Health care reform close at hand in U.S. Senate

Amy: The two Senate leaders agreed to the 8 a.m vote on Thursday morning in an effort to avoid debate into the evening hours.

ACP:  I agree. This is what happens when a bunch of ideologues assume political power. It's their way or the highway.

More American voters are against this bill than are for it and a  number of polls have consistently indicated that fact. However the Democrats appear to be obsessed with passing health care reform legislation no matter how ill conceived the legislation is and no matter what the outcome and cost. 

If and when the Senate health care bill and Congress's bill is reconciled and passed, the legislation will be almost impossible to reverse due to certain provisions of the bill.

I didn't say Democrats bad, Republicans good. But if you want to take it that way, knock yourself out.

I don't know how many times I've stated on this site that I'm for health care reform. But IMHO the current legislation is too hastily conceived,  not well thought out, and ideologically driven.

And I'm by no means alone in my opinion as any number of recent non-partisan polls indicate.

People can choose to reject poll results and dismiss them as a mere snapshot. But when polls from a number of organizations essentially say the same thing and indicate months of trends, then I think that it's not unreasonable to come to the conclusion that the polls are a fairly accurate indication of where the American people are at on the health care reform legislation. 

In regard to Rassmussen, the organization reflects the opinions of voters and likely voters. CNN, Gallup, etc. reflects non-voters and voters alike. Senior citizens typically go to the polls more often than do other age groups. The polling data tells us a lot . . . .

Rory you can believe those of us that live with the system up here.  We have no axes to grind or political views on your system.

I have had several articles on NP dealing with the Canadian Health Care System, including the myth of Canadian Health Care. 

They system is far from perfect but works for most of us.  The system is also expensive.  As an example in Alberta it takes up 40% of Alberta's overall budget.  But then your present system is touted to be one sixth of your economy. 

Up to this point many of our doctors have ended up in the U.S.  I have two friends (physicians) that have moved to South Dakota.  In the town where I access my medical care there are three South African doctors.  They service a rural community in the neibourhood of about 7500 people (my guess).  So you can see the physician to patient ratio is quite high.

Another thing to consider with the public option is that services that are not mandated under the Canada Health Act can be cut and normally do during budgetary considerations.

As long as people were employed in Alberta and there was money to be made on oil, there was no problem.

Basic services and tests are covered though, including annual physicals, follow up care if you should be unfortunate enough to have a condition that requires constant care.

In Alberta, we pay for prescription drugs out of pocket unless you're a Senior.  For the present Seniors pay $25 for most prescriptions while Alberta Blue Cross (free to every Senior and their spouses) pays the remainder.

Most of us also carry plans to cover prescription drugs or tests not covered.

While the system is not perfect and expensive, it works for the majority of us.  I saw the excellent care a friend of mine received in the city when he had colon cancer.  Unfortunately he passed in April, but not due to lack of health care.