Only in the US

[PLAYER57832]

Link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=97241696

[oVo]

Across the country, state health care programs are cutting back on funding for families with disabled children. The result is that more families struggle to get the health care they need for their children with disabilities and serious health care needs.

Do you really think this issue is exclusive to US?

[PLAYER57832]

Across the country, state health care programs are cutting back on funding for families with disabled children. The result is that more families struggle to get the health care they need for their children with disabilities and serious health care needs.

Do you really think this issue is exclusive to US?

I know it is.

The US is the only developed country where parents have to decide between keeping their house and getting the care their children need.

The US is the only developed country where a child can be without enough insurance because the parent gets a small raise.

Yes... it IS just in the US!

[Juan_Bottom]

I hear you Player. But I don't think anything is going to change untill we revolt, peacefully or otherwise. We've been screaming about this since, well... forever.

[GreecePwns]

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care, then the Dow plunged 2000 points (or 20%) in less than 2 months.

[PLAYER57832]

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care, then the Dow plunged 2000 points (or 20%) in less than 2 months.

The two are related.

When you have to choose between giving your kid medicine and paying a mortgage ... guess which most people choose?

Susan Orman has said that roughly 70% of bankruptcies opccur within 2 years of a serious medical crisis. That is, if the illness itself does not cause the bankruptcy, keeping up with all the bills, etc. does.

AND, one thing some of you may not be aware (but SHOULD be) is that if you are late or even just get a bad credit rating for such "negligent" actions as losing your job, etc. ... your interest rates go UP. Makes a lot of sense... you are having trouble paying, so the credit companies up your interest, no matter how long and responsibly you have paid in the past!

[Juan_Bottom]

And US banks (formerly-actually maybe still) recieve 50% of their profits from giving loans to people that couldn't pay. Call it the "goverment works for Satan and wants to eat you alive" cycle.

[GreecePwns]

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care, then the Dow plunged 2000 points (or 20%) in less than 2 months.

The two are related.

When you have to choose between giving your kid medicine and paying a mortgage ... guess which most people choose?

Susan Orman has said that roughly 70% of bankruptcies opccur within 2 years of a serious medical crisis. That is, if the illness itself does not cause the bankruptcy, keeping up with all the bills, etc. does.

AND, one thing some of you may not be aware (but SHOULD be) is that if you are late or even just get a bad credit rating for such "negligent" actions as losing your job, etc. ... your interest rates go UP. Makes a lot of sense... you are having trouble paying, so the credit companies up your interest, no matter how long and responsibly you have paid in the past!

That is what I was implying. By mentioning the economy, I meant that it will be impossible for him to do such a thing.

[PLAYER57832]

That is what I was implying. By mentioning the economy, I meant that it will be impossible for him to do such a thing.

Except I would say it makes it imperative that he does do something.

Bottom line, right now 80% of insured have Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and most of those are in an HMO. The rest ... Blue Cross rejects, which include: anyone with a "pre-existing condition", anyone who has used their max (which can be a couple million, but more often is $250,000 per person), etc. ... all these are "covered" by the "last resort" of the emergency room OR the tax payer supported "stop gap" policies such as the ones described here (though these families were about to lose those coverages), mostly for children.

The REAL bottom line is that right now, insurance companies are taking profits from all the yong, healthy folks ... and leaving the rest "high and dry". The REAL truth is that if we have a true, national system ... which could be either an arrangement of private insurers, a direct national system or any one of many other plans. The REAL truth is that we have the MOST EXPENSIVE health care system, per person of ANY industrialized nation AND get far less for our dollars than most other countries.

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

And US banks (formerly-actually maybe still) recieve 50% of their profits from giving loans to people that couldn't pay. Call it the "goverment works for Satan and wants to eat you alive" cycle.

I think those figures are off for the legitimate banks. There were a few major skrew-ups in the loan business. Country Wide is one of the worst. BUT, those are only a small percentage of loans. The problem was that those loans were tranferred into gauranteed securities insured by people who really had no idea of what they were insuring.

However, the REAL problem, the reason most people are not buying stuff, the largest reason why people are unable to meet mortgages is still huge medical costs.

Sometimes this is a bit hard to decypher. IF you look at those people who directly default because of medical costs, the rate may not seem that high. However, if you dig a bit deeper, you see that while medical costs may not have been the "straw that broke the camels back", it was most certainly a big weight on the saddle. Sue Orman said about a year ago, that 70% of mortgages were came within 2 years of a major medical crisis. I am sure those figures HAVE changed in the past 6 months. Job losses and even stock market losses are probably more of a factor now.

However, I still say that if you dig down to the root, medical care is THE major cause.

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care

One P.S. ... right now, it may not be a matter of improving health care, but of keeping it from going completely down the tubes.

[Juan_Bottom]

I don't have the % myself. Brenda Keyes was a guest on GCN a few days ago, and she is an economist. She's also made an appearance recently on NPR.
Anyway, she told a story that went like this.
She was asked to give a speech at a "bankers & brokers convention." The focus of her speech was people who could not pay their loans, and defaulted; and how anks could better screen customers to stop them from getting loans. At the end of the speech someone in the back who worked for BoA said this
'If we stop giving loans to people who can't pay, there will go all of our profits. That is where the money comes from.' Anyway she asserted on the radio program that over 50% of the large national banks(the ones now in trouble) profits come from giving loans to people who can't pay them.
You might scoff and laugh because these banks are now in trouble, but they're not. They're actually being given preferential treatment by our congress... and being allowed to ACQUIRE smaller failing banks.
And from experience, a good portion of these defaults are mortgages that come partly to pay for hospital bills and healthcare. And Refis for the same purpose, or to pay off an existing mortgage that can't be paid.

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

Obama couldn't fix it if he ever even intended to. If our economy crumbles, he won't have the money or support. And you still have huge and powerful corporations opposing nationalized healthcare... and the media does too, so that will always sway public opinion. It never ceases to amaze me how this county has such a mob mentality. If the Republicans aren't going to fix healthcare, why the hell would we think the dems would want to? They are all funded by the same people.
I don't believe Obama intends on nationalizing healthcare. His current plan is an optional one that will only cover a small portion of the country, and it's a while off. Plus, it's not like he hasn't already recieved $$$ from the healthcare and arms industry.

[HapSmo19]

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

[Ditocoaf]

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

That is a very unhelpful post. If you find the thing you quoted so laughable, you should make a reasoned counterpoint. By simply posting empty ridicule in the form of emoticons, you are doing nothing but detract from the conversation, and encouraging people to just troll you, which would further detract from the conversation. I am actually genuinely interested to hear what you would have to say about what player said there. Please either let me know this, or stop wasting our time and attention.

[PLAYER57832]

I don't have the % myself. Brenda Keyes was a guest on GCN a few days ago, and she is an economist. She's also made an appearance recently on NPR.
Anyway, she told a story that went like this.
She was asked to give a speech at a "bankers & brokers convention." The focus of her speech was people who could not pay their loans, and defaulted; and how anks could better screen customers to stop them from getting loans. At the end of the speech someone in the back who worked for BoA said this
'If we stop giving loans to people who can't pay, there will go all of our profits. That is where the money comes from.' Anyway she asserted on the radio program that over 50% of the large national banks(the ones now in trouble) profits come from giving loans to people who can't pay them.

Loans or mortgages? Mortgages are always a bit differant because they are secured by property. Banks therefore WILL traditionally give a mortgage to some shaky customers because they know they can always recoup their money (or could anyway).

To a point, that is just good business. Customers have responsibilities, also.

The problem I have is when someone takes a loan they CAN afford, but then circumstances change and they then have no recourse at all.

In our area, for example, you can buy a decent older house for under $300 a month. This is actually LESS than the allowance for subsidized housing rentals. What that really means is that my friend, a welfare mom, can get for free a place that my husband and I could not afford. We are fortunate to have a decent house. We bought it a few years ago, financed it a very low rate and therefore are doing well. However, anyone starting out now is not in such a good position.

This means that the government is actually supporting landlords far more than home owners. Why is that bad? Not only do home owners pay more in tax, but homeowners generally have a much higher stake in their communities, are more likely to take care of their properties, etc. It impacts us in many subtle and not obvious ways.

You might scoff and laugh because these banks are now in trouble, but they're not. They're actually being given preferential treatment by our congress... and being allowed to ACQUIRE smaller failing banks.

Scoff? No. But this is not Flame Wars, so I will refrain from voicing my full feelings on the matter.

And from experience, a good portion of these defaults are mortgages that come partly to pay for hospital bills and healthcare. And Refis for the same purpose, or to pay off an existing mortgage that can't be paid.

This is my point. Solve the medical payment crisis and we go a long way toward solving the average person's financial problems. Let it flounder and no economic magic will fix it, because people don't, frankly cannot act with "economic responsibility and integrity" when they are facing a sick kid.

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

If the Republicans aren't going to fix healthcare, why the hell would we think the dems would want to? They are all funded by the same people.
.[/quote]
It happens because large groups of people seem to care more about making abortion illegal and preventing homosexuals from marrying than about ensuring that every kid born has proper medical care.

Then again, Obama did win ... so maybe folks are finally starting to see a differant picture.

[GreecePwns]

I just want to know how the government will be able to afford to do something. Considering the impending social security mess and almost a trillion dollars in bailouts to the financial sector and what's soon to be a $25B for the big three and the debt we are currently in now. AND Obama plans to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. Where would we get the money for such an undertaking?

[Juan_Bottom]

Loans or mortgages

Loans, but mortgages aren't all that different. Banks prefer giving mortgages, and do (when I was a Settlement Agent) almost no screening. They don't care if you default because they'll just take your house, and keep you in their debt anyway. That's why the vast majority of mortgages were 'cash out.' That means that the borrower needs $20,000 to buy a house but the bank gives them $28,000 so that they get some spending money too. Irresponsable on both sides. But according to miss Keyes, this was done by design since banks want you to default.

Then again, Obama did win ... so maybe folks are finally starting to see a differant picture.

People are starting to get it, but they still don't seem to care enough. Because they still elected a Democrat, (the least of it)keeping the 2 party system. And if people really "got it" there would be a real shake up already. Some of Obama's potential pics for his cabinate are not making me feel too awesome.

Where would we get the money for such an undertaking?

Honestly? There isn't any. Peter Schiff is predicting depression by this summer. Once you get away from mainstream news sources (and really, they aren't denying much anymore) you find out about our actual national debt, and GNP. We don't have the money for any bailouts. We don't even have any gold in Knox.

[Frigidus]

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care, then the Dow plunged 2000 points (or 20%) in less than 2 months.

It's not like it would have done any differently if McCain had been voted in. Expect this to continue for another few thousand points, hopefully we can avoid a depression similar to the one Japan is still trying to pull out of.

[PLAYER57832]

IF this problem is NOT fixed .. then there IS no hope for our economy, because medical issues are at the very root of the problems.

For that matter, so would I. If you have a point.

[PLAYER57832]

I thought that Obama would bring America on the road to better health care, then the Dow plunged 2000 points (or 20%) in less than 2 months.

It's not like it would have done any differently if McCain had been voted in. Expect this to continue for another few thousand points, hopefully we can avoid a depression similar to the one Japan is still trying to pull out of.

It did not plunge in response to Obama, but I do believe the plunge will make it harder to deal with it all.

(and no, that plunge right after he was elected is attributed to the normal "okay, now we know where we stand" drop after just about every election .. sort of a calm after the storm).