Editor's Note: Various elements of heath care reform were debated among Monday’s American Morning viewers. Many believed that Americans did not understand that current government health care was “public,” while others argued that these very programs were headed toward bankruptcy.
- Ruth: Please explain our current health care programs: Medicare is a public program for those over 65. The Veterans Admin. is socialized medicine, i.e., gov't owns the hospitals, docs work for the gov't., and Medicaid – a federal/state program for low income citizens of any age. Some states limit Medicare coverage due to state budgets. I believe that if people understood these three programs, they would have a better idea of what is being proposed by Congress. Thank you.
- Hubert: COST TOO MUCH???? If we fix health care, we would save money. Cut the fraud, cut the high cost of insurance. Cut the lobbyists. Cut the (CEO's) bonuses. Cut the politicians kickback from pharmaceutical, and only god knows how many more. UNLESS congress want to payback the lobbyists and give them money that they might have made buy cheating us. The people that don't want a change must be making $millions from fraud and overcharges.
- Ginspelts: Congress's answer to everything is spend now and worry later about how we will pay for it. Is that what they did years ago when they passed Medicare & social security? Because both are now fixing to go bankrupted. Why don't they concentrate on fixing both of those government programs? Their answer is to worry about it later when it comes crashing down on our heads
With the various problems faced by Social Security, the Veteran’s Administration, and Medicare, is the government capable of running an appropriate public health care program for all our citizens? What are your concerns about this?
No one disputed the need for the public option, with concern over the insurance industry’s power to decide on medical procedures
- Jerry: If you have an IQ equal to that of George Bush you should be able to figure out that a public option will reduce cost by making private insurance companies cut cost. All the Republicans can see is that they will lose money from their lobbyist buddies in the insurance business.
- Laura: If this bill goes through without the PUBLIC OPTION, the insurance companies win and the American people lose big! Call your congressmen. Don't allow the richest one percent to control this very important time in our history. Universal health care is a right. Demand it of our elected representatives. They work for us, not the insurance industry.
- Mark: You people who are against the public option better get your heads out of the sand, one day it may be you or another loved one who needs health care. Do you not have sons and daughters and even grandchildren. You say you don't believe in abortion but you don't mind sending people to their death by denying them health insurance. The same goes for you who are afraid of the so called death panels, what do you think the private insurance companies are doing.
How do you feel about the public option? Is health care reform dead without it?