The Financial Crisis Support Group

I admit, as a senior citizen, that I am puzzled by the outcry from so many of my peers. I realize that they say that we have worked hard for it all our lives, which is true for most but not all,
but the BIG problem I have is that in their anger, they are excluding the people (younger, uninsured generation) that are working to pay for what we now have.

Could they be listening to people on the TV that have their agenda that is propelled by who really knows and not asking the right questions at these town meetings. I personally have found double billings, inaccuracies in items on hospital submissions to medicare and I resent the heck out of it because I know that it will bring us all eventually to a healthcare crisis.

Everyone that is assisted by the federal government in ANY way regarding healthcare (medicare, medicaid, VA, etc.) should all be caretakers of the system and try to help get this crisis resolved where we can be fair to all.

Call it socialism or whatever, I don't care. I call it concern for all.

I was an employer for 30 years, no not a corporate giant, more like a small biz midget, no offense little people! greed, rape, screwed and wrapped up with a laugh!!! how does this forward the debate???? as a small business we made it top priority to provide a health care plan for the employees. yes there are MANY problems currently with red tape, non of which can NOT be solved. Profit is not a dirty word. how about: ONE step at a time.......makes it a whole lot easier to take that second step. some calm and reason, maybe some logic thrown in, the fact is we will NEVER have EVERYONE covered, just reality!!!

onebih, You just bumped right up against my past life. My husband and I were a small biz owner also. we furnished 100%health coverage for a few years and then as the Corporate greed, as faithful777 mentioned, started kicking in.
Drug companies raised cost of drugs, HMO and PPO raised rates, copays to the insurance increased and our product prices could only increase minimally so guess who got caught in the squeeze.

Our employees..... We could no longer pay 100% of healthcare costs and then the insurance companies raised the cost of families coverage and the employees could not pay the HIGH cost.

There is something wrong with this picture and It damn well starts with greed at the top and the bottom of the heap gets the fallout.

I have been in the "small" corporate world and yes, it would help if greed was checked at the door until this mess is sorted out.

I am not so naive to believe that all will be covered but saying it can't be done is indeed not getting it done.

yes pearl, correct you are, I know better... never say never! to clairfy, there are some that will simply choose to stay out of the system, others???
are their some first steps that can be taken before the "entire" system is overhauled? I believe there are. I have heard many ideas that have not made it into the mainstream ongoing conversation. It is the leaders job to communicate.
yes providing health insurance was getting more difficult, some would say impossible. change is necessary, common sense should be mandatory. The goverment has not provided a lot of successful examples of effiency. our goverment should set some standards, provide some incentives, reduce fraud, but let the market and competition drive our health care. not a health "Czar" or a group of people that will not be using the same coverage.
sheesh, keeping a reply short on this issue is becomming difficult.

I have news for you faithful...the "50 million" are not the "have nots"...they are the "I have some, but too much to get medicaid, and not enough to afford insurance premium'sss"

Illegal aliens have "universal healthcare", they are never denied care, the poor have it (medicaid) the elderly have it (medicare which they paid into for a lifetime)...

Such BS about the have's and the have nots....

It is now and always shall be the middle to lower middle class that aren't represented...the majority of our population.

and believe me, Pharma and all the other folks that are on board with this Health Care fiasco, will support the administration's healthcare, as they are currently doing (I guess they've decided to "rape Americans" using the left this time...)

...but will def jump to whatever "side" they know will make them money...

I suppose it how you define "have and have nots". I think it is pretty clear who the have's are. I am a "have" in that I now have medicare and a supplemental that covers my healthcare needs and believe me I am grateful that I was able to work past age 65 and have medicare available.

I define "have nots" as the millions of 20/30/40 year olds that are trying to raise a young family and can provide the necessities of life such as shelter, clothing, food but just cannot manage the premiums for the medical insurance. Dental and vision is even farther away.

As a business owner, I had to contend with spiraling medical costs and finally just had to back away because I could no longer help those "have nots" that were our employees.

Those are the "have nots" that should be considered, not the illegals that come across our border everyday and are afforded medical care that the "have nots only can wish for but are told "Sorry, you make too much money for assistance"

I should have a proposal if I am going to complain but the honest truth is that I just may not have enough time see the powers that be "unring this bell".

I think it is because it it 'ain't happening to them, they ain't worried".

thanks for your input everyone. let's just see how this all plays out. let's see if divide and conquer will win the day.

maybe they can hammer out a way so that everyone has affordable health care, small businesses have affordable plans for their employees, and the medical profession can still reap acceptable profits.

i'm just glad that they are at least trying to tackle this problem.

faithful;
Since I heard on the news this week that concessions were being made by the administration in order to get passage of legislation for health care 'insurance' reform, I've begun to wonder if it can actually be done or not, especially in light of the huge attack campaign.

How much corporate power can the Obama administration take on ?

The 'system' was able to elect a new administration (to my surprise because my vote never counted before) after decades of corporate run leadership, but can this administration representing the people actually halter that raging corporate bull?

My big question is not just how powerful is the administration, but how powerful are we the American people?

All we see is the anger and stupidity, just like in recent guns in bars legislation.
I don't know if any one is watching, but we are in the 8'th month and not near through the 3'rd quarter yet, and we are approaching 80 bank failures and every friday the list grows longer. A few regionals individually racked up billions for the DIC fund. Last fridays entries alone totaled nearly 5 'B'illion, and one bank alone in Florida actually hit that mark a couple months ago.
The market rallies and the price of crude is manipulated higher by the week.

Will we see health 'insurance' reform ? Or will corporate greed resolve itself and the health care system collapse right along with it?

Good post faithful. Tom S. in Tn.

Tom, I see it this way: The eight years of Bush Jr. swung us very right of center. We became imperialistic in our unjust declaration of war against Iraq. I saw right through the "link to terrorisim lie." I thought, whatever happened to the Monroe Doctrine? Bush blew tons of money on the war machine when that money should have went to domestic programs like job creation, education, health care, and stop smoking campaigns. we needed those things because the American people were losing their edge in the world competition.

So, Obama inherited a fiasco. The banking system had raped the people. The Fed just had to know what was going on and looked the other way. This country was on the brink (and still is). Obama had to bail out the banks. His health care program is sorely needed to help the uninsured and underinsured survive and be viable contributors to this economy.

The problem as I see it is that both Presidents went too far. Both Bush and Obama are spend thrifts. One spends on hawkish things while the other spends on dovish things.

The corporations are the big winners. There is so much competition for jobs, that they are holding the cards. Many don't even hire people any more. They hire temps and contractors to avoid paying health care and other fringes.

Somehow, as individuals and families, we have to find the best ways to maneuver these rough waters. This is not the time for us to be divided with our neighbors who may have a different political persuasion. This is about the survival and success of our cities, our states, and our country. We have to make the government, somehow, be cost-effective and have a balanced budget. And, we have to rein in our corporations.

If this was the 60's, the young generation would be protesting. But, our modern kids have no visionary leaders. It is a tragedy.

I recommend reading a book called "The World Is Flat." That book opened my eyes to the big changes in American society beginning in the year 2000.

Thanks again everyone for your comments to this thread. This is a great discussion group.