to wonder why any American's are against Obamacare?

[lowfatiscrap12]

Please, if you're an American, or if you're not American, tell me.
It's driving me insane.
What's wrong with proper healthcare for everyone?
I've got a few American's on Facebook, who happen to live in trailers, so not wealthy people, and you'd imagine they'd be more supportive of Obamacare than anyone.
I don't get it.
What's the problem?
Why would anyone want to keep the current system where one illness can bankrupt a family?

I work in a very NHS-related company (we are a dreaded QUANGO, due to be bonfired). Its not prefect. There is an awful lot of wastage in the NHS. My hubby, mum and SIL, all work for am ambulance service. They see an awful lot of timewasters and watertakers.

I deal with stats a lot. The UK spends less and gets more out of its healthcare service than the US. Its simple facts. As a country, we pay less, and have a much better standard of overall public health. Trying to compare the two systems is like comparing apples and oranges.

I have a friend in Memphis who has cancer. She doesn't have long left. She lost her job because she was too sick to work. It breaks my heart to hear her choosing which treatments she can afford to have.

I gad a friend in the UK, clean living, never smoked, didn't drink particularly, exercised regularly, very clever, studying heart-related illness and developing new drugs to save lives. She died of cancer, but she never had to choose which treatments she had on the basis of cost.

The problem is the invisible care that we ALL receive thanks to the NHS receives a our taxation system. Free vaccinations, birth control, disease control, health visitors for young children, the school nurse, subsidised eye care, dental care. We take them for granted, but they cost millions to provide and save us billions in return.

We don't even see half the things that we receive, free if charge or very cheaply. No, the NHS isn't perfect, but its way better than the alternative, and why any country wouldn't aspire to a similar model is completely beyond me.

Also, maternity care in the US is very good.

Then why is maternal mortality so high, for a western country that is?

Wonderfully put, Anita.

The problem with US healthcare is that it's so incredibly variable; too many people have no cover, most people have to pick & choose what their insurance will pay for, others (like my parents, who work for local govt) can get anything you could get on NHS without having to think about the cost behind it. A rich minority can access the most cutting edge treatment. There's no social equity in the quality of provision.

That's why maternal statistics are so bad considering what a rich country it is.

The lack of financial incentive in the NHS makes a big difference to how you are treated, you can be treated for your benefit not the drug companies profit

I've done a bit of reading since obamacare was passed and I can see why even supporters of universal healthcare aren't keen.

It does pretty much nothing to address the costs and insurance company practises and instead makes it mandatory for everybody to purchase insurance otherwise face a tax penalty (remembering all Americans file a yearly tax return). The preexisting conditions is a small victory as insurance providers can no longer refuse cover based on this, but there are no caps on what they can charge. Apparently the insurance companies were very much involved with drafting the bill

In practice people may be forced to buy a policy for the sake of it that will have very little benefit for them. For example at the moment an uninsured person will take their chances with a medical bill cropping up and work out payment directly with the provider as needed. Now they'll be forced to pay for a policy and face paying out a potentially high deductable. Both still run the risk of bankruptcy in the right circumstances, but now people will have to pay a monthly fee for the pleasure of been in that risk group.

I've also seen some individual comments worrying about shortages of services once everyone is insured - surely that points to a massive inequality existing currently? I'm kind of amazed that the same people commenting on this were ever comfortable with that in the first place.

I read the links I was given by Want2be
my sister is not classed as disabled - because she has HAD her transplant and no longer has renal failure.
So the second she gets a job she loses Medicare
and as her new employer's insurance would not cover the pre existing condition, then SHE would have to pay for her drugs (and the cheap one is still around $18,000 a year) for the rest of her life.
If that is not a benefits trap, I don't know what is.

Access to healthcare SHOULD NEVER be a constraint on employment.
In the USA it is THE constraint on employment - people put up with shitty jobs just to get access to doctors for them and their families.
The "American Dream".

I'll stick to living in the UK thankyou.