The only difference between those in true peril and those in mere straits is legal representation. Let’s make sure that all Americans have equal access to Mark Geragos, Bob Shapiro, Al Dershowitz and the now inexplicably famous pere of the Karadashian family — Bob. And then there are those scions of society attorneys who represented the Kennedy cousin at his rape trial … people who are more accustomed to representing trusts than thrusts.

I am not a Shakespearan devotee of killing all lawyers, but I think we should help them find their place in society!

Which reminds me, once again the cost of Oil is dropping, while the price of oil to consumers is what? Rising…where’s the outrage? What’s Obama doing to protect the consumers whom are already suffering from a recession? (Facetious)Gee, I wonder why Americans are putting 14 to 16 billion dollars less into the economy each month?

I think whatever way Obama chooses to go, there will be winners and losers. I don’t think a single payer program is necessarily going to be better for everyone. But the current system does not work for those uninsured or underinsured.

I do not endorse a single payer system totally but neither do I endorse what we have now. I think reform is needed but am unsure exactly how to mix and match the good parts of both so that everyone can get the care they need. I worry that even with a single payer system, some geographical areas and groups will continue to get limited service & care no matter what proponents say. Then I worry that the current system does not benefit those like my mother with private insurance who is aging and finds medical expenses too much sometimes that I have to financially help her.

Mostly I worry that American taxpayers are going to spend over a trillion dollars implementing some new “program” just to find out years down the road it doesn’t work much better than what we have now in regards to saving money and lives. I don’t care what anyone says I believe the rich and connected or those living in better areas will get more doctors, more hospitals, more cutting edge equipment, quicker referrals and more money spent per patient. Those living in rural, poor or in minority rich areas will continue to have to fight to attract doctors, will have longer waiting times to see doctors or specialists and will have less hospital space. School districts are not funded equally across the board by federal, state or local government, I can’t see how it’d be any different for medical care expenditures per patient.

For an opposing view just for fairness and discussion because there are some interesting points made even though they’d be better served to contrast some of the positives of single pay too:

http://debate-central.ncpa.org/topics/2002/book2.pdf

Excellent cartoon.

Nobody Special,
I understand completely.

Two years ag, after diagnosis with a serious liver problem that required a year and a half of brutal treatment, I had to stop working as a music teacher. I had taught in the public school urban trenches for 2 decades. (I sometimes wonder if that’s not what made me so sick!)

Anyway, once I stopped working, I couldn’t afford my house, so I sold it and moved into a teeny cottage in rural NYS. Becuase I cut my expenses by 75% in moving to a poor area, I’ve been able to survive.

But if I had been caught by the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and unable to sell my house just before the whole stack of cards came tumbling down I’m sure I’d either be living under a bridge or dead.

After two years of treatment, I have been ‘cured’ but last week was told I have lymphoma which requires a couple of months of chemo.

It is very difficult to cope with as I finally started working again after the first illness and was just getting back on my feet.

I am grateful that the 2 decades in the teacher retirement system has, so far, given me adequate health coverage. And personally, since I never used the health benefits before and yet paid into them either though direct witholdings or reduced salary, I try not to feel guilty that I can get treatment that others may not be able to

But it is terrifying how close one gets to the economic abyss if unforseen health problems pop up. I am lucky I can manage to live quite happily in a 500SF cottage with few amenitites in a relatively remote location.

Sad.

For an interesting defense and promotion of the single player plan, check out the website from Physicians for a National Health Program:

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php

In one sense one could say that the reasons GM and Chrysler had to file for bankruptcy was the greed of management and unions, that they could not resist buying other companies that ended up being unprofitable, and that the cost of health insurance for all including retirees made them unable to compete, forcing them to file for bankruptcy. Other companies also had to lay off employees in order to be able to afford to pay for health insurance and that made them unable to compete with foreign companies where the health insurance for their employees is nonexistent, or covered or subsidized by the government.

Rich

I very much appreciate your ‘toon. Your story directly deals with bankruptcy, but it also pertains to this issue: we have lived through a housing bubble during which many folks have used the rising equity in their homes as an “atm machine.” Now that home values have fallen, the “home atm machine” is out of business.

I have seen market analysts, some of whom I respect, criticize the homeowners who have drawn equity out of their houses to pay various bills. As your cartoon suggests, repudiating homeowners for using their equity may be very unjust for the following reasons:

1–You do what you can to get by from week to week.

2–The public has been led to believe that home prices would keep rising, and certainly would not drop like they have.

3–Shit happens–emergencies happen, and you pay for them any way you can.

4–Every case is different. Don’t be too hasty to judge someone else’s circumstances.

Cancer is a hard battle for adults…for a child…it breaks my heart every single time I hear it happening to a child. I’ve only dealt with child cancer once and it was too much. A neighbors daughter got cancer in her eye and lost it. I couldn’t hold or love that child enough. She wanted me to go to all her treatments with her so I could hold and read to her. It still makes me cry thinking about all that baby had to go through.

It angers me that on top of everything you’re dealing with you have to deal with the medical as well. This whole article angers me. I don’t understand what has happened to the the majority in this nation with compassion for other’s/life.