Well, I’ve been paying for BCBS since starting on Medicare and that’s paid by deductions from my SSA. At least I see that the good money I was making while still employed (and all my deductions back then) have allowed me enough for many of my current expenses. Since I’m required to take a % every year of my IRA, I now spend that to pay the rest. I consider all medicines to be poison so I refuse to take them and did not like my last young doctor so now I have my blood tests done in a local supermarket and take charge of my own health. I lowered cholesterol from 257 to 181 with good food and excercise. He wanted me on Lipitor 5 years ago ;-)
It’s amazing how many people here have trouble reading English. It says very clearly in the strip “H.M.O.” — that’s unique to USA’s current, dysfunctional for-profit health care system. Those of us blessed with a socialized medical system don’t have H.M.O.s, or the problem shown in the strip. (We have lots of other problems, but not this particular one!)
When cost is the bottom lineThings may not be so fineJust how much the customer can payIs what counts at the end of the dayThe difference between rich and poorDecides if you stay or are out the doorHuman life has a priceJust a fact that isn’t niceMoney is the root of allDetermines if you rise or fallInsurance may bring beliefFor some that is their beliefPay the premiums, don’t miss a dayElse with your life you must payThey cover this, but won’t cover thatIt’s even worse if your fatWe pay for wars that bring on deathAnd then deny coverage with our next breathA trillion dollars for bombs and tanksBut none for health care, golly thanksI’d rather see my taxes used for lifeThan to cover the world with deadly strife.
I understand that the Republicans are going to add a provision to the act repealing of Obamacare outlawing the Hippocratic Oath and mandating that only those people who can prove membership in a Teabagger group as of January 1, 2011 can receive medical care from any doctor or health care professional in the United States or in any healthcare facility in the US.
An H.M.O. is not socialized medicine nor “Obamacare”, it is the current system where the Insurance companies determine what care you will receive. The decision makers have a financial incentive to deny care, until “Obamacare” they had the right to deny anyone with a preexisting condition would not be denied.
folks used to swarm from canada to the u.s. now thereś a big business form u.s. citizens in mexican facilities. that says it all. mexican medicine has outstripped us.
Of course there will be no such things as “death panels”. When the government starts setting up committees to decide how much medical care you will receive, they’ll just call them something else.
We do all have to go at some point. Hope folks will take that message to heart and make some plans. This joins the Death Cartoon Collection at The Family Plot Blog! http://thefamilyplot.wordpress.com/category/death-cartoons/
NZ has a passable public health system supplemented by a passable, if expensive, private health system.
There is one aspect of health carewhich has not had enough attention, at least not until recently. Both my father and my father-in-law died of cancer. My father died some 7 years back and was able to spend his last two years at home with the family, with quite adequate pain control and monitoring.
My father-in-law died in a rest-home run by the Sisters of Mercy where he received excellent palliative care.
The “problem” (and this is where Wiley has it right in my mind) is that the health system generally ignores the importance of palliative care. The “how” is not the issue.
The fact is that palliative care is of the greatest importance to all of us who will never be cured of dying.
@ towerwarlock, Submachine, Ke Nguyen: This is a reflection on American Insurance, for-profit care, not anything related to what you call “Obamacare,” which, as others have noted, strikes a small blow for people with pre-existing medical conditions, and ultimately will spread the availability of healthcare to more people. Not perfect by a long shot, but what Wiley is lampooning here is FOR PROFIT HMOs AND INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Wonder, that is great! galanti, I heard republicans are going to strap explosives to their chests and threaten to blow up the House if they don’t get their way….
You know what rhymes wit pschear? Preach Fear. Everything is always scary, spooky, or a conspiracy to some people. “Booga! Booga!!” And, they don’t trust their fellow Americans. They think their fellow Americans are trying to destroy the free market system. The word is paranoia.
rayannina about 13 years ago
Followed by a 60-foot drop …
pouncingtiger about 13 years ago
Morbid, ain’t it?
TURTLE about 13 years ago
No contest, money goes first. they won’t let you go until they have your last cent. And then tell you you can’t take it with you!
grapfhics about 13 years ago
Roger Moore once translated HMO as hand the money over.
kreole about 13 years ago
Today’s generation doesn’t know what a hospital ward is.
Elaine Rosco Premium Member about 13 years ago
Things are getting pretty bad …..
Packratjohn Premium Member about 13 years ago
gmartin – you toss out a problem without a solution. Did you have an idea, or just a complaint?
Varnes about 13 years ago
Is the guy’s name Ward? The arrow points at where the comma should be?
psychlady about 13 years ago
Most honest than in the real world!
roctor about 13 years ago
Nurse Vetting,“sorry sir your condition is not life threatening”.
ImaginaryFriend about 13 years ago
Socialized medicine at its best.
dwagon55 about 13 years ago
Ah the egress – Shades of Mr PTB – Thanks gmartin997.
Sandfan about 13 years ago
Go to any hospital and check out the doctor’s parking spaces, and you’ll see what one part of the problem is.
wicky about 13 years ago
True obamacare.
jpsomebody about 13 years ago
Is the sign for people who are afraid of public bathrooms?
vldazzle about 13 years ago
Well, I’ve been paying for BCBS since starting on Medicare and that’s paid by deductions from my SSA. At least I see that the good money I was making while still employed (and all my deductions back then) have allowed me enough for many of my current expenses. Since I’m required to take a % every year of my IRA, I now spend that to pay the rest. I consider all medicines to be poison so I refuse to take them and did not like my last young doctor so now I have my blood tests done in a local supermarket and take charge of my own health. I lowered cholesterol from 257 to 181 with good food and excercise. He wanted me on Lipitor 5 years ago ;-)
wicky about 13 years ago
true obamacare.
Destiny23 about 13 years ago
It’s amazing how many people here have trouble reading English. It says very clearly in the strip “H.M.O.” — that’s unique to USA’s current, dysfunctional for-profit health care system. Those of us blessed with a socialized medical system don’t have H.M.O.s, or the problem shown in the strip. (We have lots of other problems, but not this particular one!)
snakeseare about 13 years ago
towerwarlock said, The face of today’s healthcare brought to you by Obamacare.THIS IS WHAT REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY BELIEVE
wndrwrthg about 13 years ago
When cost is the bottom lineThings may not be so fineJust how much the customer can payIs what counts at the end of the dayThe difference between rich and poorDecides if you stay or are out the doorHuman life has a priceJust a fact that isn’t niceMoney is the root of allDetermines if you rise or fallInsurance may bring beliefFor some that is their beliefPay the premiums, don’t miss a dayElse with your life you must payThey cover this, but won’t cover thatIt’s even worse if your fatWe pay for wars that bring on deathAnd then deny coverage with our next breathA trillion dollars for bombs and tanksBut none for health care, golly thanksI’d rather see my taxes used for lifeThan to cover the world with deadly strife.
Thank you, FISHCHROME, gmartin997, LLeRay, lin4869.
nerdhoof about 13 years ago
For-profit medicine at its worst.
xs11e about 13 years ago
I have an HMO and I’m VERY pleased with the care I’ve received.
KEA about 13 years ago
Can’t read your comment without hearing Snagglepuss.
treered about 13 years ago
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/06/139023806/mexico-to-the-rescue-in-americas-venom-belt american companies don’t do because there’s not money in it….
treered about 13 years ago
at first I thought the arrow pointing up meant “heaven”…
michael.p.pumilia about 13 years ago
Amazingly, the more we spend on healthcare, the more sick we have.
galanti about 13 years ago
I understand that the Republicans are going to add a provision to the act repealing of Obamacare outlawing the Hippocratic Oath and mandating that only those people who can prove membership in a Teabagger group as of January 1, 2011 can receive medical care from any doctor or health care professional in the United States or in any healthcare facility in the US.
jollyjack about 13 years ago
An H.M.O. is not socialized medicine nor “Obamacare”, it is the current system where the Insurance companies determine what care you will receive. The decision makers have a financial incentive to deny care, until “Obamacare” they had the right to deny anyone with a preexisting condition would not be denied.
dfowensby about 13 years ago
folks used to swarm from canada to the u.s. now thereś a big business form u.s. citizens in mexican facilities. that says it all. mexican medicine has outstripped us.
pschearer Premium Member about 13 years ago
Of course there will be no such things as “death panels”. When the government starts setting up committees to decide how much medical care you will receive, they’ll just call them something else.
pswhitlark about 13 years ago
Well, Teddy created HMOs… You expected any different?
GailRubin about 13 years ago
We do all have to go at some point. Hope folks will take that message to heart and make some plans. This joins the Death Cartoon Collection at The Family Plot Blog! http://thefamilyplot.wordpress.com/category/death-cartoons/
probligo about 13 years ago
Y’know, this kind of rings with me.
NZ has a passable public health system supplemented by a passable, if expensive, private health system.
There is one aspect of health carewhich has not had enough attention, at least not until recently. Both my father and my father-in-law died of cancer. My father died some 7 years back and was able to spend his last two years at home with the family, with quite adequate pain control and monitoring.
My father-in-law died in a rest-home run by the Sisters of Mercy where he received excellent palliative care.
The “problem” (and this is where Wiley has it right in my mind) is that the health system generally ignores the importance of palliative care. The “how” is not the issue.
The fact is that palliative care is of the greatest importance to all of us who will never be cured of dying.
mzkdad about 13 years ago
@ towerwarlock, Submachine, Ke Nguyen: This is a reflection on American Insurance, for-profit care, not anything related to what you call “Obamacare,” which, as others have noted, strikes a small blow for people with pre-existing medical conditions, and ultimately will spread the availability of healthcare to more people. Not perfect by a long shot, but what Wiley is lampooning here is FOR PROFIT HMOs AND INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Varnes about 13 years ago
Wonder, that is great! galanti, I heard republicans are going to strap explosives to their chests and threaten to blow up the House if they don’t get their way….
Varnes about 13 years ago
You know what rhymes wit pschear? Preach Fear. Everything is always scary, spooky, or a conspiracy to some people. “Booga! Booga!!” And, they don’t trust their fellow Americans. They think their fellow Americans are trying to destroy the free market system. The word is paranoia.