Do you think the U.S. is facing a health care crisis? / LJWorld.com

Asked at Massachusetts Street on June 4, 2007

“Yes, absolutely. More and more people are unable to provide themselves and their families with basic health care, much less emergency or long-term health care.”

— Joe Novak, high school administrator, Shawnee

“Yes, because there are so many people that don’t have any coverage at all. And for those who do, it’s too expensive to get the coverage they need.”

— Mary Ann Henry, teacher, Baldwin City

“I would say yes. A lot of people don’t have health care, and the cost of health care is getting ridiculous. Those in lower-income brackets are virtually excluded from having any form of health care at all.”

— Doston Jones, Case Western Reserve University law student, Cleveland

“Yeah. I think we definitely need to have something that is affordable for the hourly wage workers. We either need to have more corporate responsibility or some kind of national health care system.”

— Jeff Hagman, courier, Denver

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The Problem is there is not a easy fix to the health care situation, Untell the goverment steps up and makes it mandatory for ALL jobs to provide health care at a reasonable cost. Or health care becomes more reasonable and affordable. But this falls under the lines of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. only the rich can afford the sky high rates that the private insurance co. ask for.

Godot 10 years ago

The question should be, "What should be done to address the high cost of medical treatment and pharmaceuticals, and the practice of ordering batteries of high cost tests, and the practice of prescribing drugs for every condition?" or, to put it succinctly, what do we do to reduce cost and control utilization?

Kat Christian 10 years ago

I've been preaching socialized medicine care for years. This is what this country is forced to do because of the increase in population, open immigration and low wages. Everything is on the rise except wages for hourly workers. Now medicad has cut back on services so health care is sub-standard. I just believe health should be available to everyone - we pay through our taxes like Sweden. Also the health care industry need to be audited - I think they screw too many people out of hard earned money. They need to lower their prices drastically.

trinity 10 years ago

this whole health care debacle...i think the pharmaceutical (sp?? it's early.) companies should be whipped soundly. anybody else notice how ads for a plethora of drugs have infiltrated telly? my god, you can't go a round of commercials without seeing a new drug for this or that; everything from impotence, to bone health, to sleeplessness, to twitchy leg syndrome. now, i am NOT saying that there aren't people who do totally benefit from this stuff; but, with americans the way we are now, hell-hypochondriacs just salivate when they see a new product advertised&then harangue their doc with symptoms in order to get the latest in sleep aids, depression pills, etc...sigh ok i'm done ranting. is it really gub'mints fault? insurance companies? hospitals? drug companies? or should each individual take a good hard look at themselves?

Flap Doodle 10 years ago

Big complicated issue. If you want top-of-the-line treatments like the gamma knife, they're going to be expensive. If you want socliaized medicine, you may wind up waiting a while to get the care you need. (such as: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4494384.stm).

Ceallach 10 years ago

Only when I realize that I can never retire. Must continue to work, ad infinitum, just for the insurance coverage (and of course those nifty little lapel pins:)

Grundoon Luna 10 years ago

Hillary did have a great plan. It was good for patients, doctors liked it - Insuance companies and republicans didn't, thought, and they killed it.

Trinity, that's a good, righteous rant. Drug costs have risen to support the cost of advertising and the drug companies sell drugs in the U.S. for a great deal more than they sell them overseas. Can you say, "price gouging?" Criminal!!

Health care should not be a for-profit enterprise, and like education and military it shoudl be seen a vital to the public interest. Health insurance is legalized extortion. There are countries that have been successful with socialized medicine and we need to give go with a successful model. If folks want to have supplemental insurance for extra special services, that could be an option, but basic health care should be available to all.

OTTR, c'mon. You're being inflamatory.

jonas 10 years ago

A board conservative? Inflamatory? Nah.

Anyone who thinks they can give a succinct explanation of what's wrong with health care in America, and proscribe the correct solution, in one blurb post is full of crap. Except for me, of course.

The problem is old people and sick people. Kill all old people and sick people.

Goodnight, all.

sgtwolverine 10 years ago

I concur with jonas' second paragraph. It's complicated.

But I also wonder if insurance hasn't helped make health care more expensive. No, not big bad evil insurance companies, but insurance itself.

Grundoon Luna 10 years ago

What was I thinking? Should I stick with the merely obvious rather than the painfully obvious, jonas?

ms_canada 10 years ago

I do believe the US must do something about the health of the Nation. If you think about it, what is the raison d'etre of any government. Is it not to provide the basics of life to it's people? Infrastructure (highways, roads, electrical grid etc), a clean water supply, safety - laws for all and the implimentation of those laws (police, army and judiciary), affordable education and health care for ALL it's citizens. I believe these are the basics of life. If any one of these is lacking, the quality of the life of the citizenry goes down. For a country whose wealth and status in the world is so high, (so I have heard) it is absolutely appalling that so many of it's citizens must suffer for lack of decent health care. Some have said, no gov. involvement, what then? Your insurance people don't appear to be able to handle the job adequately. Who regulates the cost of tests, hospitals, medication etc.? Our gov. is FULLY involved and it works quite well, thank you. Why don't you send a delegation up here to learn about our system.

Linda Aikins 10 years ago

"contemplate the lot of the nearly extinct soft-shelled whooping chihuahua. By comparison, my life is a bed of roses." - Snap

quote from the weekend.

So left field, it is a homer.

Sagecasey 10 years ago

US Healthcare is nothing but a vicious cycle. 1. Insurance premiums are too high. 2. People can't afford insurance nor out of pocket medical care. 3. They still need medical attention, so go to the doctor. 4. They can't afford to pay their bill. 5. Healthcare facilities raise their prices to cover their costs due to unpaid receivables. 6. Insurance premiums are raised due to the rise in healthcare costs. 7. More people can't afford insurance/medical care.

The cycle starts all over. The government needs to step in and come up with a national healthcare system.

ms_canada 10 years ago

Azure said it right, health care should not be a for profit enterprise. That is exactly what insurance companies are all about, or have I had my head in the sand all these years. And I guess jonas has a point about seniors. They do account for a lot of the public $$$ spent on their health care. In my country, at least that is true . I can attest to that for my recent surgery, hospital, ambulance, emerg. treatment, doctors, all tests etc. I paid not one red (or green) cent. Not even insurance payments. My husband told me that we don't even pay the Blue Cross premiums any more. I don't know, I just think it is the business of the gov. to look after it's people. I guess that is socialism. OK by me.

snoozey 10 years ago

The fix for the health care dilemma is quite simple. Stop the ownership of our politicians by insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and trial lawyer's associations. That, like free willed and unbiased media, will take a concerned and enlightened public.

Grundoon Luna 10 years ago

If it were up to me, we'd have a contingent on the way to Canada to check your system out Ms. C. Those that think that health care systems run by the government will suffer should think again. My dad had such a hard time with his HMO that he got sick of it and started to go to the VA and said he got better care. The LA VA must be run better than Walter Reed, but his experience was around the time of "mission accomplished" and the system has been strained since then and poorly funded.

Staci Dark Simpson 10 years ago

Yep some solution needs to be found. My hubby works for a small company and their insurance cost is though the roof, as much as my mortgage. So we don't have insurance. I will be paying LMH $50 a month for the rest of my life. The problem is overcharging. My son had to go to the ER because he bit thru his lip. We were charged $500 and all they did was look at his lip and say there was nothing they could do. $500? For that? Its sad to say but next time we won't go to the hospital unless we are nearly dead.