Health care remains a hot topic, as evidenced by the 1,000 folks who showed up for Tuesday’s town hall held by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
It was all about gathering opinions, and plenty were heard.
Health-care issue hashed out, Arizona Daily Star
Tucson transplant physician Dr. Khalid Khan said he thinks more changes in the health-care system should be happening locally.
“To me, health care has to be a right — I am from Europe. But it is not easy,” he said.
Ashton Banker, 23, who identified himself as a student, angrily left the meeting before it was over. “I cannot stand the idea of socialized medicine,” he said.
Without change, Arizonans’ health-insurance premiums will increase from 7 percent to 15.5 percent of their income by 2016, Giffords said.
Read story: ww.azstarnet.com/metro/294584
Health insurance is a necessity. An unforeseen disaster can wipe out an entire savings and plunge someone deeply in debt.
But it is also over-priced and can get ridiculous, making folks jump through hoops to get approval for procedures, doctors or reimbursement.
The cost of some procedures, too, can be ridiculous. Anyone who has stayed in a hospital and later looked at the bill would agree. Doctors sometimes charge a sky-high hourly rate to stick their head in the door for a millisecond. A single hospital aspirin has been known to cost more than an entire bottle does at the drug store.
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What’s your take?
How should health care be funded? What would make it affordable?
Have you ever gone without health insurance and hoped for the best?