It's not Universal.

This healthcare program is not expected to support everyone, only those without insurance. The problem is, that means those with private insurance will be paying for insurance twice.

I would expect millions of people to drop private insurance, and just take the insurance they are already paying for from the government. I don't think the government can then afford it.

Thoughts?

They should also reform the insurance-program. I'm now going to speak for the Netherlands but I assume that it's the same case for the majority of the EU.

What we have is simply a case of everyone is obligated to have basic insurance (for me that's about 30 euro a month). If you are below a certain income, the government will compensate for that through your welfare-fee.
Now, for anyone with enough cash you can get further basic insurance - for instance, I pay 50 a month but that is because I have a full dental-coverage.

Then there is a no-claim thing, additional insurance, etc. etc. but I guess that's what it takes for the US aswell.

I thought the US universal healthcare plan was going to be "You need health insurance. If you don't have it you have to pay a big fine along with your huge medical bills."

Also that the government paid plan was supposed to be optional.

Actually the major problem will be rationing healthcare. This is something that happens will ALL forms of national healthcare. Just look at Canada's or the UK's national healthcare. People are unable to get treatment because they are too old, too sick, the treatment would cost the government too much.
I do agree the healthcare system needs reform, but this will only make it worse. The reason our healthcare costs so much right now is because of litigation, lawyers suing for everything they possibly can, insurance (doctors have to buy insurance that will cover them should they get sued...and since being sued is very likely, the insurance is very expensive) Also, people who are responsible have to pay for those who are not. For example, some people never pay for their health care (illegal aliens, people with no money, people with no health insurance), this drives both healthcare costs, and health insurance costs, up.

@Kasz
Healthcare is already optional. Anyone in the US can get it, it just cost a lot. It cost a lot, because if it's going to cost you a lot, your expensive to cover. This expense will be the same if your the government or a private insurer.

So either it will be a lot less expensive (only posable by tax subsidies, meaning your already paying for it), or the same number of people won't have insurance.

@ironman
I think the #1 reason it cost so much, is because a lot of people don't have it. If your sick and you go to the hospital, you get treated. If 20% of the people at the hospital don't have insurance, the hospital needs to charge more for everyone to up there profit so they can cover those not paying.

If Kaz is right, and it's optional coverage, this won't reduce the number of people entering hospitals who don't have insurance, thus not solving the problem.

@Esmoreit
So in your country, everyone has insurance. If not, they get fined?

Everyone has insurance. Most people with money are smart enough to get it either on their own or through work. People with no income from work recieve it from the government in the form of welfare-reduction. Childeren are insured through their parents mostly.

In the odd-case that someone is not insured, let's say a tourist he will of course be helped but he will have to pick up the tab himself.

OK, so basically if you’re a Hospital in the Netherlands, and someone walks in for treatment. 99.9% of the time the hospital will get paid for their services.

This is not true in the US. For health insurance to go down in cost, it needs to be. I don’t think the US has a plan to make that happen.

And I'm guessing, your right Mafoo. From what I gathered, hospitals there are now funded primarily by private tabs, part insurance (did I read that less then half of the Americans was insured for medical bills?) and government funding.

Here, only university or teaching-hospitals recieve funding and practically everything comes from insurance.
Obama should have started with adapting insurance and change healthcare at the same time. I'm currently doing research on changing hospitals and really, no matter where you are it takes years. And such drastic changes in two very immobile organizations takes more then one term. So I sorta understand Obama's reasoning though it is faulty... changing healthcare first speaks a lot more to Americans then it does when he talks about reforming insurance-policies.

I hope to god that he's actually doing that behind the scenes

I am sure whatever Obama has planed, it's just bases on him feeling all Americans should have healthcare, and what can we do to make it happen.

He never really spent much time coming up with any plan that could work, he just wanted votes.

I think we all know that I am against government run healthcare, but if I wasn't, I don't even know how one could realistically come up with a plan in the US.

How would you do it?

Is this still Medicaid in the US, or has Obama managed to propose a new national health system? I'm a bit behind if he has I'm afraid.

But you all know my point of view with national health. I think the USA would benefit more from a 100% national system which benefits everyone apart from those who choose to go private because of point A, B and C (You guys have seen the previous threads, you know my points lol).