just barely hanging in there

with the huge insurance premiums. We will move to whatever plan is invented.

[slipslidingaway]

27. And we all hope it is a good plan! n/t

[SeattleGirl]

23. Give up the "safety" of insurance that costs me $500 a freakin' month?

And that's just for my husband; my boss pays my premium.

Give it up?

Hells, yeah.

In a New York minute.

[slipslidingaway]

28. Thanks n/t

[handmade34]

34. agreed... what safety??

I was paying $1200/month and finally got fed up... I refuse to pay for health insurance again until we have universal care!! Luckily my kids are in Vermont and they have great state coverage. I didn't like Howard Dean much when he was governor, but he has become my hero of late...

[SeattleGirl]

51. Jeebus, $1200 a month??????

I don't blame you there.

Though sometimes, it comes in handy, but overall, sometimes I wonder what the freak I'm paying for.

[alfredo]

53. I have the FEHB, Federal Employee Health Benefit plan. That's pretty much

what Obama wants for us. Because it is such a big pool, rates are low. Still, it is expensive because the insurance companies are greedy and stingy. I go to the VA to avoid copays and refusal to pay for services.

[Lars39]

24. Yes.

And I say this knowing that my husband's business might be affected, too.

[slipslidingaway]

31. Thank you and...

for me knowing that salaries for doctors could be impacted and my daughter will have about 200K in debt when done with med school.

:hi:

[Lars39]

38. Sacrificing for the public good is just the right thing to do.

Sounds all Spockish, doesn't it? :hi:

[slipslidingaway]

39. Yes it is and it does :))) n/t

[juno jones]

26. What no option for "No employer based health care"?

That said, I'll take the public option, please. Can't be any worse than what I have now, or have had for the last 25 working years of my life which has been NADA.

[MrModerate]

29. I'm a "yes-but" . . .

The insurance companies have so corroded the mechanism of health care delivery that transition to a single-payer system would be very tough. Basically, they need to be nationalized (at 10 cents on the dollar, say), dismembered, and the useful parts (claims processing with the payment avoidance factors taken out) integrated with existing public systems. Insurers will fight to the death to avoid this, and I fear it's going to end up in the "too hard" category.

Needless to say, I'd hate to die from lack of care while the transition was in process. We'll need to be smart about this, and iron-willed in chopping off the Hydra's heads.

[slipslidingaway]

33. I agree we must be smart about this and it will take a few years

to transition. We've already been told that it "too hard" so they do not even let SP advocates speak.

:(

[lib2DaBone]

37. I have no health care..where do I vote? You didnt leave any options?

[slipslidingaway]

41. Don't vote, just wondering how many people are willing to

move out of their comfort zone, from the known to the unknown.

Everybody in, nobody out.

:)

[cherish44]

40. Ha! What employer-based health care? I

and even with what insurance I can afford on my own, I'd be ruined if I end up sick or hurt. Insurance companies suck donkey balls and are the epitome of evil. They need to go.

[slipslidingaway]

42. They can stay for the extras, but everyone should be afforded

basic coverage.

[OmahaBlueDog]

43. I can't answer without more facts

1) What is the government backed alternative?
2) What does it cost?
3) Is my care managed through a GP or do I get to go straight to a specialist?
4) What do I get (i.e. a tax credit) if I opt out of Government care and stay with my employer's plan?

[slipslidingaway]

46. A few answers...

are you asking about the public option??? If so, then details are sketchy.

The cost should be less than the HC dollars that are now being spent, but it really depends on how the deal is structured.

Your care would most likely be managed through a GP with a referral to a specialist when needed.

Single-payer means you cannot opt out, everyone pays into the system and everyone is covered.

[slipslidingaway]

44. Thanks everyone for the replies, votes and rec's :) n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

45. Hell yes, and here's why:

Everybody is in it together. My supporting the public system means others less fortunate can also be part of it and we share the costs.

[slipslidingaway]

49. That is an important point, everybody will want the system to be

the best it can be with minimal waste.

When there are different systems, the full power of the people is fragmented. Suppose the public option is just OK, then only those people who are enrolled will be left to fight for a better system. Others can still keep their private HC and will not have the same incentive to fight for a better public system. Now if all goes well with the public option we'll all be switching, but I know that we will not until it has been tried for awhile.

[The2ndWheel]

58. That's why corporations have so much power today

"When there are different systems, the full power of the people is fragmented."

There are a few hundred regional governments around the world, and the big corporations are increasingly multi-national.

[slipslidingaway]

62. Yes n/t

[undeterred]

47. Since employment isn't safe and not all employment offers health care

there isn't anything to contemplate giving up.

[slipslidingaway]

65. True, I posted this poll after listening to Senator Stabenow say

that some people feel comfortable with the insurance they currently have through their employers. As you point out it is really not safe, it is more of a matter of going from the known to the unknown.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/42409

[bkkyosemite]

48. Of Course! Cuz we have been promised the Same Insurance Coverage as Congress which I'm sure is

better than most employers offer and much cheaper. I want single payer $100 a month for Medical and Prescriptions...times that by how many live in this country. That would be enough money on the table I say. And let those greedy insurance and pharma companies go under so I can finally laugh.

[dflprincess]

50. "Safety"? of employer based health care?

Up until the end of last year my employer provided pretty good health care. Now we have crappy health care - except for preventative tests my doctor has to get the okay from a "gatekeeper" (and the industry really hates that term now so use it) for nearly everything. Next year I'll be joining the ranks of the underinsured when we go to a "consumer based" (translate to high out of pocket expenses) policy.

Many employers are going to these kinds of policies and there's starting to be an increase in insured people landing in the ER and being admitted to the hospital for more serious conditions and longer stays. We're not hearing much about it yet, but these "consumer based" plans are probably going to cost everyone more money. And all that will happen is premiums will cost more and cover less.

Safety? No, an employer based plan no longer provides safety.

[eridani]

55. What "safety"? 15% of the population accounts for 85% of the costs, and only they

--have a clue whether or not their claims will be honored should something expensive and unfortunate happen to them. Your average employee has no more clue about his/her health insurance than about his/her fire department, and with any luck, they'll never find out.

[Greyskye]

57. You bet - especially since I lost my job of 25 years last month.

I'll never take health care for granted again - it is literally the linchpin around which all of our families decisions about jobs and health insurance is currently revolving around. :(

[Vinca]

59. What is this employer-based healthcare of which you speak??

[jtrockville]

60. Most of our employers don't provide health care.

Our employers supply big-time profit to health insurance companies, who in turn leave us begging for whatever scraps of health care we can gather.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

63. In a heartbeat...

Oh, wait...I have no employer provided health care insurance.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

64. No Thanks.

I'm quite happy with my current insurance.

[Warren Stupidity]

67. reminds me of a Cyndi Lauper song. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

66. There is no security in employer based healthcare

and there is no DEMOCRACY in employer based healthcare. Instead it is a feudal system.

[slipslidingaway]

68. Thanks again everyone, I know that employer based HC is not

safe and probably should have phrased the question differently, it is really more the known vs. the unknown.