As the days go by our hard won freedoms and liberty are slowly being eroded. In Europe a crushing blow has been made to freedom of speech with a European Court of Human Rights upholding a conviction for saying that the person known as Muhammad ten centuries ago was technically a paedophile based on information in historical texts. The statement was made in reference to Muhammad's marriage to a six year old child name called Aisha. The court found that “Presenting objects of religious worship in a provocative way capable of hurting the feelings of the followers of that religion could be conceived as a malicious violation of the spirit of tolerance, which was one of the bases of a democratic society.”. In giving its ruling that "Muhammad was not a worthy subject of worship" the court has additionally demonstrated a complete misunderstanding as to the religion involved which worships "Allah", a word meaning 'God', not 'Muhammad' who claimed to be a prophet of this god. Freedom of speech is dying.
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @06:23PM (7 children)
You still need money to go to a local family doctor, which the poor often don't have. And local family doctors don't usually do major surgeries, which cost more than a poor person can possibly afford.
Healthcare is indeed a basic need, and that's why I have no issue with governments ensuring that everyone has access to it without going bankrupt or dying from preventable causes, much in the same way that governments can build roads, bridges, and so on.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @06:56PM (3 children)
The "sticker price" healthcare is inflated beyond all reason by government meddling and insurance scams. Before you pay for anything make sure you first go to at least one place and tell them you are uninsured to get the real price (usually 10-50% of the supposed price). Keep in mind that once they know you have insurance its illegal for them to charge you the real price...
http://selfpaypatient.com/2014/01/03/insured-patients-can-save-money-by-pretending-to-be-uninsured/ [selfpaypatient.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chargemaster [wikipedia.org]
So if you are worried about the poor having access to healthcare, more insurance and more government is the opposite of what you should want.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @08:23PM (1 child)
I don't want more insurance. I want a system that has been proven to work better in every other first world country: Single-payer healthcare. Even if we generously assume a situation where governments and corporations are out of the picture, and even if that brought costs down substantially, poor people would still have trouble paying for healthcare because it will never be totally free. I really don't see how this is all too different from using tax dollars to provide roads, bridges, military, police, firefighters, etc.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday November 13 2018, @08:54PM
Yup. Better in every way.
That's because it's exactly the same.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 14 2018, @12:35AM
Not this shit again.
lol! Do these places exist outside of California?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday November 13 2018, @10:14PM (2 children)
That only applies in some countries.. Free health care is a thing, in many places.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Wednesday November 14 2018, @02:30AM (1 child)
Nothing of monetary value is free. I mean, it's a pretty simple concept. Someone pays. Using the government to force someone to pay your medical expenses under the threat of jailing them (taxes) may be "free" to you, but it isn't free healthcare.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday November 14 2018, @03:00AM
Here's the kicker - even people who don't pay tax get free health care.
If your arguement is "user pays" vs "pooled payments with government oversight" (ie, tax), then fine, you are welcome to your weird insurer-rules mess. I'll pay tax for roads, schools, and healthcare. Makes for a nicer place to live.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex