Canadians Baffled By U.S. Health Care System, And By Extension, ‘Breaking Bad’

The show Breaking Bad is about Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who is diagnosed with lung cancer in the first episode of the series. Because he does not want to be a financial burden to his family, he uses his chemistry skills to produce and sell a super pure methamphetamine, and in the process become “Heisenberg,” his menacing alter ego. During the course of the series, we watch the Walter White character transform from seemingly meek and innocent to astonishingly scheming and rancorous. But it didn’t have to be that way. Had Breaking Bad taken place in say, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada), it would have looked more like this:

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The Moment You Realize Medicare Is Preferable To Obamacare

On Friday we learned of a rumor that a possible “fiscal cliff” deal was emerging behind closed doors. The deal would raise the top tax rate to from 35 to 37% (not 39.6%) in exchange for the Medicare eligibility age rising from 65 to 67. Let me go on the record and say I think this is a bad deal. Not only does the top tax rate not return to pre-“Bush tax cut” level, but in the bargain we throw seniors under the bus.

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Small Business Health Care Costs: Another Reason To Advocate Medicare For All

There is a lot of talk from Republicans on the crippling effects of “Obamacare” on small businesses. But Republicans offer no solutions to rising health care costs that don’t rely on the failed experiment of for-profit health care insurance provided through your employer. Been there; Done that. It’s why health care insurance is so expensive. I fully admit the Affordable Care Act relies on a failed health care insurance model. This is why we need Medicare for all.

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Don’t Like “Obamacare”? Advocate Something Better, Like Medicare For All

A New York Post column (“The 49ers“) laments the potential job losses as a result of full implementation of “Obamacare.” The use of the term “Obamacare” in place of “Affordable Care Act” should be your first tip-off of what’s to come. The article’s author is Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, which is a libertarian think tank. That should be your second tip-off.

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Medicare: Universal Health Care So Evil, We Gave It To Senior Citizens

Medicare ID cardSince 1965, the United States of America has experimented with a crazy, evil and potentially nation-destroying idea of universal health care. See, that was the year congress enacted Medicare under the Social Security Act. Medicare is a government-run universal health care insurance program for people 65 and older, as well as younger people with disabilities. This program is so bad for America that it polls at greater than 80% and it’s helped lift millions of senior citizens out of poverty and give them the peace of mind of knowing they have access to health care in their advancing years. What a horrible idea!

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We Can’t Have Medicare-for-All Because Conservatives Need a Bogeyman

Health care costs keep rising rapidly, and even when the Affordable Care Act fully kicks in (2014), the expectation is that cost increases, while tempered, will still be unsustainable. There are many ideas, solutions and hybrid solutions to tackle rising health care costs, but at its most fundamental level there are two approaches, and only one makes sense in the long run.

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It ‘Only’ Takes Political Will To Make Sure Medicare And Social Security Survive

There is no question Medicare needs fixing. The biggest problem with Medicare is that it is a high-risk pool. Insurance will be expensive per person when the only people in the insurance risk pool are 65 and older or disabled. That makes it fairly remarkable that Medicare has managed to survive for as long as it has. The reason it has survived is because of a vast supply of political will and public support. But sooner or later we are going to have to address the root issue, high risk. All insurance works by having diversified risk whether it’s car insurance or health insurance. Therefore, diversifying the risk pool when it comes to Medicare means extending it to all Americans, or ‘Medicare for all’. Having one insurance payer makes the financing of health care simpler and more efficient. Removing profits from the financing side of health care means nobody is deciding what is and isn’t covered based on shareholder sentiment and CEO bonuses. Removing profits means less overhead, hence less costly health care. Fixing health care in this country means extending the same coverage your grandparents have to all Americans.

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