Should government pay for ALL medical care?
I think not. “Government” paid means ‘taxpayer-paid’, and I, for one, believe that healthcare costs should be shared by those who “contribute to or participate in” practices which are recognized to be hazardous to one’s health.
Essentially, what this means is:
“If you’re going to contribute or participate in making me SICK, you’d better be ready to contribut or participate in making me WELL, too!”
So, besides each individual’s personal responsibilities (i.e., individual choices and habits also ‘contribute to’ making one sick), all the companies out there who use ingredients known to be carcinogenic or otherwise disease-causing, should be made to contribute a percentage of profits from those products to a National Health Care Fund. Likewise, with companies who use chemicals or substances which may pollute the water, air and soil.
I think it’s high time the PEOPLE demand equity and fairness with regard to funding Healthcare. Indeed, health insurance costs have skyrocketed to where many people have to go without it, which places more burden upon taxpayers, because nobody will be “refused” health care based on their inability to pay for it.
I can’t help but revert back to the tobacco industry debacle. For years the industry hid the truth, lied to consumers and ‘powers that be’, actively marketed a dangerous product to millions of consumers, targeting even children, in order to solidify and grow their future market base. After all, once “hooked”, people dished out their money for years to come….until they succumbed to the health damages caused by such dangerous products.
We all know how the lawsuits (and associated ‘anti-sue’ legislation which disallows individual lawsuits…after all, if these companies don’t remain ‘solvent’, the states that sued the industry would never get their millions!-so individuals basically had to “suck it up” and pay for their own healing…if healing is even possible after one has contracted tobacco-related disease or illness.
There are numerous other dangerous products and ingredients which are being used in our foods, cosmetics, household products, even building materials, vehicle materials, and numerous other items we use or come in contact with on a daily basis. All these things ARE “contributing to” various diseases and illnesses; studies have proven it; industry must not disagree, because they ‘willingly'(?) label some of them with legalese caveats which somehow ‘absolve’ them of any wrong-doing, should someone become ill or diseased from use of their products (ref. California’s Proposition 65-see http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html).
If all these companies KNOWINGLY use products “known to the State of California to cause (health issue here)…”, why shouldn’t those companies be forced to help pay for whatever diseases or illnesses may come from using the products.
Admittedly, because of the myriad of products and substances that people use or are exposed to, it would be very difficult to single-out specific companies (or even products), thus it becomes most prudent and most equitable to establish a National Healthcare Fund which EVERYONE contributes to, including individuals. Those companies using the MOST HAZARDOUS substances and ingredients in their products would obviously pay a higher portion of their profits; those using LEAST HAZARDOUS substances and ingredients would pay less. This should also incentivise companies to come up with safer products…the safer the product, the less they have to pay to the National Healthcare Fund.
To be sure, there really is no lack of data about many or most of the hazardous chemicals out there. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS’s) are widely used in industry to inform employees of any and all potentially dangerous exposures they may be faced with in the course of performing their jobs. Industry is required to provide such information to employees, by law. Likewise, if I purchase a potentially hazardous product at the local Home center, I’m supposed to be able to get an MSDS on that product, although I don’t think the Home centers are required to provide that…it may take a call or written request to the manufacturer-not a very good method if that’s how it’s expected to be done-most people are not willing to wait for such things; they want to get the job done and really don’t have time to be chasing down information that should be immediately available at purchase time.
I invite you to visit my blog at http:\www.w1z11dom.blogspot.com, for more in-depth information and commentary on this subject.
Also, visit http://www.newstarget.com/about.html.
It’s time to take back the power from the Big Businesses and Government agencies.
The PEOPLE have a right to be healthy;
The PEOPLE have a right to be made whole from damage inflicted by others;
The PEOPLE have a right to the TRUTH about products and substances they use or are exposed to;
The PEOPLE have a right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”…if they’re being made SICK, they’re not likely to be very HAPPY!
Write your legislators and representatives today! Tell them it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty, and PLEASE….DO NOT LET THEM LEGISLATE FOR TAXPAYERS TO FOOT THE ENTIRE COST OF NATIONAL HEALTHCARE! After all, taxpayers are not FULLY responsible for their own ill-health…why should they be FULLY responsible for their own healing?