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Iran says it's 'completely ready for war' after US official confirms it shot down American drone
In a major provocation, Iran shot down an unarmed and unmanned U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone while it was flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The incident is sure to trigger serious discussions within the Trump administration about how to respond to a direct attack on a U.S. military asset that goes beyond recent attacks in the Middle East that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.
Gulf crisis: US confirms drone was shot down by Iranian missile
A US military surveillance drone has been shot down by Iranian forces while flying over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the drone had violated Iranian airspace. But US military said it had been over international waters. IRGC commander-in-chief Maj-Gen Hossein Salami said the downing of the drone sent a "clear message to America" that Iran's borders were its "red line".
It comes at a time of escalating tension between the US and Iran. On Monday, the US defence department said it was deploying 1,000 extra troops to the region in response to "hostile behaviour" by Iranian forces. The US has also accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers with mines last Thursday just outside the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman. Iran rejects the allegation.
Previously: Two Oil Tankers Attacked, US Blames Iran
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @04:07PM (18 children)
I dunno if single payer would be better... but obamacare and the slightly better health insurance situation that existed before obamacare are both far worse than no health insurance at all.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @04:14PM (12 children)
Granted it's anecdotal, but I pay ~$250/month *less* for health insurance with a lower deductible than before the ACA went into effect.
What's more, I did the math and I come out *ahead* every year in terms of health care expenditures with the insurance I buy.
Then again, I'm over 50 and have colon cancer in my family, so I need regular colonoscopies. I've also needed spine surgery, physical therapy and other medical services.
If you're under 40 and pretty healthy (I almost never went to the doctor before I was 45), self-pay might be a good idea. However, if you're in a car accident and need multiple surgeries, long-term care, lots of rehab and ongoing medical services and drugs, being self-pay will likely put you into bankruptcy pretty quick.
Single-payer would do away with all those issues. I hope you don't get severely injured in an accident, friend.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @04:43PM (9 children)
This isn't the right comparison at all. You need to compare to self-pay. Think about saving hundreds and then thousands of dollars per year every year for 45 years and putting it in the stock market instead. How much would you have to pay medical expenses? You did the wrong math.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @04:47PM (1 child)
Same AC. In 1975 the S&P 500 was at about 100. Today it is at ~3,000. A 300x increase.
I'm sure insurance premiums have been rising too at the same time so lets just say you paid $100 in 1975 for health insurance when you didn't need it. Just that first year you paid the insurance company would have instead given you $30k for medical expenses when you needed it today.
People refuse to accept the scale of this scam.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @04:49PM
Sorry, 30x increase -> $3k.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @05:20PM (6 children)
Think about being in the second year of your wonderful savings plan and then you're diagnosed with brain cancer. Such things happen. Now who did the wrong math?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @05:43PM (5 children)
Whoever didn't do the proper risk-benefit did the wrong math. I assure you that is not the insurance company.
I fell and got a concussion a few years ago with obviously an associated skull fracture because I got a black eye a few days later. Guess what, I happened to have studied brain injury at a graduate level, I did a little more research, and verified that nothing had changed. There was nothing they could do beyond let me heal.
If I went to the doctor I'm sure they would have charged $100k for all the useless scans and crap they would do.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @05:46PM
And also, in case you are worrying this brain injury has caused some sort of life problems for me... it is the opposite. I am much better off now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @10:22PM (3 children)
The plural of anecdote is not data. I didn't ask what if you got an uncomplicated concussion that didn't require treatment. One MRI should have revealed that. Better question: How about instead of a concussion you got a full on subdural bleed from your fall that didn't stop. Again I ask: Where's your magnificent calculations in such a situation? How much do you think you would have owed a neurosurgeon to evacuate the bleed and repair the artery, and again what if that happened in year two of your savings plan?
Now let's go back to my first question: What happens if you get brain cancer and you only have one year of your premiums saved up as your health reserve? Hope you like dying!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 21 2019, @12:05AM (2 children)
Well, then shit happens. Thats life. Btw, I don't really have much faith in the healthcare system to begin with, so don't trust them to do much more than make me poor for the most part anyway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 21 2019, @02:43PM (1 child)
Yes, shit happens. But no, you won't necessarily just be sent away or denied care. Instead your physician will eat some of the cost of your care. The hospital will write off part of your expenses. The public will pay for some of the cost of your care. All of us who pay for our insurance will eat the cost of your care in the way of increased premiums and taxes. Life would be easier if we didn't give a damn about you and just say, "well, tough shit now go away and die." But since we're not going to do that because we're people and not animal, and since when that day comes you will not just keep to yourself but instead beg for any help available to keep you breathing, then we're perfectly within our rights to not give a shit if you don't want insurance and penalize you for not taking the steps that the rest of us do so that we won't be a burden on you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 21 2019, @07:23PM
You ignore the part I don't want most of this "care" they have to offer. And second, I've looked at the data. The expenses you complain about are rounding errors. All the money is spent on old people with chronic conditions on like a dozen medications they probably would be better off without.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @08:47PM (1 child)
$250 a month on health care? That's insane!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @10:08PM
No. that's $250/month *less* than I was paying.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @06:56PM (4 children)
Slightly better before, huh? Dude, do you just not care about the tens of millions of people who had no health insurance before the ACA and couldn't afford healthcare at all? Does that simply not matter, or is it all good because some people had health insurance?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @07:25PM
The tens of millions of people not being scammed, who then got scammed? I can tell you are very concerned about that "problem".
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Friday June 21 2019, @05:37AM (2 children)
Under Trumpcare, EVERY AMERICAN will have access to Medical Care!!!!
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Friday June 21 2019, @05:50AM (1 child)
When, exactly?
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Friday June 21 2019, @06:12AM
When 117th. Congress meets. That one starts in January, 2021. HUGE Republican majorities in the House & Senate. Trust me, they're going to pass a beautiful new HealthCare bill. Get ready!!!!