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Forums - Politics Discussion - How do you feel about X in your country?

the-pi-guy said:
VAMatt said:
Healthcare in the US is great in terms of quality, but way too expensive. This is squarely the fault of government, who drives up the prices with regulations that dictate every tiny detail. I'd like government to stay completely out of it, so that more Americans could afford the great healthcare that exists here.

As for gun control, I think the US is in decent shape. There's a little more infringement on one's right to bear arms than there should be. But, in comparison with much of the rest of the world, we're in good shape here.

This is not why.  One big reason is healthcare administration is expensive is because they have to deal with many, many insurance companies.  

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/080615/6-reasons-healthcare-so-expensive-us.asp

"The number one reason our healthcare costs are so high, says Harvard economist David Cutler, is that “the administrative costs of running our healthcare system are astronomical. About one quarter of healthcare cost is associated with administration, which is far higher than in any other country.” 

One example Cutler brought up in a discussion on this topic with National Public Radio was the 1,300 billing clerks at Duke University Hospital, which has only 900 beds. Those billing specialists are needed to determine how to bill to meet the varying requirements of multiple insurers. Canada and other countries that have a single-payer system don’t require this level of staffing to administer healthcare."

 

Drug costs could be reduced by having fewer government regulations, but it'd be at the cost of having dangerous medicines flood the US.

I'm not going to get into an argument with you about it here.  But, your statement is both true and false.   

Administration costs are extremely high in the USA.  That's true.  And, it is due, in large part, to regulatory compliance.  Those multiple insurance companies that providers have to deal with - they all have a mountain of rules to follow in each state, some localities, and federally.  That means they have to collect a ton of info from every claimant.  They're legally required to have burdensome processes. etc, etc, etc.  

(It should also be noted that there are now three or fewer major insurers per state, on average)

As for drug prices...... its a hell of a lot more expensive to bring drugs to market in the USA than anywhere else in the world.  Yet, nobody on planet earth is experiencing an epidemic of unsafe (legal) drugs.  So, lowering costs would not result in a significant drop in safety. 



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Australia, it's a better version of the US



Australia here

Healthcare:
On the cusp of a US style system, thanks to Howard's LHC reforms. Essentially, they class it as an incentive to buy private health (if by "incentive", they mean "do it, or we'll increase your medicare loading, AND make it more expensive to buy it later). Those prices are skyrocketing, and at the same time private benefits are being removed (Bupa just removed knee and hip surgeries, as well as pregnancy care). Those "unprofitable" benefits will be forced back on to Medicare (which will eventually come through in a future govt/Murdoch article as "Medicare unsustainable").

Guns:
This is probably the one thing I WILL give Howard credit for. It took a lot guts to implement policy that contradcited with a lot of their party's platform. I live near a gun store, and I feel safe that no random person can wander in, buy a gun without a background check, and fire it off in public as soon as they're out the door.

Economy:
Impressed. It appears pretty stable, despite what opposition leaders like Abbott would want you to think. We cleared the last recession pretty well.

Politics:
Shit circus. Just like everywhere else.



Healthcare in the USA sucks, it needs universal health care.

It also needs background checks for people who want to purchase guns at the federal level. At least here in California we have strict gun control laws.



Proud to be a Californian.

the-pi-guy said:

A lot of discussions, regardless of topic, tend to be argued without their context.  What I mean by this is that on forums, users tend to come from all over.  We have different surroundings.  One person might be from the UK, another from US, another from Germany, Australia, etc.   All these countries have different political landscapes.  A lot of times we have people arguing about other countries politics without always understanding the political contexts in those countries.  

So what I want to do here is kind of turn it on it's side, and ask the various users how they feel about things in their own countries.

Some examples:

How do you feel about healthcare in your country?

How do you feel about gun control in your country?

 

And there's a lot more that we could delve into, but those are two pretty common examples.  So I figure we'll use them as a starting point.

United States

1. Healthcare: The quality is high, but the costs and logistics are a nightmare. My greatest fear is losing health insurance and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to stay alive if I didn't find employment with same quality insurance.  If there would be a reason for me to move to a foreign country, this would be it. I fully endorse Medicare for All or Universal Healthcare.

2. I think where we draw the line on what guns or weapons make sense to own or not is the issue.  A pistol, shotgun, or rifle can be explained for defense, sporting, or hunting.  I don't understand need of a AK-47, M-16, or AR-15.  Clearly other shave a line or we could all buy nuclear warheads at the store, difference is where the line is drawn.



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Funnily enougth the NHS is ranked 1st in the world two years running.



In Brazil the healthcare isn't the best, but still cost a lot of taxpayer money, so the government could make itself smaller and cheaper.

Gun control just prevent law abiding citizen to have guns and we know they won't ever be able to make it near impossible for criminals to get then, so they should allow anyone that isn't criminal or mentally ill to have a gun.



duduspace11 "Well, since we are estimating costs, Pokemon Red/Blue did cost Nintendo about $50m to make back in 1996"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=8808363

Mr Puggsly: "Hehe, I said good profit. You said big profit. Frankly, not losing money is what I meant by good. Don't get hung up on semantics"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9008994

Azzanation: "PS5 wouldn't sold out at launch without scalpers."

Gun laws in Belgium are strict but well thought out.

First, to own and buy a weapon, you must be a recognized hunter or hobby/sport shooter.
So you need to have a hunters permit or have passed an exam as sport shooter before you can purchase your own weapon.

Note that permissable weapons are devided in four categories: carbines, pistoles and revolvers, dubbleshot shotguns and blackpowder weapons (automatic rifles and combat shotguns are also banned for civilian use). You need to do an exam for every category of weapon you plan to own and or use (so just because you have a permit for a carbine does not mean you can buy a dubbleshot).

Once you have a permit, you can buy as many weapons as you like, but every gun must be registered after purchase with the police. Furthermore, there are permit renewals every 5 years (which is usually just a formality) and there are laws considering how to store weapons at home and what kind of storage capacity and safety measures are required depending on the amount of weapons you have.

That's Belgium's gun law in a nutshell.



Nymeria said:
the-pi-guy said:

A lot of discussions, regardless of topic, tend to be argued without their context.  What I mean by this is that on forums, users tend to come from all over.  We have different surroundings.  One person might be from the UK, another from US, another from Germany, Australia, etc.   All these countries have different political landscapes.  A lot of times we have people arguing about other countries politics without always understanding the political contexts in those countries.  

So what I want to do here is kind of turn it on it's side, and ask the various users how they feel about things in their own countries.

Some examples:

How do you feel about healthcare in your country?

How do you feel about gun control in your country?

 

And there's a lot more that we could delve into, but those are two pretty common examples.  So I figure we'll use them as a starting point.

United States

1. Healthcare: The quality is high, but the costs and logistics are a nightmare. My greatest fear is losing health insurance and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to stay alive if I didn't find employment with same quality insurance.  If there would be a reason for me to move to a foreign country, this would be it. I fully endorse Medicare for All or Universal Healthcare.

2. I think where we draw the line on what guns or weapons make sense to own or not is the issue.  A pistol, shotgun, or rifle can be explained for defense, sporting, or hunting.  I don't understand need of a AK-47, M-16, or AR-15.  Clearly other shave a line or we could all buy nuclear warheads at the store, difference is where the line is drawn.

1 - It's cheaper to pay for your own medical care than to pay the government to do it, and people not being taxed could save that money

2 - Second amendment reason for creation is to fight the tyrannic government, so if they can have that gun so you should as well, unless you think it's possible for the population to defend against the government using only revolvers.



duduspace11 "Well, since we are estimating costs, Pokemon Red/Blue did cost Nintendo about $50m to make back in 1996"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=8808363

Mr Puggsly: "Hehe, I said good profit. You said big profit. Frankly, not losing money is what I meant by good. Don't get hung up on semantics"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9008994

Azzanation: "PS5 wouldn't sold out at launch without scalpers."

In Luxembourg:

Gun control: Very repressive, you even need a permit for a archery bow or dulled fantasy swords. However, this means armed attacks are exceedingly rare, and security agents are generally unarmed. I far prefer this to looser gun laws as any kinds of attacks are generally just fisticuffs or knifefights at worst.

Health care: A bit special here. You first have to pay in full up front, but you get part or all of your money back, exept on medicine where the percentage is already applied when bought with a presciption. On antibiotics for instance, 80% are paid back to you, painkillers and symptom soothers 40-60%, vitamins and food supplements are always full price even with a prescription.

For hospital stay and other kinds of chiurgic medicine (like dental), the national healthcare system provides a high standard, but for those who want more, there are private healthcare companies who you can subscribe to to get their services.