Do people 'deserve' universal health care?

[steelish]

Health care is not a right, it is a mark of a caring and compassionate society.

Few advanced societies - I know only of one - prefer to sell care and compassion at inflated prices to those with the means to pay for it rather than distribute it evenly and fund it fairly.

So...what I am reading is that America is an uncaring and contemptuous society that kicks its "poor" and underprivileged to the curb.

This couldn't be any further from the truth. I gather from the post written that America will continue to be viewed that way (by you) unless we adopt a National Healthcare system. Color me funny, but I just can't help but feel you will still look down your nose at America, regardless.

Americans have nothing against a fairly funded health care system. We have nothing against a reform program that works at reducing costs - whether it be tort reform or some other means. What the majority of us are against is a government run healthcare system.

One of our best friends just got back from Canada. He asked his girlfriend to buy bottles of Advil and bring them up to Canada with her. Why? Because he can't buy Advil right off the shelf there. It's restricted. He has to go to the doctor, get a prescription, then visit the pharmacist for a simple pain reliever. It's nuts. That's just a small sample of the red tape that has to be dealt with in a government run healthcare system.

[SadisticNature]

So...what I am reading is that America is an uncaring and contemptuous society that kicks its "poor" and underprivileged to the curb.

This couldn't be any further from the truth. I gather from the post written that America will continue to be viewed that way (by you) unless we adopt a National Healthcare system. Color me funny, but I just can't help but feel you will still look down your nose at America, regardless.

Americans have nothing against a fairly funded health care system. We have nothing against a reform program that works at reducing costs - whether it be tort reform or some other means. What the majority of us are against is a government run healthcare system.

One of our best friends just got back from Canada. He asked his girlfriend to buy bottles of Advil and bring them up to Canada with her. Why? Because he can't buy Advil right off the shelf there. It's restricted. He has to go to the doctor, get a prescription, then visit the pharmacist for a simple pain reliever. It's nuts. That's just a small sample of the red tape that has to be dealt with in a government run healthcare system.

I don't think America is an uncaring or contemptuous society but I do think it choose a route with health care that has been a disaster, and is getting worse as costs skyrocket. No one is accusing America of kicking its poor to the curb intentionally or with malice aforethought, but the fact is if one is poor and doesn't have health care in the US one is going to be screwed over if one gets sick.

I also don't think its a with us or against us situation where people are looking down their noses at the US. My girlfriend spent a lot of time in the US as a child, and we both go their on vacation, if I didn't have good times there I wouldn't be going there. We may not agree with what your definition of American values are, but for some perspective consider that Republicans and Democrats can't agree on what American values are.

Regarding the Advil story, I know for a fact that Advil is over the counter here, I've bought it plenty of times without any prescription or appointment so I'm not sure what your friend is talking about.