Are You Ready For The Health Police?
You’d better be if John Edwards were ever to become President. The Presidential Hopeful (and that’s a STRETCH) said, in a speech before a campaign audience that his healthcare plan for America would not only include mandatory coverage for ALL US Citizens (and knowing him probably ALL illegals as well), but MANDATORY preventative care.
“It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care. If you are going to be in the system, you can’t choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK.”
Ok Mr. Edwards… so were going to enforce that HOW? By policing our “free” country?
Let me see if I can wrap my brain around this one… Personally, I only seek out medical care if I am bleeding beyond band-aid repair, and/or SERIOUSLY ill to the point where OTC medication is having zero effect. I haven’t been to the “doctor” in so many years I have lost count. Under your new plan I will be not only REQUIRED to carry a government mandated policy, dictating where and to whom I relinquish my health to, I will have to submit to being told WHEN I need to go to the doctor even if I’m 100% healthy.
While Edwards goes on and on about how he will “cure the world” through forced checkups, he never once says what your consequences would be for being a bad little American and simply not complying. Are we going to criminalize and punish the unhealthy? Criminalize and punish those who feel fine and simply don’t WANT a checkup?
Give me a break… I can see the American public being naive enough to buy into socialized medicine but forced checkups? Give me a break.
emma
6 Sep, 2007
once again, you contradict yourself. you support the ‘pink’ project for breast cancer awareness but call preventive health checks a breach of your ‘freedom’. which is it? preventative health care is a superb idea, regular health checks that are free could save tens of thousands of lives.
if a conservative had the idea it would be peachy, but its John Edwards, smart, educated, well spoken, which doesn’t fit the right wing mantra so you attack the policy.
maybe you should look up hypocrisy in the dictionary?
James
6 Sep, 2007
I never said preventative checkups were stupid. I said FORCED preventative medicine is a stupid idea. READ.
If you are fearful of your risks contracting diseases then it is worth your effort to seek regular testing to ward of potential disease. It is NOT the job of the federal government to hold a gun to my head and demand that I turn my head and cough “for the good of the people”. That is pure-D SOCIALISM dear.
…and no, had a conservative come up with the same idea I would not only STILL disagree with them, I would be questioning their position as a conservative.
John Edwards KNOWS who he is petting, and it’s NOT the mainstream voting public. He’s smart, and he knows that the people that vote in Democratic Primary elections are the left wing of the left wing… what he’s forgetting is that those same people tend to stay home in November and cross their fingers as they watch Tim Russert drool over his dry erase board.
emma
6 Sep, 2007
preventative medical care required by law is nothing new. children have been inoculated against serious diseases for decades. You use of the word ‘forced’ is ridiculous. you really believe that someone is going to come to your door and march you to a medical centre?
a lot of people will welcome pre arranged checkups at critical points in their life, especially if they are free. the only people with anything to lose are those that miss their appointments and become seriously ill because something is missed.
I can read ‘dear’ unfortunately you appear to be unable to think logically and rationally.
James
6 Sep, 2007
I see I’ve gained one of THESE commenters. Oh Joy.
Look, NOTHING “free” from the government is ever “free”.
Regardless of how you slice it, it is still coming out of your pocket. Instead of a bill from your PRIVATE healthcare insurance it’s in the form of skyrocketing taxation from “feel good” politics.
I know a lot of people will welcome government regulated healthcare, a lot of people are also functionally illiterate… what’s your point?
What part of “REQUIRED Checkups” doesn’t sound forced to you? The government would be scheduling, and dictating my health.
Our current medical system is broken, this I will admit, but a large part of that is from government intrusion into a private sector. Just look at airlines. The solution to a broken system is NOT through MORE governance.
emma
6 Sep, 2007
if by ‘these’ commenter’s you mean somebody who can poke holes in your writing then I’m sure you are correct.
I find it hilarious that you think health care in the USA is broken because of government interference and not the behaviour of HMO’s and insurance companies.
‘required’ is not the same as ‘forced’ not by a long way. ‘Forced’ implies consequences if you don’t do it. I can’t imagine people being chased down by the FBI because they missed there ten year checkup. Many countries have, as I have already written, government arranged medical appointments for individuals at key stages of their life. I’m sure you could sleep easier in you bed with your ‘insurance’ and skip government health care altogether.
The taxation argument is also nonsensical. National health care is far cheaper to individuals when payed via taxes than private insurance because the cost is spread among all citizens. Citizens who don’t get sick pay for citizens who do, just like citizens who don’t drive pay for the roads for citizens who do. It’s called a society, far better than a free for all “i’m all right jack” attitude.
James
6 Sep, 2007
So I need to foot the bill for your cancer simply because it’s my “moral responsibility” to fuel your “right” to healthcare? PUHLEEZ.
You’re not my responsibility.
Healthcare is a privilege not a human right. The freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, or the right to worship whomever and whatever you want do not impose a burden on the public, yet somehow I’m supposed to believe that a tax burden to make sure you’re fit as a fiddle is somehow, now a human right by virtue of birth?
I simply cannot see how government is the answer to our problem. Market forces have shown FAR more efficient at solving consumption problems… tell me how they cannot do the same thing for healthcare…
BTW, on your comment about “required not being force”… I assume you have a job. Correct me if I’m wrong but are you not REQUIRED to perform your duties at that job to the best of your abilities? Will you not be FIRED from said job for not living up to your REQUIRED job duties?
Lenella
6 Sep, 2007
It’s tedious how some people fixate on a word or two out of context and ignore the key phrases and point of the conversation. Mandatory government anything is the issue. Conservatives do not lean toward mandates…socialists insist on them. Unless we become a socialistic government like Australia and Denmark, we cannot afford for the government to pay for such mandates. Is Edwards proposing forcing us to pay for his idea? I think not. (And there is a reason for the demosocialist stereotype of taking the personal attack route rather than the high road of discussion in intellectual mode.)
emma
6 Sep, 2007
“So I need to foot the bill for your cancer simply because it’s my “moral responsibility” to fuel your “right” to healthcare? PUHLEEZ.”
you already do that with health insurance, non claimers pay for claimers and I think you will find that both Denmark and Austria have better health care systems than the USA. Conservatives do love making other people points for them!
James
6 Sep, 2007
I don’t know about you, but if I have prostate cancer, I’d MUCH rather have it here where I can actually SEE a doctor. Rather than sitting on a waiting list for over a YEAR to see a surgeon in Canada.
Sounds like a GEM to me. Sign me up!