<DIV>Ralph,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Universal Health Care, and Universal Health Coverage are two totally different things. Forcing people to buy health insurance doesn't cure anybody, it just makes doctors and insurance companies even wealthier than they are.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am 100% against forced health insurance purchasing, because it will not help the poor and will just be another tax benefiting the rich while hurting the poor.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The problem is not how can we pay for a $60 band-aid, but rather, why we cannot reduce the cost of the band-aid to 60 cents, or even $6.00. If you bring down the cost of the band-aid, the middle class can afford health insurance and charity can afford to cover the poor. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>Ralph Nielsen <nielsen@uidaho.edu></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px;
MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">I thought it was a very informative program in that it covered a <BR>variety of systems for universal coverage. Unfortunately, most <BR>Americans seem to have been indoctrinated with the idea the universal <BR>health insurance is "socialized medicine," and therefore to be <BR>avoided like poison A couple of months ago a repairman at my house <BR>used that term with an air of dislike. So I asked hem what he meant <BR>by that term. He replied that it means that all doctors will be <BR>working for the government.<BR><BR>So I told him about my Canadian brother, who is a self-made <BR>millionaire, and lives in the Okanagan Valley, just north of the <BR>Washington border. About a year ago he had a hip replacement. He had <BR>to wait less than a month because he was willing to go to a younger <BR>doctor instead of an older, more popular one. Most Canadian doctors <BR>do not work for the government, they work for themselves. Only
the <BR>insurance is paid by the government, like our Medicare, and ALL <BR>residents are covered, not just the rich, as down here. This is paid <BR>for by income taxes, which, of course, are based on ability to pay, <BR>and everybody is covered, regardless of income.<BR><BR>Last month there was a provincial election in Alberta, where the <BR>Conservative Party has been in power for 37 years. In February they <BR>called for a provincial election on March 3. I listened on my <BR>internet radio to a 2-hour debate between the party leaders: <BR>Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic (like the British Labour <BR>Party), and a small new party called the Alberta Wild Rose Party, <BR>which sounded like dogmatic libertarians. There were frequent <BR>questions about problems with health care but no one, not even the <BR>libertarian, proposed that their "socialized" medicine be scrapped <BR>and Alberta return to the old American-style system they had before. <BR>In fact, it was the
Conservatives who had set it up in the first place!<BR><BR>Later, on March 3, the Conservatives were not only returned to power; <BR>they gained 11 new seats! Wouldn't it be nice if our conservatives <BR>learned something from the Province of Alberta?<BR><BR>Ralph Nielsen<BR><BR><BR>Saundra Lund sslund_2007 at verizon.net<BR>Thu Apr 17 13:41:57 PDT 2008<BR><BR>I'm wondering if anyone cares to share any comments about Frontline's <BR>"Sick<BR>Around the World"? For those interested but who perhaps missed the <BR>show,<BR>you can watch it online at:<BR><BR>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/<BR><BR>I'll start out by stirring the pot a bit J<BR><BR>After watching the show and looking into things further, I'm personally<BR>convinced that neither Clinton's nor Obama's health care proposals are<BR>adequate, but I'm far more supportive of Clinton's plan than Obama's.<BR>Affordable universal health care coverage (considered a basic human <BR>right<BR>even
in Switzerland) mandates that all actually have coverage, something<BR>Obama's plan neglects.<BR><BR>Health care is likely to be a litmus test of sorts for me between two <BR>very<BR>similar (IMHO) candidates in the upcoming election because we're long<BR>overdue to address the unconscionable and deplorable state of health <BR>care<BR>access and affordability in this country.<BR><BR>Saundra Lund<BR><BR>Moscow, ID<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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