Universal Health Care

Like BC Mike I live in Canada, and as such have government provided medical care. This does not cover most alternative treatments, it is meant for basic coverage only. In Ontario at least you can get Nutrition councilling covered by OHIP (the Ontario health care coverage) and some Chiropractic treatments, but not Homeopathy, Accupuncture/pressure, Kineseology or aroma therapy. Which being as many of these practices are only at best vaguely based on science in general it makes sense that the government not cover them.

I think insurance should cover alternative medicines! As you say, that's choice! I too am not optimistic about the government's control over this issue! When has bureaucracy ever aided anything? Or in another light, the U.S. veterans do have government health care don't they? all I hear is complaints about it..

Universal Healthcare is not something I want. I do want helathcare coverage, BUT I don't want the government controlling it. Either side of the government. I want to be the one to decide what is right for me and what will be covered....this is just too much control. ANd think about how it will eventually affect our economy....how many jobs will be lost due to this change in healthcare? Alot, because people who cannot afford to provide healthcare coverage to their employees will be forced to lay people off.....less jobs, less competitive rates (where we can save on healthcare costs)... I just think it is a bad idea all together to go Universal Healthcare. I find it ironic to say we want to put the choices back to the public but then turn around and support a government based healthcare plan....Isn't it ironic? And I agree how will it be universal? Who determines what is the right kind of coverage? How can it be affordable to everyone? How will jobs not be affected by this when they will be threatened with fines? No thanks, I like the other idea....leave the choice up to me and I will find the best rates possible.

I wish they will cover alternative medicine too but i dont see that happening. The hospital and companies making medicine will make it sure that it wont happen. These companies will not allow alternative medicine be covered since they are afraid people will start choosing those medicine to cure for certain illnesses and they will lost a big margin of there total profit. Sad but these companies main concern before anything else is how to earn big and the welfare of the patient are just 2nd to there priority.

I Believe the Universal Health Care means health care for everyone meaning no one will be turn down, everyone will be treated with the utmost care and the money for this will be paid for by the government. Also you wont feel the effect of your insurance company turn you down for certain precedure. Now all those type of Alternative medicine thats what any Doctor call it, isnt place under heatlh care as you may think except for the rehibilitation Therapy, and Nutrition. I believe Universal heatlh care is good specially for people who can not afford just your General Practitioner which I believe is more important than one day at the spa. Remember accidents happens everyday and no alternative doctor from the aroma therapy,accupunture niether the kineseologist is going to be there to safe your life. I dont believe the government is going to pay for my yoga sessions and neither should you.

We already have Universal Health Care, it's called Medicaid.

I am strongly against universal health care. Any time the government pokes it's nose into something, it gets ruined. Of course it would be great to get free healthcare, but nothing is free. We would pay for it in taxes, and level of care. You will find in countries with this, people have wait months for an operation. Then they end up utilizing private pay practices anyway!

My health care through work covers massage, chiropractor, naturopathy and homeopathy. That's pretty standard in Ontario because one's basic health care is already covered by the government.

There's not much choice now. I suffer from a disease called "spasmodic dystonia" for which I get injections through the neck into my vocal chords. My Blue Cross covers it and I have full speech with the injections. HOWEVER, I'm getting scar tissue on one vocal chord that is making the treatment more and more uncomfortable and could have serious consequences down the road. There are new studies that indicate acupunture is a better way to go and it is not invasive. Problem is that the accupuncture protocol is costly and my very pricey insurance will cover NONE of it.

I am really concerned about them imposing fines and forcing whatever system they decide. There was Obama sayingf that Buisness's would be fined for not providing healthcare? Many companies would just lay people off or close down if they force anything like that. He says he is going to help us? If you have all the smaller companies closing down, how will that help us. I dont think they will like being forced and I think this will back lash on him.Unless he is going to pay the costs?

I was for Univeral, as recently as last year. But the more I thought honestly about it, I happened to think of something. It seems that more and more the government is trying to run our lives. Well, what is gonna happen if they are giving us "free" health care. I am really afraid they will try to control what we are allowed to consume, I have heard stuff about them wanting to make things as basic as vitamins require a prescription, which would probably triple the price, and take them out of the hands of people who prefer not to go to the doctor, but they stay healthy taking vitamins and supplements that they can pick up fairly cheap at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to tell us what we can or can't eat--and that, is truly a personal responsibility--government has no business in that matter. Although, If this Universal was to happen, I was talking to my dad about it before--and he said he's been hearing about Universal Health Care for a long time, and he doesn't believe it will happen. But if it did go into place, I do see validity in exploring alternative medicine, especially for illnesses that haven't been helped by conventional. And as far as Nutritional Counseling goes, I definitely think that is important--I don't even consider it "alternative". I took 2 nutrition classes in college, but not everyone gets that education, and even still--a nutritionist helps people design a meal plan they works for them individually, not just people who need to lose or gain weight, but even people who just want to stay healthy. It isn't essential to get that, but unlike someone in this discussion said--nutrition is not just a personal responsibility, I say that because not everyone is educated, and a nutritionist can help with that. Something else I am a strong believer in is the need for better mental health care, and I really don't think Universal is good for that, I mean--I'd hate to see a regression back to "asylums". Mental health has everything to do with physical health, even in the most basic depression--physical ailments are seen. I just fear that even with Universal that Mental Health and Addiction Recovery would be under funded. Anyway, I don't know what will happen, but I agree--forced health care is not necessarily better health care. I have been thinking of going back to school when money allows and do something in the medical field, and I certainly think that I would feel bad seeing people with illness and not being able to afford care, but at the same time, I don't think Universal is the key. Why not figure out a way to bring costs down, and I don't mean by making the quality suffer. Insurance companies need to be made to control their prices, and cover preventative care and even intervening treatments, before a person gets to the point that insurance won't cover them. I could talk about this forever, but I won't. But I do agree with you, if this is going to happen, I think that they shouldn't rule out any treatment option.

hi parated2k No I dont as a lot of that stuff is not medicallyproven to help anyone. I have grown up in the medical field and think univerasal health care should be only in he realms of proven medical fields. otherwise that insurance would cost so much nobody could afford it.

I think you're right. It has taken forever for insurance companies to cover some of this, and many still do not. Having universal healthcare will mean that the government and the insurance companies will be deciding what care we can and cannot have. They're already doing that with Medicaid and Medicare...and they're not working well. The government isn't doing anything well. Why should we give them more to do???

I think that it should be covered because, same as life not everything is conventional, plus if it does not work one way let's try the other... right? also there is a slight chance that some of these other options are relativelly less pricy than the "conventional highway" don't you think?