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1. 

   michael said, 4 months ago

   The current employer-based medical insurance system makes money by screwing over sick people. Multiple studies (including this one from Harvard) have shown that the majority of bankruptcies are from people with serious health problems who have health insurance:

   http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/bankruptcy_study.html

   Either you develop a health problem and then can never get health insurance again when you change jobs, or the insurance companies just deny coverage because you’ll be dead before you can sue them.

2. 

   Gary Kleppe said, 4 months ago

   “And when the government is bankrupt?”

   If we went to single-payer/medicare for all, health care could be paid out of a separate fund, the way Social Security is (or rather was before the Reaganites raided it).

3. 

   Bluejayz said, 4 months ago

   The conservatives say they hate big government bureaucrats running our lives, but what’s the difference between a government bureaucrat and a managed care bureaucrat? Answer: The profits and obscene bonuses the insurance company bureaucrats rape (I mean reap.)

   In our present system, profit is more important than people. If you’re ok with that, then let’s keep doing what we’re doing. Now it’s just the common folk (e.g. 90% of America) who’ll soon be bankrupt.

4. 

   vhammon said, 4 months ago

   Gary,
   It was President Johnson that first began presenting a “consolidated” budget that combines the operating fund and restricted funds, masking the fact that the Operating Fund is borrowing all of the surplus collections of the restricted funds. This was to hide the escalating cost of the Vietnam War.

   However, just three Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush I, Bush II/Cheney) went on to run up over 80% of our total national debt of nearly $11 Trillion.

   And…I love the cartoon…it conveys a very important point.

5. 

   dtroutma said, 4 months ago

   The cartoon perfectly sums up my experience with “private” insurance providers. They also substituted their own “generic”, for a completely different drug my doctor prescribed. Slight problem, I was on the record as violently allergic to the drug they insisted on substituting, and it would have killed me. Sure, they’re sooooo much better!

6. 

   deadheadzan said, 4 months ago

   This cartoon nails it.

7. 

   danielsangeo said, 4 months ago

   Concerned_Human: I’ll go with #2.

   But, my biggest question is:

   If the government-option is more expensive and worse, then why would people choose that option? If the government-option is less-expensive and better, then why would they choose another option?

   …..wait, that might be it…

8. 

   DrCanuck said, 4 months ago

   Daniel-san; you have the concept.

9. 

   wittyvegan said, 4 months ago

   First of all: I would ask myself the question: “Why is the government bankrupt?” Could it be starting a 3 trillion war while cutting taxes at the same time?

   Second: The costs for a not-for-profit-system would be paid once. The rest would be paid by the premiums of it members.

   But of course you don’t want to have a (european) system where you simply can go to a hospital without thinking about the costs first: “Can I afford this or should I ‘walk it off’?”

10. 

    PlainBill said, 4 months ago

    It’s a simple question. Do you want good medical care? The Republicans pretend that we currently have the world’s BEST health care system. It’s not; currently the USA has the world’s most EXPENSIVE health care system, and (depending on the standard) about #10 in terms of quality.

    Some people point at the VA as an example of managed care. It’s an example of what happens when a dishonest President gets us into an unnecessary war and then fails to provide sufficient funds to care for the survivors of this and previous wars.

    The fact is that we pay more for poorer care than most ‘First World’ countries. It’s time for a change.