Guaranteed Healthcare

The California State Compensation Insurance Fund is missing one billion dollars; that's right -- $1 Billion.

These are the same people that will bust and jail injured workers for minor mistakes and call it "work comp fraud".

See

www.MyStateFundStory.com

or

www.AlmostBroken.com

If this Michael Moore film is like his others it is filled with lies & distortions. I have been an Rn for 32 years Ive worked in 5 different states Critical care, Er, Homecare I have never never seen a patient turned away for lack of insurance. I work with low income single mothers ALL pregnant women in Pa are eligible for excellant health care all children also. Talk to some Canadians or Brits see if they like their health care. I just came back from England and I would not want to be sick there!!!!!

I am completely appalled. The thought of people especially working people not being insured is unthinkable, but as an RN in PA I have seen it, everyone has, you have the working person that comes in and the community socialite, who is treated better? Of course the socialite! I have seen doctors treat people better because of who they are, and I have seen doctors quick to transfer patients to a higher level of care over another patient because of their background. To me that is the same as withholding treatment. As a nurse we do have to be advocates and be the voice of our patients and hope that the doctor listens. I also believe that patients need to take a bigger role in their own care, today our industry sadly is being run by the pharmaceutical industry and everyone to make a bigger buck.

I have definately seen all sides of abuse of health care. Nurses that are tainted by people that do not take responsibility of their health to prevent a good bit of complications, i.e.. parents who neglect their parents or children who delay medical treatment. Physicians who are completely uncaring behind the curtain/door before going in to see patients. I have seen people of wealth consider themselves above others in their demands of healthcare and have completely unreasonable requests. Expecting me to be at their beck and call. Sorry folk I prioritze based upon my medical judgement, not your wallet and social standing, honestly your not royalty. It can get really brutal on any given day, giving good health care. Patient don't want to really listen, they are watching TV or they are yelling at you for the remote while you are in the next room giving grief counseling. People are abusive to themselves, to others and when they are sick they are very demanding. It seems somedays you can't do anything right. Then hope arrives and a hand is held. Someone dies peacefully. Soemone does change their lives, laughes in years, prays with you, says thank you, really listens and this is what drives you. But oh how you pray it was more often than not...

Find it interesting of how I came upon this website. Was sent a flyer in the mail to be a part of nurses across the country passing out flyers to 'solve' our healthcare crisis. Have no intention of doing this without seeing the movie first. Yes, Michael Moore is a director with his own agenda and I certainly do not know what that is. And even after seeing it, may not be able to really know what his intentions truly are. Our healthcare situation does need a good overhall. Having people discuss solutions and work toward a better system certainly has my vote. I agree with someone above that guaranteed health care will not solve all our problems. Taking personal responsibility will go a long way for many of us, myself included. We treat our vehicles better than our own bodies.

I agree somethings got to give. As an RN for many years I have watched my nurse friends get burnt out from to heavy of a patient load, rude family members and demanding VIP patients. We used to be able to freely communicate with patient caregivers and family members but now you can't speak freely for fear of violating the privacy HIPPA rules. I want to sign the form that says that all my friends and family can be made fully aware of all and any treatments and medications I am being given. Tell um all!! The flip side is the people who are ready to sue at the drop of a bedpan. Makes us nurses keep our mouths shut. Tell them as little as possible and protect yourself. Somehow the idea of helping people heal themselves has gotten lost under a pile of paperwork. I will have to see the movie before I make an opinion. It seems a lot of people have judged this movie before seeing it and there is nothing that will keep a person more ignorant than contempt prior to investigation. Sometimes when things aren't RIGHT you need to swing far to the LEFT to land in the middle.

I have been an RN for more than 2 decades now and I have been telling everyone within earshot how I feel about our broken healthcare system. What people dont realize unless
they experience it for themselves is how really easy it is to become uninsured.
I was injured on the job and have had 2 back surgeries (covered by workers comp insurance) But because I have been unable to resume my previous job as an ICU nurse, I no longer have a job or insurance coverage! I am healthy otherwise and I have always taken
care of my health. I think it is wrong to assume that all people who are ill have brought it upon themselves! I am 44 years old and cant find a job or health insurance.......It sucks and only reinforces my argument of the last decade! We need a better system!

As an RN for 32 years, I am flabbergasted that seemingly intelligent nurses would hang their future on the likes of "Mr. Always Has An Agenda" Michael Moore. Healthcare DOES need an overhaul, but not the socialized medicine CRAP he advocates. Get rid of the John Edwards's of this world and some of this would improve. Medical care's escallation started with the advent of personal injury lawyers, sueing the H!@# out of MD,s Nurses, Hospitals and anybody else they could blame for someone's (usually) personal irresponsibility. However you got my name on your mailing list..GET IT OFF NOW!!!! I will NOT join you or the likes of you now or ever.

I work for a large group health insurer. Everyone in the country believes that our system needs reform. There is no debate about that at all. But the devil is in the details! First, a few comments about the "uninsured" that we hear so much about. Did you know that about one-third of those who are uninsured are eligible for state and federal programs, but, for reasons unknown to me, do not enroll? And that another third have the financial resources to obtain coverage, but choose not to do so? Another thing people need to know is this: people without insurance do indeed get healthcare. The issue is: Who should pay for their healthcare? Personally, I believe everyone should be required to have health insurance coverage---just like everyone who drives a car is required to have car insurance coverage. But I do not think blindly saying "we need the government (i.e. taxpayers) to take over the healthcare system" is the answer here. It is a quick and easy answer, but not the right long-term answer. My first boss told me something I will never forget. She said that "the American people want the very best healthcare that someone else will pay for". It was true then, and true now. When "someone else" is paying the bill, the demands for healthcare will explode beyond belief. Did you know that when Congress passed Medicare in 1965, the very best actuaries predicted what Medicare costs would be for a ten year period. That is, from 1965-1975. Guess what? They were off the mark by a factor of 10. The best and brightest missed the mark by a factor of 10! They predicted it would cost $10. It actually cost $100. What do you think would happen under your holy grail--a single payer system? Exactly the same thing. When "someone else" is paying the tab, well then, I want an MRI for my headache. And I want chromosome testing to see if there is a chance I might acquire a certain disease later in life. And on and on it goes. There is an unlimited demand for healthcare. But there are not unlimited resources. I said earlier that the devil is in the details. I have yet to hear anyone from the single payer side talk about how this would all work, and how it would be paid for. For example, where does personal responsibility come in? At what point do you tell someone that we are not going continue to pay for their bad habits? Where is the line drawn between covering experimental procedures (something we deal with every day)? Should the taxpayers pay for a liver transplant for an 80-year old alcohlic who wants a liver transplant? What is the "national plan" going to look like? Does everyone go to the doctor whenever they want and pay $5 for the office visit? Does everyone go to the hospital, stay for a week, and pay $25 for the stay? What is the plan going to look like? More importantly, how do we introduce personal responsibility into the equation? And what should be covered under the plan? What about chiropractic, herbal medicine, experiental back surgery (now done by revenue-seeking anestheiologists),etc. And what about prescription drugs? Should the taxpayers pay for the most exotic drugs just because an MD prescribes them? If a pill that costs $ 1 is 98% effective, and another pill that is 99% effective costs $100, which one do we pay for? I believe that so-called "Consumer-Driven Plans" are the best alternative here. Because there is a direct correlation between what someone is going to spend for their healthcare and their personal habits. Those who do the right things and take care of themselves are going to pay less than those who weigh 400 pounds, smoke and drink. And that is the way it should be. We are totally spoiled when it comes to healthcare. I hear people all the time complain about what is being taken out of their paychecks for group health coverage. I ask them: Do you have a cellphone? Do you have cable TV? Do you drink/smoke? What is the car payment for your new car? When you add up all the money they spend on stuff like this, the amount taken out of their paychecks for health coverage is small. Again--many people simply want someone else to pay the tab. And that is why a Single Payer system---although it seems attractive at first glance--is having a hard time getting traction. Also, most of the good work in this area is being done by the states---not the federal government. The Feds will never be able to do it right. So let the states figure it out. Finally, for those who love to bash health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, the problem is not with us. If health insurance were such a "profitable business", then there would be scores of companies in the marketplace. There aren't. Nationally, there are only three or four players. Do you know why? Because many companies have exited the business because there is too much risk for too little gain. It is like the grocery-store business---all volume. Frankly, it is not a business that generates much profit at all. So we agree to disagree. Yes, we need reform and we need change. And our industry is helping shape that change and reform. But blindly saying "let the government take it all over"--as if the government is the gold standard in anything--is plain silly and misses the point. So for all you single-payer fans out there, I would like to hear from you the specifics of what the plan would look like, and how it would be financed, who would run it, etc.etc.etc.

Regards,

WBH
Missouri

I am also a registered nurse and I left an employer several years ago to work for myself as a consultant/contractor. I had COBRA for 18 months, and unfortunately did not understand how the game was played when that time was up. I had absolutely no idea that I would be declined for health insurance by several companies as I have only 1 non-life-threatening "condition" for which I take 1 pill/day and I considered myself a basically healthy person; I have NO hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. I am middle aged and overweight and I used to smoke, having quit around 6 months ago. So based on those issues I have been denied health insurance by several national companies. I can pay for it, I just can't get it. Little did I know that insurance companies apparently only want to insure young, normal weight people, without ANY medical problems at all. I work PT for a company that does not provide insurance to PT employees. The rest of the time I work for myself. My choices seem to be to go without insurance [as I have been doing for almost 6 months now] or find a FT job [with benefits] doing what I do. Not so easy! Yes I can lose weight too, but we all know how hard that is to do and how long it takes; and possibly I'd still not be a low enough risk for an insurance underwriter, and God forbid I develop another "condition".

As I read these sad stories, it is apparent that MOST of the problems are the result of making poor choices. Health care is not the responsibility of the govt or the tax payers. It is an individual responsibility as in the old saying, "you pay your money and you take your choice". For example: If a person chooses to work PT at a higher Per Dieum hourly rate, they choose not to have health insurance. When they get sick, its to late to expect the shareholders of a private company or the tax payers of any govt to come in and bail you out of your poor choice. As for the whinning about deciding between groceries or medications: No thats not the choice. Each of us has to decide what their budget is. Its not groceries or meds its meds or everything you spend your money on. The solution: Educate yourself, make good choices, and take responsibility for yourself. In other words, grow up and quit expecting a free ride.

I would disagree with that point of view and ask why insurance has to be tied to ones employment at all. Shouldn't being an American citizen be reason enough to have access to reasonably priced health insurance (NOT have it handed to us for free). Working PT at one job AND working for oneself IS full time work, probably more than the 40 hours the typical employee puts in. I don't think anyone was asking for a bail out or a free ride, simply the opportunity to purchase insurance and not be denied on the basis of pre-existing conditions, age, etc. Certainly, individuals with "conditions" can be asked to pay more than those without, but that is not happening in the system today, they are simply denied coverage. Those who qualify for medicare or medicaid are the "lucky" ones. The rest of us uninsured are paying out of pocket for whatever health problems we may develop. And the tax payers (many of them are uninsured workers) pay for the health care provided to those medicare and medicaid recipients and the multitudes of indigents and "guest workers" who show up at ERs with empty pockets.

It is time for free health care for all, immediate and free access to care for all Americans. I worked in a hospital and Canada sent their people to an American hospital for care. I have never heard of an American insurance providing transportation for care to another country free of charge. In Canada the citizens care about each other, that is what we need to do in the United States, the poor and the middle class have got to start caring about each other. The wealthy do not care about US, they care only about the wealthy, not only in the United States but in other countries ie the G8. We have to face the fact that the wealthy are sick with the disease of greed and we will have to work hard to force the politicians to address the issue of free health care for all and to do away with the health insurance industry.

The problem with our health care system is that it is run by corporations that are in the business of making MONEY! Is there anyone out there that really believes that their insurance company or HMO cares if you received the best health care possible? They want to provide you with the least amount possible that they can get away with. Once again they are in business to make money, NOT make you feel better! Our health care is not worse than anyone else’s. In fact I believe we have awesome heath care providers. But, no one should have to decide which finger they are going to have re-attached and which finger is going to be thrown away because they can’t afford the procedure!
I do not have a problem with government running the system to provide that health care. The problem I have is I don’t want our government doing it. I have no confidence in them doing any better of a job than the HMO’s that are robbing Americans blind now. Our government has turned into this entity that is for the people, as long as the people you are referring to are rich and powerful!
Every person in this country should be entitled to receive needed health care without having to choose between eating, owning or losing their house, or anything else. Why is this so hard of a concept? HMO’s and Insurance companies are skimming billions of dollars from people by denying needed heath care. Now because of the design of our system they have to monitor claims and deny legitimate non-needed claims also. Doctors pad their profits by using the system. Like giving un-needed procedures MRI, ultra-sound, and so forth. Not trying to say every doctor does it but I have seen it, so I know it does take place.
But, if the health care system was run like say the Fire Department, and no I’m sure the Fire Department has problems and I’m not a part of any Fire Department. But, currently I believe if someone’s house catches fire they come out and do what is needed to solve that problem. They don’t say I’m sorry your plan only covers you in the event of blah blah blah and you will have to make a co-pay of xyz, THEY FIX THE PROBLE AND PUT OUT THE FIRE!
Ok that is my two cents, please respond and tell my why our current system is the best and why having Unified National Health Care is not a good thing. Other than just spouting off the crap our government and HMO’s are selling. Also please explain to me how the countries that have National Health Care live longer, pay less, have fewer infant mortalities, the list goes on and on. Please, Please explain this to me!

Maybe I have been around nursing too long. I find it hard to believe that any nurse has not been asked by a consulting Dr what kind of insurance the pt has?? I have witnessed Dr deciding that the cost of the care is prohibiting the continued efforts to save/prolong a critical pt's life. There is a wide disaperiity from those that have and have not. Maybe because of the critical level of care I provide and the exorbinate costs contected with their care, I see this more and more. The administration is very involved with these decisions. Even people who believe they have good insurance coverage and receive huge bills. It is pathetic that the most expensive healthcare has the least healthy individuals.

Liz RN states.."I find it hard to believe that any nurse has not been asked by a consulting Dr what kind of insurance the pt has?? I have witnessed Dr deciding that the cost of the care is prohibiting the continued efforts to save/prolong a critical pt's life. There is a wide disaperiity from those that have and have not."

I agree 100%. This ever-growing disparity is nauseating. Appaling. Heart-breaking.

This country has truly lost it's soul to the color green.

I am ashamed to be an American with the way the "haves" deny the "have-nots" in the medical system today.

I am a UK nurse. In our country we do not make a profit from the ill. We all pay insurance to the UK government and we then get healthcare based on medical need NOT how much we earn or where we live. It is called social medicine and it works fine here.
We find it disgusting that in USA people's health needs are a money making venture - but that's capitalism for you. You deserve the horrible healthcare system you have - you clearly do not understand what the word care means. You have been able to reduce people with cancer to money making ventures - congratulations.
In our country money does not enter into the argument. If you are medically ill you get treated for free. Period. Simple as that. Americans should be ashamed of their healthcre system.

Bottom line is we all agree that we have a broken health care system. There is no dispute that coverage is denied daily, that health insurance can dig a hole in a very thin pocket, and that we as Americans collectively do not put enough emphasis on preventative measures. Turning towards socialized health care sounds ideal, but we live in corporate America. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, too many of the sick, the poor, and the dying are going without adequate treatment due to limited or no income, pre-existing medical conditions, revoked health coverage. This gives the idea that socialized medicine would not work in America. The rich only take care of the rich and our congressmen and women are backed by the rich. Personally, I don't see too much harm in universal health care. Yes, there may be procedures and treatments that one must wait maybe months to recieve, but at no cost. And in emergent situations, care would not be denied or delayed. Too many Americans have gone bankrupt and had their lives financially ripped apart because they chose to recieve health care at any cost, insurance or no insurance, because truth of the matter is, they value their lives, and the lives of the ones they love. All the while, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There may be many things in this country, in this world, where that fact may very well be due to one's own personal choices, however when human lives hang in the balance, money should not be an issue. What is the price of your life?

I am a 24 year old LVN in CA working in preventative care and after seeing SiCKO with other nursing friends of mine, I am an even stronger advocate of a healthy lifestyle and preventative measures. The idea is to keep yourself as healthy as possible for better health, for access to health insurance coverage, and to avoid the messy tangled web of the system in the event of a health problem. David Welch said something in his video about having to build your life, your activities, your leisure and what not around the ability to receive and/or afford health care. I regret that I put so much emphasis on preventative measures in part to avoid insurance hassles, but what else can we do for ourselves in the here and now, admidst debates and propositions and playing the waiting game for true health care reform? And what about the congenital and heriditary conditions that one has? Hard to get insured but definately needing medical care, socialized medicine would be the ideal.

After seeing Michael Moore's video I am curious as to how the nurses themselves feel, not how Moore thinks they feel. Can anyone that has been a nurse in an area that employs universal health care tell me how they feel about the issue? How does working in a universal health care setting effect you? What are the positive and the negative?

I'm so glad to be a Canadian, I can go to a doctor, hospital be seen by specialists get prescribed medicine and never pay a cent or just a couple of bucks for something special. The morons who said Moore lied in his movie are complete and utter idiots. You poor sods in the States certainly have it pretty rough. Must hurt to know that Cuba has better health care than the U.S. Yes my taxes are alittle higher but thats the price we pay for peace of mind.Best care anywhere is what I say about the Canadian system doesn't matter how much money I make.