Hehe... looking at this thread, I realize that I type too much! I just.. think about this kind of stuff a lot so it pours out of me when the discussion is brought up.

And I get a little testy when there's too much focus on the bad things about candidates. I'm a solid Democrat, but I can even say nice things about the Republican candidates.. There's such a tendency to demonize all politicians and it really makes me sad. Particularly when I think that we've got such a good bunch of people in the running this time around..

Who doesn't have some flaws? Sure, I'm not taking campaign contributions from Big Pharma now.. but I'm also not campaigning and they're not offering!

And to be perfectly honest, I could easily end up working for big pharma one of these days. I'd like to think I'll find something more altruistic, but when it comes down to it, I'm a chemist, the mortgage has to get paid, and for all of Big Pharma's evil.. the companies also make some very inventive and very lifesaving drugs. I'm not trying to downplay the evil.. but there's also some good research being done and I wouldnt be ashamed to contribute to that!

man.. I got all long-winded again, didnt i?.. sorry!

Tam: if healthcare were mandated, they would no longer have the option of charging you extra for pre-existing conditions. A major reason health coverage costs the moon is that it's currently a for-profit enterprise, so they can refuse to cover you if they want or charge you extra. If everyone has health coverage no matter what, that goes away.

In New York State, ANYONE without health insurance automatically gets Medicaid. I'm not sure whether that came in before or after Hilary but I support it, even though it gives insurance carriers more freedom to cut you off if you catch something that costs a lot to treat.

I'm not sure who I'm supporting yet, but I DO know it's NOT Hillary - primarily because of her stance on health care - on mandating INSURANCE, when insurance is the PROBLEM, not the solution.

I'm still researching the other candidates, but rest assured that their stance on this issue will be a big factor in my decision,.

None of them in my opinion.

I honestly do think that both Hilary and Obama are telling us what we want to hear (the opposite of the right) on this subject. Dennis Kucinich seems to the most honest candidate that cares for the people. Obama seems relatively genuine too. I really agree with most of his platform as well as Hillary's (though I know that she is just a business woman). The SAD truth is that no matter what, our country is not quite progressive enough to have an African-American or a woman as President. I don't agree with that, but remember that there is more to the US than California and the Northeast Coast.

Nonetheless, I hope that we see major changes.

1. Kucinich
2. Obama
3. Edwards

i AM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD HAVE STARTED ANOTHER THREAD OR NOT.I WANT / NEED TO VENT ...IS THAT ALL RIGHT??

BEFORE I WENT OUT ON A MEDICAL. I WORKED FOR A HOME CARE COMPANY, MY JOB WAS TO MARKET TO THE DRS IN 400-500 MILE AREA. I HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DRS. AND MOST OF US FEEL THE SAME WAY. THE INSURANCE COMPANY'S ARE DICTATING OUR HEALTH CARE..THIS NEEDS TO STOP RIGHT NOW. HOW MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOU CAN HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND WITH IN 3 DAYS OF BECOMING STABLE YOU ARE RELEASED FROM THE HOSP? WHY BECAUSE INSURANCE REFUSES TO PAY FOR ANY MORE CARE THEN THAT..WHAT IF YOU ARE 70-85 YEARS OLD AND LIVE ALONE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO CARE FOR YOUR SELF? EVEN IF THE DR WANTS TO KEEP YOU IN THE HOPST THEY CAN'T. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.. INSURANCE DICTATES WHAT MEDICATIONS DRS CAN GIVE YOU.. HOW? THEY REFUSE TO PAY FOR IT, AND THEY COST MUCH MORE THEN MOST PEOPLE CAN AFFORD. WHEN EARLY RELEASE FROM HOPS. STARTED, THEY USE TO TELL YOU WE WILL SEND YOU HOME WITH HELP, A NURSE WILL COME AND TAKE CARE OF YOU, SOME ONE WILL HELP YOU BATHE AND YOU WILL HAVE PT. AND OT IN YOUR HOME. WELL NOW THE INSURANCE COMPANY SAYS WE WILL GIVE THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THIS ILLNESS THATS IT. SO NOW THE CASE MANAGER FIGURES OUT HOW MANY VISITS EACH DISCIPLINE WILL GET, AND THE PATIENT SUFFERS,THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY GET LESS VISITS THEN THEY USE TO. WE OF COURSE CAN NOT TELL THEM ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, WE WOULD LOOSE OUR JOBS IF WE DID THAT. SO NOW WE HAVE TELE-MED WHERE VITALS WEIGHT AND BLOOD SUGARS CAN BE TAKEN THREW THE PHONE LINES..IF THERE IS A MAJOR CHANGE OR SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT WE CAN CALL THE PATIENT AND INSTRUCT THEM TO GO TO THE NEAREST ER..SOME WILL GO, MOST WILL NOT. IF YOU ASK ME THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS SYSTEM. THERE ARE MANY DRS. WHO WILL GIVE SAMPLES OF THE VERY COSTLY MEDICATIONS IF THEY ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET THEM FROM THE DRUG REPS. BUT DRS TRY AND SAVE THESE FREE SAMPLES FOR THOSE WHO REALLY NEED THEM..MY OWM INSURANCE HAS BEEN CHANGED, AND NOW THERE ARE OVER 200 MEDICATIONS THAT IT WILL NO LONGER COVER, AND MY CO -PAY HAS BEEN RAISED TO 50.00 DOLLARS FOR EACH MEDICATION.MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE BETTER POLICY IN MICHIGAN THEN THE ONE HIS COMPANY PROVIDES..

WE ARE MIDDLE AGED I NEVER DREAMED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE WEATHER TO BUY OUR MEDICATIONS OR BUY FOOD.. GAS , HAS GONE UP, HEATING COSTS HAVE GONE UP. THE ONLY THINGS LEFT IN OUR CONTROL ARE WEATHER TO EAT AND BUY OUR MEDICATIONS.. I REALLY CAN'T WAIT UNTIL OLD AGE GETS HERE.. NOT SURE WE WILL MAKE IT.. BUT AN EVEN WORSE THOUGHT IS WILL OUR SONS MAKE IT AS FAR AS WE DID.. BOTH ARE COLLEGE EDUCATED, AND NEITHER CAN FIND EMPLOYMENT IN THEIR FIELD OF CHOICE... YET WE CONTINUE TO SINK BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN IRAQ FOR THE OIL, WHY DOES THE OIL SUDDENLY COST SO MUCH MORE THEN IT DID??? THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT....

I have just seen my dr yesterday. not much time for details right now. but he told me hillary will ruin our health as we know it now, and plan will not work...

I just need to clarify something for TamMal. Hillary doesn't want universal health insurance, she wants an enormous government run universal healthCARE program.
Mitt Romney mandated when he was governor of Massachusetts that everyone have PRIVATE health ins. And aid was provided to those who couldn't afford it (it still wasn't free) and it worked. The state had less expense than it did with it's old medicaid program and everyone had health insurance.

Hillary, if it wasn't for the Clintons we wouldn't have the Cobra policies that are currently in force. I can't get insurance either due to all of my medical issues, we really need reform.

Well, Edwards/Clinton have a good grasp on healthcare reform. But, they still have not addressed the fact that the drug companies can hold/rob the american public. Or, the fact that medical care keeps climbing steadily upward. They (the government)needs to regulate these two facts more strictly.

There is no one entity to blame for the state of healthcare in this country. It's the insurance companies, it's the doctors and the meds they order, it's the drug companies that market to the physicians, and it is the public for watching those stupid ads on TV and then asking for that particular drug. As there is no one entity to blame, and we are a society that loves to blame others, there is also no one entity that can fix the system. As an ICU nurse, I'd like to scrap the whole system. I don't have the answers. But whoever you vote for, make sure they are going to spend our money in the right places, no matter where that place is for you.

Hilary has my vote too but I like the Clinton/Edwards ticket! I think they should raise the price of cigarettes even though I do smoke, raise the price of booze and put a health tax on all junk food. If they also didn't send anyone to the moon for a year or two they would have the money to provide coverage for everyone - even the ones that have insurance need help with the copays and % not covered. My gall bladder surgery even with insurance still cost me almost 5,000 I can't afford that - Med bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the USA and it absolutely is not fair to hard working Americans. I lived in Canada for a long time so have seen both sides of the fence - I found the health care offered in Canada to be very good - I would be so happy with the same level of care in the USA. I just hope I live to see it.

Hi all! New here...I also chose Hilary for health care reform...It is a large task and I feel that, at least thus far, she has addressed these issues in the most coherent way

Hilary is a socialist, and therefore wants socialist medicine. It will not work. Do yourselves a favor and vote republican. Its the only answer