HEALTHCARE REFORM UPDATE FROM THE UNITED STATES OF BATSHIT

[defrog]

ITEM [via dinopollard ]: Rep. Michele Bachmann warns America that the Obamacare plan could include a provision in which if you criticize it, you’ll end up on a blacklist that will deny you treatment – just like they do in Japan.

Her source: some random guy she just happened to meet.

"He said that in Japan, to wait and get health care is almost impossible. You get on a list and you wait and you wait and you wait. But he said this is something people don't know: in Japan, people have stopped voicing their opinion on health care. There are things that are wrong with Japanese health care, but people are afraid of voicing. 'Well why is that,' I asked. [He said], 'Because they know that would get on a list and they wouldn't get health care. They wouldn't get in. They wouldn't get seen. And so people are afraid. They're afraid to speak back to government. They're afraid to say anything.' Is that what we want for our future? That takes us to gangster government at that point!"

Video is here if you want it.

And so much for bipartisanship.

FUN FACT: Most hospitals and doctor’s offices in Japan are privately run, not govt-owned, though the govt regulates costs heavily to keep them affordable. Health insurance is mandatory, but private insurance remains an option. It’s not perfect by any means,  but it’s not exactly the “govt takeover of healthcare” Bachmann says it is.

That said, she’s never actually been to Japan, so what the hell do I know?

Making a list,

This is dF

Comments

[mimick.livejournal.com]

Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall... Your stupidity is beyond belief.

[dinopollard.livejournal.com]

You've just been proven wrong on every point about Japamese health care by someone who lives under that system. Prove how any of what I just said is false. Show me some sources. Because someone on expatforum who cites no sources is not reliable.

[mimick.livejournal.com]

The fact that you mispelled Japanese is hilarious. What's even funnier is because you live in a small area of Japan, you think you know everything there is to know about the whole country.

[dinopollard.livejournal.com]

I misspelled it because I was typing on the iPhone, which has a very small keyboard. Most people who have iPhones frequently make spelling mistakes on that keyboard.

And yes, I do live in a small town. But I am also part of one of the largest professional international exchange organizations and I have friends in numerous parts of Japan, including big cities such as Sapporo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Saitama, and so on. We all have the same insurance. We all love it.

So once more, give me some concrete proof that the Japanese health care system is bad. Because I've got firsthand testimony as well as the World Health Organization backing me up.