K&R

Isn’t their desire to have a choice more important than ensuring health care for everyone? Who cares that someone cannot afford to see a doctor for an illness which a doctor could cure? Who cares that Grandma has to alternate between groceries and medication every month due to the expense of it all? Those people must have the comfort of a false choice, right? They are the most important people in this country aren’t they?

Too much choice really.

Not only does your employer choose for you, you still only have a limited choice of doctors and provid re within their network. Plus if you lose your job, you've lost it all.

Our list gets shorter and shorter every year. Every year, yet another favorite provider is no longer covered or leaves the system for another stupid system that looks like they might treat their folks better than the current one. And then they are not replaced. They want us to see one of the NPs or PAs which is FINE WITH ME, but FIRST, you have to see the MD they work with...and that person takes weeks and more money to see.

And yeah, I have a job. If I lost it, what on earth would we do then?

one is free to spend all the money they care to on healthcare. It is their choice.

Think about it, please.

deep red States? You really think the GOP, the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the entire health industry for that matter and Wall Street/those who profit won't plot and carry out every means of undermining it's broad success? Do you really think that without broad success it will be successful and accomplish affordable health care for everyone or effectivecost control?

Fox News: the reason why we can't have nice things.

We have to have a serious discussion in this country first about what that would look like and what services would be covered and what might require supplemental coverage. There is no country in the world that provides 100% medical coverage like Sanders is suggesting. It doesn't exist. So, what country are we going to realistically emulate?

talk or debate about it citing all the "flaws" above: choice, cost, waiting...blah, blah, blah.

We need to move forward and quickly. M4A is way better than a public option, but for the people who put choice over care for others, maybe this is the next baby step we can manage. A supplemental policy would be WAY cheaper than the $20k/year price tag paid for my family by me and my employer...for $hitty insurance.

We know what it looks like. I’m a satisfied Medicare recipient and wish the same for all.

And Medicare as it stands today being applied to all ISN'T what is being promised by Sanders or Warren for that matter.

And agree with AllyCat in post #10

Have you talked to people in Canada, France, Norway, all the Scandinavian countries? Where did you get that from?

I have family who live in Europe, there is nothing their Universal Health Care system won't cover...

In the fashion that Sanders is proposing for Medicare for All. None.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/kevinmd/82877

Since they've become used to employers choosing their insurance plans for them and insurance companies choosing which providers and treatments we can have. So we already have other people choosing for us. And plenty of Americans die waiting for emergency care because of crowded ERs and die waiting to save up to pay for expensive surgeries and treatments if insurance won't pay for it.

wonderfully inflicted with humor as he makes critical points.

From my personal experience, I believe choice of doctors is critical. But I suggest that no one hang their hat on corporate healthcare as if it's a panacea. We've had it and corporations can do some funky things to save money. Right now we're paying quite a bit for it, we have to rely on in-house doctors or pay more, and it doesn't cover as much as you would think.

I am looking forward to see if someone can come up with a hybrid between what we have and medicare for all. I'm willing to listen. This is a time for our Democratic candidates to listen and adjust if necessary.

.....after years of talking about it, we haven't been told how much it will cost, just a vague "it will be cheaper". What does that mean?

Because my wife and I are a couple of those who have waited 'ridiculously long times' for procedures for which we cannot afford the financially crippling copay.

And, as Oliver says, I don't have a choice. I have what my employer gives me and this year alone my premiums that I pay to cover my wife and I went up 16.9%.

Lastly the 'how much will it cost argument' must be weighed against how much the current system costs, which is too much for not enough.

So, and I know I've said this to you before, George - I am sick of having shitty, rationed healthcare with financially crippling copays. I'm sick of weasel-words in the plan that say that my maximum out of pocket 'co-insurance' may 'change' depending on the procedures I have during a given year. Lastly, I'm sick of having to be figuratively wheeled through the accounting department to make sure I can pay before getting any treatment.

I'm also sick of 44 million Americans not having any healthcare coverage, and of these 35 million being working poor. That is immoral and unconscionable.

I'm sick of the fact that over 66% of all bankruptcies are because people can't pay medical bills.

As Oliver says, this is inherently unfair, and the people who are proposing NOT to revise the tax code so that all Americans can be covered by Medicare need to own their support of that continued unfairness and the human suffering it implies.

No, I am utterly convinced that this government, that is supposed to be of, by and for us, the people, needs to use OUR tax money that WE pay in for stuff that actually makes our lives materially better. Such as healthcare.

Yes, Americans are stressed about their health and their healthcare in was citizens is some other countries simply don’t experience.

It means that yes, you will pay for it through a tax increase, but ultimately you will pay less for your health care. It's such a taboo in this country for a politician to admit that he/ she will increase taxes. I'm paying over $200 per month for my employer sponsored health care, not including, copays, deductibles and a new thing called coinsurance. Gets worse and worse every year.

Oh, so maybe not ALL arguments against medicare for all.

We are better than using such devices here.

I so love John Oliver. THAT was awesome, as always he takes what has gotten confusing (usually intentionally) or complicated and hones it down to the basic and understandable and drops in some hysterically funny lines and there it is. In your mind with a fun tag attachment to boot.

I took a break from JO last year. I do not know why, perhaps I was just not in the frame of mind for his brand of wonderfulness. Back and so happy to see and hear him.

And he's spot on here.

I had to take over, albeit for a short period of time, the family cattle farm in the Ozarks region of Missouri. Other than a so-called clinic staffed by yahoos my nearest medical facility of note for a serious problem was 75 minutes away by 65mph car.

That was 3 years ago, the clinic has since closed. Quality healthcare readily available for the Deplorable rural base doesn’t really exist IMO and THEY still don’t comprehend they vote against their own self interest.

The only way this changes is if there is Democratic control of all three branches of government.

cover Naturopathic MDs too. I had one in AZ. She was amazing but she didn’t take insurance.
She said she’d have to increase her fees to pay that employee to fight insurance companies all day. This is what we’ve become.

I credit that doctor for saving me from my previous horrible life.

soon is because of the Senate and Electoral College. I do believe the only way to get it is to go for the shit sandwich with avocado first, i.e.. the Trojan Horse choice. Once enacted, people will actually see it is best and there will be no spurious (read bullshit) arguments against.

He does not suffer fools gladly.

And, not enough people are willing to give up what they have now in the hopes MFA can be implemented and works as well as we hope.

That is, people want to try it out first. Public Option is the only way to do that.

to Sanders’ healthcare experts and his supporters who post here. Warren’s so-called experts said pretty much the same before they looked a little closer at the costs and came out with the stunning revision in November.

Do some math, and you got it. Be glad to look at your numbers.

WEEKS to get in to see my doctors. Doesn't matter if it's my gyn or my gp. My gp has a walk-in clinic if you have something acute that's not bad enough for the emergency room, but involves going in first thing, waiting for possibly hours, and seeing the first doctor available. Which often means I see a doctor I don't particularly like. Of course I'm on the hook for an office visit fee and any tests or medications not covered by my insurance.

So please explain to me how that's preferable to waiting for non-emergency visits or going to the emergency room for anything urgent because you're not going to go bankrupt from the bills? I don't understand.

In an emergency, you are allowed to go out of network. That has been true as long as I've had medical insurance.

... is that Rethug fearmongering will be effective and swing the election to Trump.

I wanna see what’s below the cliff before I take a jump off, and I want a chance to say, “No thanks” if it’s not working as advertised. Seems reasonable to me.