Forced health insurance

lucky8

Expert Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Posts
3,623
Media
0
Likes
187
Points
193
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
Those show great distribution of medical advances, to be sure.
But so many of them are old.
The discovery of penicillin, for example ... goes back to 1928.
I was curious more about who's making the cutting-edge discoveries right now.
Aspirin ... hard to nail down its exact history, but you could say the Bayer company first produced something like the modern product in the final years of the 19th century ... though Hippocrates was using the bark and leaves of the willow tree for pain suppression back in the 4th century BC.
The UK epidemiologist A.B. Hill first conceived of proper clinical trials six decades ago or so.
The Andalusian physician Abu Al-Qasim al-Zahrawi performed the first surgical operations a millennium ago.
There are also much more recent discoveries mentioned, such as Viagra.

What I'm curious about is: Which nation is producing the greatest number of medical inventions right now?
In the past five years, for example, how are medical patents distributed?

As far as biotech goes, Scientific American ranks countries by 5 criteria.
worldVIEW: Scorecard
I don't know if intellectual property is the best measure of innovation though. There are tons of patents filed that are never used, and many more that aren't that vital. I don't think patents for drugs for Restless Leg Syndrome are really medically motivated...
 

ConanTheBarber

Legendary Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2011
Posts
5,306
Media
0
Likes
2,087
Points
258
Sexuality
No Response
Gender
Male
As far as biotech goes, Scientific American ranks countries by 5 criteria.
worldVIEW: Scorecard

Interesting.

It appears that the U.S. is still on top of biotech, but it's margin is narrow:
As in the 2009 and 2010 Scientific American Worldview Scorecards, the U.S. landed at the top of the list in overall innovation. Nonetheless, the U.S. only received the top score for two of the five categories: IP and Education/Workforce ....
Here is a brief summary of results:
The top five countries are the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Canada and Australia. Notably, Switzerland and Finland scored within fractions of a point of placing fifth themselves.​
I don't know if intellectual property is the best measure of innovation though. There are tons of patents filed that are never used, and many more that aren't that vital.

I think they would be quite significant.
However, if one only had info about biotech advances, as here, you would have to wonder whether the lay of the land was similar or quite different in other sectors.

I admit that, while this generally matches my presuppositions, the U.S. lead is narrower than I expected.

I don't think patents for drugs for Restless Leg Syndrome are really medically motivated...

I wonder why not?
It's a neurological problem that can lead to severe sleep disruption and impairment of quality of life.
I admit it sounds like nothing ... almost like an imaginary problem.
Usually doesn't start much before age 40, so you're mercifully exempt.
For the moment.
Bwahahaha.
 

Bbucko

Cherished Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Posts
7,232
Media
8
Likes
322
Points
208
Location
Sunny SoFla
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
The chances of this plan standing "as is" is virtually nil. What was passed without doubt was a disaster. The same was the case in 1965 when the original medicare was passed and it didn't work either. Over time it was fixed and it is now a lifeline for all in old age and when insurance companies have in the past had the right to simply deny coverage.

I have a 24 year old Son. My Son, because of cancer of the tongue right now is virtually not insurable under any circumstances because of this. He is a cancer survivor at age 24.

In the end, like it or not this is going to evolve into a single pay system and then there will be optional extra coverage for the idle rich which buys you luxury when you're ill. That will be what the current coverage evolves into.

They had to start somewhere and it was and still is a disaster. This disaster will force all of it back to the table where the problems will eventually be ironed out.

I want to watch a Court Judge tell an unemployed Father of 5 that he is going to have to buy health insurance with zero assets. It is not going to happen as it now stands and the ability to force a private individual to purchase a commercial product is again a farce.

This will go "bye-bye" and then the negotiations for something that will work will begin again. All that was passed was a framework for some kind of national health care plan everything right now is GOP scare tactics because they want people to think that the existing disaster is going to actually "stick" which it won't.

There's a wonderful part of the ACA (which has allowed me to get private insurance again) called the Pr-Existing Insurance Program. You can locate it on the web through PCIP.gov.

Your son is most definitely insurable.
 

lucky8

Expert Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Posts
3,623
Media
0
Likes
187
Points
193
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
You were not right about anything in the entire post. Look like you were just trying to cause trouble.

Nice to know you know nothing about the policies you support. The American Standard. Point out where I'm wrong and I'll kill the thread.
 

Attachments

lucky8

Expert Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Posts
3,623
Media
0
Likes
187
Points
193
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
Drive-by snipes. Sign of last resort. No one has any answers. Lovin' it (although I do wish someone had thought of this before ramming this bill through)
 

azbjbilly

Experimental Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2011
Posts
193
Media
3
Likes
6
Points
53
Location
phoenix
Sexuality
100% Gay, 0% Straight
Gender
Male
What is the matter with morons who are opposed to "mandatory" health insurance? Health CARE (not insurance) should be a right, far more precious than anything like that fucking stupid misread SECOND AMENDMENT.

Every major industrialized nation (which the U.S. is not) in the world has a government supplied health care program. Look at where the U.S. ranks in terms of health care. Pretty fucking sad.

It seems like a tidal wave of fucking stupidity has washed over the people in this country. It's either something in all our genetically modified food, or it's the constant exposure to a Reich wing neo-con media machine.
 

gymfresh

Expert Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Posts
1,633
Media
20
Likes
154
Points
383
Location
Rodinia
Verification
View
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
Drive-by snipes. Sign of last resort. No one has any answers. Lovin' it (although I do wish someone had thought of this before ramming this bill through)

Instead of panicking or lashing out, have you even bothered to visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website? The government is trying its best to make all this information clear and available to all.

Timeline of the Affordable Care Act | HealthCare.gov

Click on the second box in 2014 on the timeline. There's an answer to your concern:

"Under the new law, most individuals who can afford it will be required to obtain basic health insurance coverage or pay a fee to help offset the costs of caring for uninsured Americans. If affordable coverage is not available to an individual, he or she will be eligible for an exemption."

They're referring to an exemption to pay the full premium, or in some cases any of the premium -- not an exemption from participation. Gosh, the US Affordable Care Act sounds a lot like the new Netherlands health system that went into effect 6 years ago. And it works.

Health care in the Netherlands - Wikipedia
 

Klingsor

Worshipped Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Posts
10,888
Media
4
Likes
11,638
Points
293
Location
Champaign (Illinois, United States)
Sexuality
80% Straight, 20% Gay
Gender
Male
What is the matter with morons who are opposed to "mandatory" health insurance? Health CARE (not insurance) should be a right, far more precious than anything like that fucking stupid misread SECOND AMENDMENT.

I remember Glenn Beck ranting, "When did healthcare become a RIGHT?!!"

I don't know if healthcare is a right, any more than I know if having police or firefighters available is a right. Actually, I've never really been sure what a "right" is, other than something agreed upon by some people at some points in history.

But I do think that police protection, firefighting, and healthcare are valuable *services*, vital enough that they should be available to everyone, as part of the basic social support system.

Call it a right, or call it whatever you want. In any case, it just makes sense.
 
D

deleted15807

Guest
But I do think that police protection, firefighting, and healthcare are valuable *services*, vital enough that they should be available to everyone, as part of the basic social support system.

Call it a right, or call it whatever you want. In any case, it just makes sense.

If you have to choose between life and certain death because of it then it should be a right especially in a country that spends close to a trillion a year on 'defense'. I've known so many people and some who are no longer here because of lack of health insurance and those that are here are stuck in dead end jobs because they can't leave it because of health insurance.

And You Wonder Why We're Broke? (Chart) | Mother Jones
 

D_Jacqueline_Boozann

Sexy Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Posts
1,004
Media
1
Likes
32
Points
73
Sexuality
No Response
The US should shift to socialized medicine: most people are against it. I have insurance, retired, have a pension, and medicare. However, I have to make appointments like everyone else -- if I miss the appointment (late), Presbyterian Clinic has the option of letting me see a physician (if it is an emergency -- hot attack), or rescheduling.

I have insurance and sometimes I can not see my physician until 2 or 3 months -- depending upon how busy he is: it is like socialized medicine.

Indeed, I am fortunate; the poor, who are on medicaid, receive some nice benefits too: of course, the disabled, veterans, widow(er), and seniors are different -- they deserve their health care...and so does everyone else, young or old.

Finally, I do not know how this is going to pan out. Good luck to everyone.

Episcopalian
 

aninnymouse

Cherished Member
Gold
Platinum Gold
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Posts
2,812
Media
0
Likes
349
Points
553
Location
In My Own World
Sexuality
60% Gay, 40% Straight
Gender
Male
I think all the hollering hooting, and invective is a sign of how ill explained, and poorly understood, even now, what 2-3 years after the whole healthcare bill was passed, the whole system is going to be.


Where is the cheap, affordable health care. I'm on unemployment, uninsured, and it costs me $100 for a doctor visit.

I have to pay for scripts out of pocket, and if not for the rip off Walgreens "Prescription Savings Club" It'd be an arm and a leg for prescriptions I need.

Where is the affordable insurance, other than things like the "Healthy Indiana Plan" which doesn't offer a lot of choice, but it is a there if people need it?


That's what I'd like to know.