Healthcare reform - Good or Bad?

I'm still on the fence with all of this healthcare discussion. Personally, I think we need to have some sort of universal healthcare safety net in america. On the other hand, I think what was recently passed is probably too huge & complicated. I would have started smaller.

What we really need in america is a basic safety net of care for everyone. Bare bones coverage, in case you get hit by a bus or get cancer. Nothing fancy, no coverage for Viagra or other frills, just the basics. If you want better, you can pay for it.

Universal healthcare is a key part to a civilized society. Even cavemen took care of each other, the sick and elderly were treated with respect and well taken care of. Its disturbing that for decades in america, if you got sick you basically were thrown to the wayside if you didn't have the money to cover it.

Without improving healthcare, the people really hurt are middle class americans. Those who have some savings, maybe are paying off a house, saving for college. They lose their job and insurance, and get sick, and they lose everything. Savings are gone, then they sell the house, the college fund goes, everything. Only when they are completely broke, does the government pitch in to help.

Its not clear to me if the new healthcare bill fixes this or not, but it seems like a step in the right direction at least.

If I had my choice, I'd have started with some form of "unemployment health insurance". Give people at least the peace of mind to know if they lose their job they won't go without some sort of basic coverage. I'd create some sort of "government buyer" to push down the costs of meds. I'm not a big fan of government-run anything, but I would have created a public option. If only to give the health insurance companies some competition. Right now, they have no incentive to reduce costs. When it comes to something like life & death, competition doesn't really work and people pay more and more.

We also need to find way to prevent unnecessary & overpriced care. 20 dollar aspirins need to end. Going for 6 tests every time you go to the doctor needs to end. Doctors need incentives to keep people healthy. Now, they have incentives to keep people sick & medicated. I don't know the answer to that one, but we should find a way to change it.

Either way, at least the democrats are trying to do the right thing. They may have let the power of majority get to their heads, and created a huge monster of a bill, but on the other side the republicans have offered no ideas and only want to point out problems with this and no solutions themselves. As General Chaos always says, if don't have anything useful to say, then just stfu.