UAW forced to be paid as a Southern Foreign factory worker.

"Jack" > wrote in message
...
> All the doctors (other than some specialists) are part of the Medicare
> plan. They have billing numbers which they submit to the gov't to get
> paid, like a contractor would do.
>
> It works..is it perfect ? No..but NO ONE gets left behind..everyone has
> "chevy" coverage, not cadillac coverage, and it seems to work reasonable
> well.

Jack, I agree with you. It does work. But the point is that those Americans
who have HMO's (which are very similar to the kind of coverage and care you
get in Canada and EU) constantly complain about it, because they were
spoiled with their traditional health care plans (that cost a lot more).

Chief among those who complain are the UAW who will not accept such a plan.
If they did, then GM, Ford, and Chrysler might have a chance to survive.
Don't count on it. The unions will take at least 2 of the 3 into the grave
just like they did Eastern Airlines.

"Mark A" > wrote in message
.. .
> "Jack" > wrote in message
> ...
>> All the doctors (other than some specialists) are part of the Medicare
>> plan. They have billing numbers which they submit to the gov't to get
>> paid, like a contractor would do.
>>
>> It works..is it perfect ? No..but NO ONE gets left behind..everyone has
>> "chevy" coverage, not cadillac coverage, and it seems to work reasonable
>> well.
>
> Jack, I agree with you. It does work. But the point is that those
> Americans who have HMO's (which are very similar to the kind of coverage
> and care you get in Canada and EU) constantly complain about it, because
> they were spoiled with their traditional health care plans (that cost a
> lot more).
>
> Chief among those who complain are the UAW who will not accept such a
> plan. If they did, then GM, Ford, and Chrysler might have a chance to
> survive. Don't count on it. The unions will take at least 2 of the 3 into
> the grave just like they did Eastern Airlines.
Our biggest problem "up here" is the misuse of Emergency departments...some
people go there for routine medical issues, i.e. the flu, bad colds, twisted
ankle etc..tying up valuable resources from "real" medical problems.
Another problem, not unlike the US, we are getting older as a population and
with that comes more medical problems...there's a shortage of doctors..and
the med schools can't generate them fast enough. There is no easy answer,
both south and north of the border.

"Mark A" > wrote in message
.. .
> "80 Knight" <nospam> wrote in message
> ...
>> I assume you are still speaking about European countries. As I said, in
>> Canada, we can choose whomever we want as our Doctor.
>
> No, you can only choose a doctor who is part of the Canadian government
> health care plan.

Which are all but a few specialists, and most times, they are covered too.
You may know the US health care system, but you don't know the Canadian.

"Mark A" > wrote in message
.. .
> "80 Knight" <nospam> wrote in message
> ...
>> Why does no one seem to think this can work the other way around too? If
>> all Domestic automakers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) were to go under, the
>> Japanese companies (with no real competition) could pay there employees
>> whatever slave-wage they wanted, price there cars at whatever (even more)
>> bloated price they wanted, and wouldn't give two ****s about quality,
>> because there isn't competition. How would that help anyone?
>
> I don't think anyone thinks that. But having The US taxpayer throw money
> into the bottomless pit called the US auto industry is not something that
> benefits anyone but those who work in the auto industry, or those who live
> in a city that where there are a lot of auto industry employees.
>
> It would great if Intel had more competition, but I don't think the US
> government should bailout AMD.

So, what would happen if GM, Ford, and Chrysler went under, and WWIII
started? Sure, Japan are our "friends" now, but what would happen if they
were on the opposite side of the US? Do you think they would supply us with
the tools and equipment we would need to kick there own asses? "Those who
fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it...Those who fail to learn it
correctly, why they are simply doomed".

"80 Knight" <nospam> wrote in message
...
> So, what would happen if GM, Ford, and Chrysler went under, and WWIII
> started? Sure, Japan are our "friends" now, but what would happen if they
> were on the opposite side of the US? Do you think they would supply us
> with the tools and equipment we would need to kick there own asses?
> "Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it...Those who fail
> to learn it correctly, why they are simply doomed".

Making cars is not rocket science. Anyway, the foreign car companies have
plants in the US, and if Japan every was at war with the US (probably the
least likely country besides UK to be at war with US), then we can take
their plants over.

If we are at war with Japan, we are not going to kick their asses with cars.

"80 Knight" <nospam> wrote in message
...
> "Mark A" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> "80 Knight" <nospam> wrote in message
>> ...
>>> I assume you are still speaking about European countries. As I said, in
>>> Canada, we can choose whomever we want as our Doctor.
>>
>> No, you can only choose a doctor who is part of the Canadian government
>> health care plan.
>
> Which are all but a few specialists, and most times, they are covered too.
> You may know the US health care system, but you don't know the Canadian.

One needs to start with the basic fact that health is a provincial
responsibility under Section 92 (the distribution of powers section) of the
Constitution Act, 1867, and know that it gets more complicated as the Act
effectively divides the "Canadian health care system" among 10 provinces,
three territories, umpteen aboriginal peoples and the armed forces.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

"Rock Hardson" > wrote in message
.com...
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...topnews&sub=AR
>
> The article states that the southern japanese factory worker was offered
> to join the union bringing wages on par to its northern American worker
> but they opted to stay bare foot and po' for japanese pennies. How STUPID
> can people be!

******Pretty stupid, for you to make a comment like that.

Southerners are no more stupid or uneducated than Northerners.

Because of traditional factors, including the obvious weather, it can
be a lot more expensive to live in some areas of the North. The cost
of living is traditionally lower in many areas of the South.

I guess you need no more to join a union than your dues and the
ability to sign your name.

On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:05:34 -0500, "Mike Hunter"
<mikehunt2@lycos/com> wrote:

>Besides the shark lawyers, one of the primary reason healthcare costs are so
>high in the US is BECAUSE of the government! It SETS the Medicare
>reimbursement rates very high. Any doctor or hospital that accepts
>Medicare patients MUST charge the SET Medicare reimbursement rates TO
>EVERYBODY or they can be charged with Medicare fraud!
>
>The reason the government sets the rates high is to pay the doctors and
>hospital to provide the so called FREE care to the indigent under the US
>Hill Burton Act. The government IS the cause NOT the cure.
>
>Our local volunteer ambulance corps was shut down by the feds for Medicare
>fraud. The feds took all of their money and sold all of their equipment
>and were ready to put the VOLUNTEER leaders in jail, untill a US Senator
>stepped in and stopped the lunacy. The problem was the Medicare
>reimbursement rate to the hospital, three miles out of town, was $750 but
>the corps only charged the VOLUNTEER fireman's insurance company $250!

Sounds like BS to me (so surprising coming from Mike.)

Hospitals and doctors routinely charge much higher fees to uninsured
than to insured patients. So is the discount to the insurance company
Medicare fraud? Or are uninsured patients being charged much more
than the "very high" Medicare rates?






>
>
>"Mark A" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> "Jim Higgins" > wrote in message
>>> news:e0dd6d0d-bc54-4491-8bf5-
>>> He never bothered to look at links as to how other governments handle
>>> healthca
>>
>> I know how they do it, and I didn't even say I am against it.
>>
>> But the fact is that the quality of health care in the US is much higher
>> than other countries if one is willing to pay, and even for the average
>> corporate employee whose company foots 80-100% of the bill. But I don't
>> think we can afford that level of quality anymore.
>>
>> But considering the number of people who get rich in the US health care
>> business, it will hard to change it. Getting the government to pay is not
>> going to help unless we drastically reduce the cost.
>>
>

No and yes

Everything I posted is factual and can be verified if you do a proper
search. I could not care less what you choose to believe or not

"Gordon McGrew" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:05:34 -0500, "Mike Hunter"
> <mikehunt2@lycos/com> wrote:
>
>>Besides the shark lawyers, one of the primary reason healthcare costs are
>>so
>>high in the US is BECAUSE of the government! It SETS the Medicare
>>reimbursement rates very high. Any doctor or hospital that accepts
>>Medicare patients MUST charge the SET Medicare reimbursement rates TO
>>EVERYBODY or they can be charged with Medicare fraud!
>>
>>The reason the government sets the rates high is to pay the doctors and
>>hospital to provide the so called FREE care to the indigent under the US
>>Hill Burton Act. The government IS the cause NOT the cure.
>>
>>Our local volunteer ambulance corps was shut down by the feds for Medicare
>>fraud. The feds took all of their money and sold all of their equipment
>>and were ready to put the VOLUNTEER leaders in jail, untill a US Senator
>>stepped in and stopped the lunacy. The problem was the Medicare
>>reimbursement rate to the hospital, three miles out of town, was $750 but
>>the corps only charged the VOLUNTEER fireman's insurance company $250!
>
> Sounds like BS to me (so surprising coming from Mike.)
>
> Hospitals and doctors routinely charge much higher fees to uninsured
> than to insured patients. So is the discount to the insurance company
> Medicare fraud? Or are uninsured patients being charged much more
> than the "very high" Medicare rates?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>>
>>"Mark A" > wrote in message
...
>>>> "Jim Higgins" > wrote in message
>>>> news:e0dd6d0d-bc54-4491-8bf5-
>>>> He never bothered to look at links as to how other governments handle
>>>> healthca
>>>
>>> I know how they do it, and I didn't even say I am against it.
>>>
>>> But the fact is that the quality of health care in the US is much higher
>>> than other countries if one is willing to pay, and even for the average
>>> corporate employee whose company foots 80-100% of the bill. But I don't
>>> think we can afford that level of quality anymore.
>>>
>>> But considering the number of people who get rich in the US health care
>>> business, it will hard to change it. Getting the government to pay is
>>> not
>>> going to help unless we drastically reduce the cost.
>>>
>>

Mike Hunter wrote:
>:
>Besides the shark lawyers, one of the primary reason healthcare costs are so
>high in the US is BECAUSE of the government! It SETS the Medicare
>reimbursement rates very high. Any doctor or hospital that accepts
>Medicare patients MUST charge the SET Medicare reimbursement rates TO
>EVERYBODY or they can be charged with Medicare fraud!
>
You could be correct if the year was still 1968, but Medicare has
operated under cost controls since the mid-1970s, and currently no
health payment system, public or private, sets lower reimbursements
for hospitals and doctors than Medicare, except possibly some Medicaid
programs or Tricare.