Kentucky finally got a Republican governor for the first time in who knows how long.  He served in the US House and was very pro-gun and did a good job.  However, as Governor he's really screwing it up especially with his latest socialist health care plan.  Here is what he is proposing:

www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/9605638.htm

Also, Fletcher, a physician, introduced an innovation. For the first time, employees' coverage costs will be based on their salaries: the higher their pay, the higher their cost.

So just because I make more money I have to subsidize the healthcare system for those who don't make as much.  That's bullshit.  He's adding this on top of the generour 2% raise that state workers got.

I'm as Republican as they come but if Fletcher actually goes through with this crap I will take pride in voting his ass out of office.

I feel your pain.

Our own RINO Gov. Bob Taft is doing a bang-up job himself...  

But the media keeps telling me the Republican Party has moved right... how can this be??

I keep hearing that it's the party overall that is great shakes, yet I keep seeing evidence to the contrary.  The GOP is quickly abandoning what it once was.

I have a friend who works in the health insurance industry on some major contract type stuff.  She said prescription drug costs rose 13-17% this year alone with several manufactors.  I hate to sound socialist, but it is getting close to time for serious price controls on some of this shit.  These guys are wayyyyyyyy off the cost of inflation or any reasonable price hike.  They are raping us for getting older and our lovely federal government is helping them.  

I watched some loser from the FDA on TV take the industry line on price hikes and the "dangers" of importing drugs from Canada.  He even went as far as to claim the same drugs from Canada are made by the same plant in Ireland as US drugs but ours are safer.  WTF?    My dad was paying $400 a month for drugs until he went to the VA, he is a war wounded WWII vet, now he pays $5 a script.  He is happy he nearly got killed 60 years ago, it saved him his lifes savings.

The health care industry behaves like an unregulated industry in terms of what they charge and what you get for the service.  While we all like to claim to be supported of uncontrolled capitalism, do we really want to pay $250 a pill for drugs in 20 years?  

Let's hear some good old ARFCOM suggestions for ways to fix this other than sticking it to the guys at the top of the pay scale.

close to time for serious price controls

Ugh!  No No NOOOO!


The price of drugs is being manipulated so as to make nationalized healthcare seem reasonable.  It is not.  If the government would just get out of the way, drugs would be priced by the market and people could get what they need.  Of course, that would mean the bottom would fall out of their enormous profits...

Price controls have never solved anything, EVER!  Never.

Bob daft,daswine,voinobitch,all are rinos who should have declared themselves as DU long ago.These socialist pukes make me ashamed to be an American.What worthless P's.O.S.
might as well have voted for the supergeeky,Metzenbaum wannabe,Joel hyatt.AKA "Baby Doc."

Prove it?   Phone service did not get cheaper after the government broke up the Bell system.  Airlines are not cheaper or safer since deregulation.  Free market utilities almost killed California a few years ago.

Oddly, our democratic governor has signed more pro gun legislation than any gov in memory...

Quoted: close to time for serious price controls Ugh!  No No NOOOO! The price of drugs is being manipulated so as to make nationalized healthcare seem reasonable.  It is not.  If the government would just get out of the way, drugs would be priced by the market and people could get what they need.  Of course, that would mean the bottom would fall out of their enormous profits... Price controls have never solved anything, EVER!  Never.

+1

Price controls contract supplies. They reduce profits, and in so doing, discourage production. Smaller supplies cause the most severe price increases.

Find a way to encourage more competition. Get more companies to produce drugs that accomplish the same thing, and prices will fall. It's no different than any other type of product.

I'd start by speeding up FDA approvals, and lowering taxes. And I'd do everything possible to stop countries like Canada from threatening to steal our drug companies' patents if they didn't sell to Canada's system at or near cost.

It's the same drug company in Canada, it is the same drug, from the exact same plant.  BUT, it is 75% cheaper.  Canada is one of many countries that enforce patents rights of US makers by the way.

Quoted: Let's hear some good old ARFCOM suggestions for ways to fix this other than sticking it to the guys at the top of the pay scale.

Well something definately has to be done with the whole healthcare system.  Keeping the exact same system but making some people pay more than others does not fix anything.

My understanding is that US drug companies are selling the exact same drugs overseas to other countries for much less...which is forcing the US citizens to subsidize other countries.  That needs to stop but I'm not to keen on heavy government regulation because the drug companies need money to do research.  Without fully funded research who knows how many drugs we have today never would have been developed and that needs to be kept in mind.

Why is it every time I go to the doctor I have to wait an hour to be seen, then a nurse spends 2 minutes taking my blood pressure, the doctor sees me for 5 minutes, and I get a bill for $60.  If you get x-rays or any tests done you are up to hundreds of dollars.  Why are these basic and simple services so expensive?  With the line at the doctors office someone is pulling in a lot of money.

If you are a self employed person trying to get insurance on your own, prepare to get bent over.  My parents spend about half of what they make just to cover their insurance bill and that is to get coverage with a $5,000 deductible!  I don't understand why employees at a company can join together for a group plan but there is no such group plan available for those who are self employed.  My girlfriend who is also self employed can barely pay her car insurance and has no health insurance.  If anything really bad happens to her it will be the state paying for it or the doctor getting stuck unable to collect on the bill.  So because there is no affordable health insurance group for her to join in by default if something bad happens she will end up raising the rates of everyone else.

There are lots of problems with the current system but what our governor proposed definately will not help.

Quoted: Quoted: close to time for serious price controls Ugh!  No No NOOOO! The price of drugs is being manipulated so as to make nationalized healthcare seem reasonable.  It is not.  If the government would just get out of the way, drugs would be priced by the market and people could get what they need.  Of course, that would mean the bottom would fall out of their enormous profits... Price controls have never solved anything, EVER!  Never. +1 Price controls contract supplies. They reduce profits, and in so doing, discourage production. Smaller supplies cause the most severe price increases. Find a way to encourage more competition. Get more companies to produce drugs that accomplish the same thing, and prices will fall. It's no different than any other type of product. I'd start by speeding up FDA approvals, and lowering taxes. And I'd do everything possible to stop countries like Canada from threatening to steal our drug companies' patents if they didn't sell to Canada's system at or near cost.

Start by changing the legal system to empanel QUALIFIED jurors who are capable of comprehending technical/scientific issues and AWARD COURT COSTS & LEGAL FEES to companies who are unsuccessfully sued by adventurous trial lawyers like slimebag Edwards. Finally, cap damages beyond medical costs in ALL drug company lawsuits at something non-stratospheric, maybe $50 - 250K.

Oh yes, any lawyer who files three frivolous lawsuits gets his ticket pulled PERMANENTLY, in all 50 states. If the ATLA & ABA bitch, disbar the lot of them (fat chance the lawyers in Congress would ever approve any of the above even if they did, SCOTUS has the lawyers' six.

Quoted: I feel your pain. Our own RINO Gov. Bob Taft is doing a bang-up job himself...

Didn't I hear that Jim Petro is going to challenge Taft?  Petro has rocked on CCW issues.

Quoted: Quoted: close to time for serious price controls Ugh!  No No NOOOO! The price of drugs is being manipulated so as to make nationalized healthcare seem reasonable.  It is not.  If the government would just get out of the way, drugs would be priced by the market and people could get what they need.  Of course, that would mean the bottom would fall out of their enormous profits... Price controls have never solved anything, EVER!  Never. +1

+2

Well I just saw the official healthcare plan.  The bottom line is that because I make "more" I can only afford the preferred plan that requires 20% co-insurance and has a $2,000 out of pocket cap.  While those who make "less" can pay about what I'm paying for the preferred plan and get the premium plan with only 10% co-insurance and a $1,000 out of pocket cap.  For me the premium plan costs three times more than the preferred plan and the preferred plan is costing me twice as much as I'm paying now...all because I make "more".

For a Republican to introduce a wealth redistribution program like this which actually rewards those who make less with better health insurance for the same price is outrageous.  I've already emailed the Kentucky Republican Party stating that I'm a registered Republican, voted for Fletcher, gave them my address to verify that and told them that if they actually implement the plan I will take pride in voting Fletcher out of office.  It will be interesting to see if I get a reply.

One thing I have not figure out... how can you export a drug to Canada, then reimport it, and it cost less than if bought here in the US?

Duh!

Quoted: One thing I have not figure out... how can you export a drug to Canada, then reimport it, and it cost less than if bought here in the US? Duh!

Works like this, from what I've read:

1. Canada threatens to steal US Pharmecutical patents on drugs and give them to Canadian firms, if US companies refuse to sell to Canada at artificially low prices.

2. Not wanting their patents stolen, US Pharmecutical companies relent. They sell to Canada at or near cost.

3. Canadians enjoy "cheap drugs" courtesy of their socialist government. They reelect the socialists.

4. Canadian pharmacies mark up prices on the US drugs they got "cheap," and sell them back to Americans at a profit. Americans buy them, because they're still cheaper than if purchased domestically.

5. Meanwhile, Americans are hit with higher domestic prices, when US pharmecutical companies attempt to recoup lost profits from countries like Canada.

As TANSTAAFL, you pay for the cheap drugs in Canada for their abysmal healthcare system.