Comments on: The Spectre of Socialism http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/ Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:16:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: steve Hall http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/comment-page-1/#comment-3496 steve Hall Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:58:19 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=1444#comment-3496 As an American, I think our medical system needs reform. But the reform needs to include torte reform so it will be harder to sue doctors for trivial things and therefore stop and reverse the premiums for the insurance they must carry. It also needs to include insurance companies not denying to cover people because of pre-existing conditions. More competition will drive down costs as well. What I object to is government taking over the system and rationing health care getting worse. The government already has screwed up Medicaid, social security and welfare. So why would I want them to further ruin healthcare? Government has never to my knowledge improved anything. I have heard too many horror stories from folks that live under government controlled health care. Why do Canadians and Brits by the thousands come here to the U.S. for their health care needs? As an American, I think our medical system needs reform. But the reform needs to include torte reform so it will be harder to sue doctors for trivial things and therefore stop and reverse the premiums for the insurance they must carry. It also needs to include insurance companies not denying to cover people because of pre-existing conditions. More competition will drive down costs as well. What I object to is government taking over the system and rationing health care getting worse. The government already has screwed up Medicaid, social security and welfare. So why would I want them to further ruin healthcare? Government has never to my knowledge improved anything.

I have heard too many horror stories from folks that live under government controlled health care. Why do Canadians and Brits by the thousands come here to the U.S. for their health care needs?

]]> By: Drew http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/comment-page-1/#comment-3493 Drew Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:01:17 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=1444#comment-3493 Hi Luke... I'm sorry you had such a frightening, infuriating experience. I hope your niece has fully recovered (and your foot). The system at Waitakere Hospital certainly needs a good boot in the backside - if not the glass door! Although your experience was inexcusable and although one hears too many similar stories - we shouldn't write off our entire health system as a joke. For every spectacular failure, thousands of people are successfully treated, receiving excellent subsidized or free care. I've had numerous encounters with our health system, personally, with my aged parents and my children. On the vast majority of occasions the service has been excellent and the medical personnel, hard working, friendly and helpful. However my article wasn't intended to defend our kiwi health system but to draw attention to the fact that millions of people in the USA are being denied medical care by an expensive, unfair system which obviously and urgently needs reform and the fact that the opponents of this reform are using all manner of dirty tricks to protect their vested interests. They say the first casualty of war is the truth and in this battle the opponents of health care reform have quickly resorted to fear generating lies. Currently in our country there are similar lies being propagated about the cost of carbon emission control. Rather than being swayed by misleading statements from the likes of Nick Smith or shallow, lazy media reporting, we all need read widely, reason wisely and become well informed. Hi Luke… I’m sorry you had such a frightening, infuriating experience. I hope your niece has fully recovered (and your foot). The system at Waitakere Hospital certainly needs a good boot in the backside – if not the glass door!

Although your experience was inexcusable and although one hears too many similar stories – we shouldn’t write off our entire health system as a joke. For every spectacular failure, thousands of people are successfully treated, receiving excellent subsidized or free care.

I’ve had numerous encounters with our health system, personally, with my aged parents and my children. On the vast majority of occasions the service has been excellent and the medical personnel, hard working, friendly and helpful.

However my article wasn’t intended to defend our kiwi health system but to draw attention to the fact that millions of people in the USA are being denied medical care by an expensive, unfair system which obviously and urgently needs reform and the fact that the opponents of this reform are using all manner of dirty tricks to protect their vested interests.

They say the first casualty of war is the truth and in this battle the opponents of health care reform have quickly resorted to fear generating lies.

Currently in our country there are similar lies being propagated about the cost of carbon emission control. Rather than being swayed by misleading statements from the likes of Nick Smith or shallow, lazy media reporting, we all need read widely, reason wisely and become well informed.

]]> By: Debbie K http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/comment-page-1/#comment-3491 Debbie K Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:53:42 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=1444#comment-3491 Brilliant stuff! I wish NZ people who don't understand how good our system is, would read it as well.. My son is a nurse on the Cardiothoracic ward in Wellington. Despite that they're understaffed, the unit is one of the best in the world. Debbie Brilliant stuff! I wish NZ people who don’t understand how good our system is, would read it as well..
My son is a nurse on the Cardiothoracic ward in Wellington. Despite that they’re understaffed, the unit is one of the best in the world.

Debbie

]]> By: Luke http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/comment-page-1/#comment-3490 Luke Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:32:42 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=1444#comment-3490 "You may have experienced some frustrations with our health service and certainly it has flaws but overall we are extremely fortunate." Our health system is a joke mate, have a look at this story of what I experienced last night... http://lukewebster.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/waitakere-hospital/ Reform is needed in our health system to sort out the rubbish like that I experienced last night. It could have quite easily cost a life. “You may have experienced some frustrations with our health service and certainly it has flaws but overall we are extremely fortunate.”

Our health system is a joke mate, have a look at this story of what I experienced last night…

http://lukewebster.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/waitakere-hospital/

Reform is needed in our health system to sort out the rubbish like that I experienced last night. It could have quite easily cost a life.

]]> By: Dan Martin http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/08/the-spectre-of-socialism/comment-page-1/#comment-3488 Dan Martin Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:27:14 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=1444#comment-3488 As an American I wish my fellow Americans would listen to your well-reasoned thoughts, but they won't...not enough of them at least. Thanks for writing anyway. As an American I wish my fellow Americans would listen to your well-reasoned thoughts, but they won’t…not enough of them at least. Thanks for writing anyway.

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