Not wanting to live at or below the poverty level while working (any) full-time job, and most of those other things go away.

I don't know why it's such a big damn problem.

are not normal people. There's an inherent mental issue with no known remedy.

And settle for the above after giving up some stuff that was above and beyond.

why do our representatives (i use the term loosely) do so badly when negotiation on our behalf. It's a loaded rhetorical question.

Therefore, when they negotiate, they do not do so on "our" behalf.

Accept this, and these representatives no longer appear as if the went to the Howard, Fine, and Howard School of Negotiating Stuff.

If someone wants to give away some money for nothing, I will happily help them out with that.

I just wish more of people we elect to office held the same views.

It should be free for everyone. Granted, that means I'd actually be paying more than my "fair" share since I almost never need medical care, but I'm fine with that. Everyone should have the care they need and we should spread the cost of this care to everyone. Getting sick should not bring with it an additional financial burden of any sort.

Yes the bills still have to get paid, but not in the insane way we have now.

Of course some kind of national health insurance should pay the tab imo.

that is what 99% of us want ...

When you are homeless, in your coldest, darkest nights, there are no straw men. But you are still in the United States of America.

just noting the absurdity of how all the stupid crape the right wing posits as strawmen is accepted as fact by the so called liberal media and most people in this country.

Thanks for posting this. We're not "moochers," but we expect some semblance of fairness.

Health care should be free, and that includes nursing homes, veteran's care, and a vast array of other things. The same for education through the Bachelor's level or trade school equivalent. I don't want free food, but I want affordable options!

I am fortunate that my husband and I have good health insurance but I know many people who don't. I know people who have gone bankrupt over medical bills.

My partner and I have good coverage, but it still costs. I also know people who have lost almost everything because of ONE medical emergency; to me, that is a CRIME.

If you live in the UK or other first world countries, it's just part of the taxes you pay that go towards your healthcare. So, while you may not pay much out of pocket in other countries, you're paying via taxes.

However, as cheap as possible, if not free, is what I desire, and if I am paying by taxes, then I shouldn't have to pay again in the dr.'s office.

someone is paying. The discussion being had is who pays, how much, and how do we pool and spend that money for delivery of services.

...someone has to pay the doctors and hospitals and a honest price for drugs and other services. That bill is passed along to the tax payers and I have no problem in paying increased taxes for that subsidy. When you frame it as "free" it falls into the right wing framing of "givers and takers". The system should be "free" in that all American citizens are covered...a single payer system. It's not free of costs and our responsibilities to make sure we have a fully funded healthcare system.

Cheers...

I'd like to see more discussion focused around what level of health care should be provided or guaranteed. Once we establish a base "mimial, safety net" level, then we can have discussion around how to regulate the rest of the industry, and/or provide some 'insurance for all' model.

I'm not ready to sign up and say that any amount of healthcare should be provided to any US citizen without restriction beyond a doctor's prescription. There's a real economic concern that new treatments are approved every year, which give patients & doctors more options, and drive up costs more, and extend peoples lives longer. Those are real things driving exponential cost increase in health care that not a function of "obscene profits" by corporations. By all means, let's regulate the amount of "fat" that our current insurance system adds to total cost, but realistically, that's not going to drive more than a 50% reduction in total costs. I don't believe that doctors or hospitals are making obscene profits. Pharma companies seem to be, but I also recognize there's huge investment in R&D and continued regulatory compliance and I don't claim to understand those costs.

So, then we have the problem of who gets to set those limits? No one likes the model of private health care doing it. Few like the model of the US government doing it (e.g. Medicare). I'm not saying either of those couldn't work, but what's the right way to regulate the costs of health care and the amount of care individuals receive?

look out for each other. However, we have done a terrible thing. We have abrogated our responsibilities to an elite few among us. And they only look out for themselves.

You liberals...I want to be paid for my hard work, I want a say in my government, I want I want I want...

Why can't you just be happy with the tablescraps of the super-wealthy?

"That" person does not make too much for the job, we make far too little.

Republicans have done a good job of turning 'liberal' into a negative. But they had to do it by twisting the the truth and outright lying about it. Now that the reality of how destructive conservative policies are is beginning to show, I think more and more people are beginning to realize that 'liberal' isn't such a bad thing after all. Still a long way to go, though. It's been a struggle since the dawning of the Age of Enlightenment.

except the first one.

I WANT free health care. It would be a huge step along the way to raising the quality of life and productivity of everyone.