Nothing has changed in my life since the shutdown.

Obamacare is not the answer, but neither is the American people allowing the healthcare industry to rape our insurance companies which in turn shows up in our premiums.

Personally, I feel healthcare is a benefit, not a right. It is also not up to the government to dictate who has healthcare. If you cannot afford health insurance, you are not alone. Many people have healthcare bills adding up. But, when I see someone smoking a cigarette, buying beer, texting on there new iphone, and covered in tattoos crying about how they cant afford health insurance I want to punch them. Its about priorities.

I have Physicians Plus, which is like one step above Obamacare :whistle: But I eat right, I am active, I watch what I put into my body, and I get a physical every year (an STD test too, can never trust women with questionable morals). My healthcare is less than $100 a month, and I actually have pretty decent co pays.

If I can do it, so can others. Again, priorities.

Zac, I agree with most of what you said. Healthcare is not a privilege or a right, it is what a civilized society has. Without healthcare sickness can turn into epidemics which can turn into plagues.

I wouldn’t say health care providers rape insurance companies. I would say providers AND insurance companies are getting rich off of all of us. So are doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

When I lived in Texas it was common knowledge that most prescription medication could be purchased for a small percentage of what is charged in the US just by crossing into Tijuana.

I have met doctors from other countries that are appalled by doctors here for their priorities. In other countries you become a doctor because you have a talent that can be used to help others, you make a decent living but you do not get rich bilking others. Here people become doctors to get rich. Let’s be honest, why do parents want their children to become doctors (or lawyers) ? because they get paid well, not because they can do good.

The ethics of being a human being and having a goal to contribute to the greater good of mankind is gone. Everything is about money. Too often we judge success by money not by the quality of the person.

That is what needs to be addressed in this country before we can worry about forcing inadequate healthcare on people who can’t afford 3 square meals and a nice roof over their heads

Raising the minimum wage will only help widen that gap. I wonder how anyone can consider raising the MW and having it help. Can’t people understand that it is called “minimum wage” not living wage or good wage..minimum. As in the minimum an employer can pay. It is not supposed to be a goal in life to be minimum. We are all supposed to better ourselves, get an education or learn a trade, or something to improve our place in life.

Can’t people see that as the minimum wage increases so does the cost to produce EVERYTHING and then the cost of everything also increases to compensate? Any increase in wage will only be absorbed so that no matter how much the minimum wage is increased to, it will never be a living wage. What is worse, as the minimum wage increases, and the cost of doing business also increases, those of us who are above minimum wage do not see increases…and with the cost of everything going up, we all actually seemingly make less. This drives the middle class into the poverty class, further widening the wealth gap. Don’t they see that even if they increased the minimum wage to $100,000.00/year, the poverty level will be just above that, but in doing so they will absorb all of those income brackets ?