I'm Sick

[Umfriend]

A lot of goof things have been said already, but only KvH has pointed at the AMA. These are indeed a bunch of criminals ensuring monopoly profits ("economic rents", with education and licensing as the monopoly) for their members. We have the same prob here in the Netherlands, although it is, luckiliy, by far not as bad as in the US.

The malpractise suits claim of causing excessive health care expenses sounds convincing (we all *know* how lititgious the US is, right?), but is not true. Tell me, what %-age of a doctors bill goes out to insurance premium? And especially of a general practicioner?

KvH, I'm sorry to hear this. Brian E has very good advice, try that first.

Umf

[paulcs]

Originally posted by thop
Hmm whats a pseudo 3D world country?

Reality in the United States is actually exists in only two dimensions. Through the use of 15th and 16th Century painting techniques, like three point perspective, the illusion of depth is provided. Thus the pseudo 3-D effect.

It's kind of like living in a giant Renaissance painting, except the virgins don't have glowing disks floating over their heads.

Paul

[DukeP]

Lol.
I wonder, doesn’t the US doctors take a wow to "preserve and improve life"?

They do here in Denmark. And they can keep it. If you’re sick, you get treated. If you have high medical bills, the state pays everything above a certain point. All can afford medicine.

A society that doesn’t tend to its sick and elderly is sooooo far remote from civilisation, that not even the Neanderthals would recognise it.

~~DukeP~~

[Jon P. Inghram]

A good example of the results of a "civilized" European healthcare system would be the massive death rate in France from the heatwave I guess?

The big problem with the US system is good old capitalist greed; The laywers, the insurance companies, the lobbyists (AMA for example,) the medical suppiers, even the government too... they all are in it for the money/power and pretty much nothing else, just like the rest of our "consumer oriented" industries.

[KvHagedorn]

Thanks everyone for your input and well-wishes. I have never really had sinus problems, and this seems really similar to something I had before, plus Saturday someone at work fessed up to the fact that he has had the same thing for a week and didn't tell anyone. ****ole.. I would have Lysoled the doorknobs and phone receiver if I'd known. Anyhow, I might be able to go off someone else's diagnosis, too.. especially if I caught it from him.

I think the real problem with the United States' political system is that it is in the stranglehold of the two major parties. The Republicans only care about rich people and big business, and the Democrats only care about minorities and feminist issues. The problem with this is it excludes the majority of the people here. Third party candidates are never taken seriously, unless they are already celebrities or have defected from a major party, or something of that nature. Even if there was a third party president, there is not much he could do with the congress made up of only Democrats and Republicans. The US is certainly not the only country with its problems, but these are the ones I have to deal with..

[Jammrock]

I think all political parties and any form of lobbying (i.e. 'paying off politicians' in a mostly legal manner) should be outlawed. If people wants bills passed, they should do it the old fashion way, petitions and letters to their representatives. Lobbists should be thrown in jail.

The political party system has been the root of major US problems since George Washington left office. They should be outlawed. Representatives should vote along their populace line, not their party line.

Do that and most of those corrupt organizations will lose a vast portion of their power. I guess I'm just a dreamer.

Jammrock