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Innuendo muddles the health care debate

Date published: 11/15/2009

Innuendo muddles the health care debate

This is in response to the AP article written by Calvin Woodward titled "Debate omits profit margin" [Oct. 26].

Mr. Woodward asserted that since the health care industry was not making as much profit as some other companies, it was unfair for Congress to pick on them. But that's beside the point.

Like the folks in the forefront of the health care debate, Mr. Woodward totally missed the point. The debate about health care is not about profit. It is about services and the lack thereof.

The truth is, the health care industry makes a lot of profit and rightfully so; it should. But the questions are, do they really provide adequate and affordable services? Can one be denied coverage? Is everyone covered?

Articles like Mr. Woodward's continue to contribute to the lies, misleading information, and innuendoes that have muddled the debate and taken away from the main issues.

Profits in the companies Mr. Woodward cited have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not our nation can provide affordable health coverage to all citizens.

Does it matter whether the railroads, Tupperware, or Hershey makes more profit? How does their profit directly affect the wellness of my family?

Even people who work for those companies still have to pay for medical insurance, so they are just as vulnerable as the rest of us.

I do not have to ride the train or use Tupperware, but my family would have to see a doctor sometime within the year.

Frankly, it is a shame that we are the richest, most powerful, and only industrialized nation in the world that cannot provide health care to all of our citizens.

E. Sam Ekong

Stafford



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Date published: 11/15/2009


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dldenton ... something you need to know from the HuffPost (posted by sacha , Nov. 16, 2009 11:05 am)   
Article 31 of the Iraqi Constitution—made possible by our funding of the Iraq war, and hailed as a victory by the Bush administration—guarantees every Iraqi state-funded health care! The HuffPost goes on to note that most senior members of the Republican establishment - and some Democrats like Max Baucus (D-MT) - have gladly spent more taxpayer funds to ensure health care as a CONSTITUTION RIGHT IN IRAQ than they are willing to spend to give you (Americans) ANY level of guaranteed coverage.

Amazing facts from wikipedia and CNN (posted by sacha , Nov. 16, 2009 10:51 am)   
wiki: "'A recent study found that 62 percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses. Of those who filed for bankruptcy, nearly 80 percent had health insurance." And from CNN: "January 3, 2008 The number of Americans filing for consumer bankruptcy increased by nearly 40 percent in 2007, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. In a report released Thursday, the ABI said that the number of overall consumer bankruptcy filings reached 801,840 in 2007." Do the math ...

tpifos, I'm confused and bewildered by your comment (posted by sacha , Nov. 16, 2009 10:32 am)   
Just how will the estimated 16% of folks in America who are without a job be able to put money into a Health Savings Account? Where's the money come from? And for major medical insurance where do these folks get the money to pay the SUBSTANTIAL deductible? And what happens when you reach your dollar cap? tpifos, your suggestion is just not realistic nor practical.

Entitled (posted by dldenton , Nov. 15, 2009 10:33 am)   
Would it be a shame for your neighbor to refuse to pay your mortgage? Is healt care insurance a right or a priviledge? You and the liberal democrats are attempting to make healthcare a right. To do that, you need and endless supply of money. Unions have demanded this care for decades and it lead to the bankruptcy of the biggest companies in the world. That is where the US is headed. Just look at the debt and that figure does not include social security.

You'd save the most by paying for your own preventive care (posted by tpifos , Nov. 15, 2009 9:02 am)   
out of pocket (ala pre-tax Health Savings account) and getting insurance for major medical like hospitalization. Problem is, everyone sees insurance as an entitlement. Insurance rates are based on risk. Do the math

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