Pgh_flamenco -> RE: America (Oct. 30 2008 8:37:05)
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Ron, I knew what you meant. The comment about fund managers pulling their money in anticipation of a crash had to do with comments made by Jim Cramer (one of the gurus you mentioned who helps people chose individual stocks on his daily TV show). He made a statement about predicting the market crash in 1987 a few weeks ago. Analysts have concluded that his stock picks consistently underperform compared to the various stock markets. There are some misconceptions people have about healthcare and homelessness in the US. Many homeless people have a mental illness and rather than live in residential treatment facilities or assisted living they end up on the street instead. It’s partly their choice—their judgment is poor and affects the decision making process. The “deinstutionalization” of the mentally ill has added to the problem of chronic homelessness. Some unfortunate people end up on the street for a period of time but they are not there forever. Also, many homeless people are drug addicts or kids who ran away from home. Many of these people have chosen to withdraw from society but they just don’t have the money to afford to live in better circumstances (although drug addicts can always find ways to support extremely expensive drug habits). In the US treatment for mental illness is free through state governments—every aspect of treatment is covered, no co-pays, nothing. This includes medication, various forms of therapy, hospital stays, housing (including heat, electricity), food, and free college education for those with a mental illness that are capable of succeeding in school. Free treatment is also available for people who have contracted STD’s and any other illness that can lead to an epidemic or social crisis. Because these programs are administered and integrated into the private sector heath system there are fewer problems (worker apathy, low quality standards, etc.) related to state run systems than would occur if these systems were entirely socialized. As for other health care issues many people are entitled to free treatment (the poor are “judgment proof” so it is pointless to sue them). The people who are in the greatest jeopardy of financial loss are those who have accumulated wealth and have health problems. If they max out their policy they owe the difference between what costs are covered and those that are not. In Western PA anyone who has little accumulated wealth and makes less than $38,000 USD per year can have their bills waived by some if not all hospital systems. The health care horror stories you hear about happen to people who either have money and no health insurance or who have money and max out their health insurance or lose their jobs and insurance due to serious illness. These situations happen often enough, but people aren’t aware of how much of a safety net is available to people in the US. The reality here is very different than the sound bites people have heard in the media.
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