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Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by wernercd on Sunday November 13, 2016 @08:31PM (#12946871)
The democrats couldn't do it when they had WH and Congress... they had to go with Plan B - "Obamacare".

Personally, I believe that Plan B was written to fail. Government creates problems. How do you solve the problem? More government.

Obamacare, imho, was created as the groundwork for single payer. I just don't think they expected it to fail so hard and so fast.

I have no faith in single payer... for example, look at the VA. Months of wait times for those who need the help... while those at the top get lavish bonuses.

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by ubernostrum on Sunday November 13, 2016 @09:25PM (#12947098)
Single payer works well in many places other than the US.

People on private insurance plans in the US die or suffer while waiting for care their plans allegedly offer, while executives of those private insurance companies get "lavish bonuses".

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by MichaelBurge on Sunday November 13, 2016 @11:20PM (#12947542)
The US is the wrong level of government for a healthcare system. If a place like California wanted to offer free healthcare to its residents, that's fine, but the federal government should only be responsible for war, negotiating trade deals, handling immigration, and other external issues.

Keep in mind that "many other places" are smaller than a single US state.

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by ubernostrum on Monday November 14, 2016 @12:18AM (#12947717)
Your view went out of fashion with the Articles of Confederation; the ultra-limited "only for a handful of external-facing issues" federal government was an abject failure.
Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by pnutjam on Monday November 14, 2016 @02:54PM (#12952683)
Consider that Californian's pay about $290 Billion to the Feds and the state collects about $70 billion. Do other small countries pay most of their taxes to a larger central organization? Much of that Federal money gets shunted to other states.
Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by MichaelBurge on Tuesday November 15, 2016 @12:18AM (#12955800)
For consistency, I also support repealing the 16th amendment and removing the interstate commerce clause. Then California would have more direct control over its citizens' tax money.
Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by ubernostrum on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @10:41PM (#12974031)
Why stop there?

You seem to want not a nation of 50 states, but 50 completely independently sovereign nations which will somehow miraculously also agree to cooperate on the handful of things that you personally feel they should.

This has been tried, and failed, and was replaced with the Constitution we have now.

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by wernercd on Monday November 21, 2016 @05:51PM (#13010001)
The reality is in the middle. We are ONE Nation AND FIFTY Nations.

> which will somehow miraculously also agree to cooperate on the handful of things that you personally feel they should

That's what the constitution is for... it states what the Federal Government does... everything else SHOULD be state issues.

Those clearly drawn lines have been eroded over the years and is one of the larger points of contentions between the "Constitutionalists" who think that we should have a government actually limited by those rules... and those who think the government has all the answers and should have no limit

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by grzm on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @10:46PM (#12974057)
At one time it was more common to use "These United States of America" and "the United States are …"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States#Etymology

Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by AznHisoka on Sunday November 13, 2016 @09:42PM (#12947148)
the people who die, i assume are the ones that cant afford that care and need to knoww beforehand its going to be completely covered?
Re:Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us (2013) [pdf] by ubernostrum on Sunday November 13, 2016 @09:53PM (#12947198)
Plenty of things require referrals and authorizations and those can be processed at a glacial pace, yes.