Rush prefers Costa Rica's 'Socialized' Medicine.

[budgie]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/286856


Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.

That might sound like an unusual choice, since this is a country with one of the longest standing socialized healthcare systems on the planet. Everyone here (including resident foreigners), are required to pay into the government-run health system, whether they use it or not. But Limbaugh’s choice may also serve to advertise what many Americans traveling here for medical treatment already know: Costa Rica is a fabulous place for medical tourism....

...Of course, if Limbaugh decided to move to or buy real estate in Costa Rica, he wouldn’t be the first celebrity. His neighbors might include actor Mel Gibson, model Gisele Bundchen, AOL executive Steve Case, or Vice President Joe Biden’s brother, Frank.


Sorry - mods, please edit title: prefers ;)

[I can't think of a name]

Of course Budgie never listened to the original statement or read the transcript. You are just peddling an incorrect story.

Rush said he has been talking to health care professionals and a lot of them have a contingency plan to set up clinics in Costa Rica if Obamacare passes. So you can pay for separate insurance down there and go get treatment when you want. It has nothing to do with Costa Rica's healthcare system.

Like you, the CSM are clueless critics

[jimmyboots]

Of course Budgie never listened to the original statement or read the transcript. You are just peddling an incorrect story.

I wouldnt expect any less. ;-)

[LineDoggie]

How's Alec Baldwins life in France going?

[budgie]

How's Alec Baldwins life in France going?

He told me personally the other day it's awesome....wait...

[Imp]

Budgie peddling a false narrative about Rush Limbaugh? Patently obviously misconstruing his words and, claiming hypocrisy when none exists? Say, I think I've seen this movie before.

[budgie]

Actually clarification is right there in the article. Rush explains he's not moving there for the national healthcare plan. Nevertheless, it seems he's willing to pay into one - even a foreign country's - as long as its not run by the Dems:

But, if Limbaugh did move to Costa Rica and chose to initiate the process of residency, he’d be required to pay into the government-run social security system – which runs the health care system too. Under law, all people employed in Costa Rica must contribute 5.5 percent of their salary to the state-run social security system and employers are required to match their payment with 9.25 percent. Even those here for retirement are obligated to contribute under new immigration laws, regardless of whether they hold private insurance.

Perhaps he should try Hawaii?

[Chulo]

Actually clarification is right there in the article. Rush explains he's not moving there for the national healthcare plan. Nevertheless, it seems he's willing to pay into one - even a foreign country's - as long as its not run by the Dems:

But, if Limbaugh did move to Costa Rica and chose to initiate the process of residency, he’d be required to pay into the government-run social security system – which runs the health care system too. Under law, all people employed in Costa Rica must contribute 5.5 percent of their salary to the state-run social security system and employers are required to match their payment with 9.25 percent. Even those here for retirement are obligated to contribute under new immigration laws, regardless of whether they hold private insurance.

Perhaps he should try Hawaii?

I guess it would make sense if it were TRUE. Limbaugh said he would go the Costa Rica for treatment, not to move there which makes sense considering the cost and the Government and Private healtcare system present in the country.

Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system. http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/286856

San José, Costa Rica – Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.
That might sound like an unusual choice, since this is a country with one of the longest standing socialized healthcare systems on the planet. Everyone here (including resident foreigners), are required to pay into the government-run health system, whether they use it or not.
But Limbaugh’s choice may also serve to advertise what many Americans traveling here for medical treatment already know: Costa Rica is a fabulous place for medical tourism.
Life expectancy in this little Central American country surpasses that of the United States and at one point, back in the early 2000s when the World Health Organization rated countries’ general health, Costa Rica ranked higher (No. 36) than its northern neighbor (No. 37), despite spending 87 percent less on health care per capita.
Some who've studied Costa Rican health care consider it better overall, and attribute that to the fact that free coverage extends to 86.8 percent of the population.
But the Cadillac-style private hospitals at Chevy Aveo prices are what really draw 25,000 Americans to Costa Rica every year.
“People travel to Costa Rica (and) receive the same quality of medical services for a fraction of the cost,” said Jorge Cortés, president of the Council for International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine and medical director of Hospital Biblica, one of three internationally-accredited private hospitals in Costa Rica. “When people see they can get the same surgery for three or four times less, they decide to get medical care abroad.”
Lower labor costs and fewer malpractice suits keep the prices down here. In Costa Rica’s private system, a teeth-cleaning might run $40 and a general check-up costs $50.
A facelift averages $2,800 to $3,200 in Costa Rica, compared to $7,000 to $9,000 in the United States. A knee replacement may cost $11,000 in Costa Rica, but can be as much as $45,000 in the United States.
But there’s another arm of the country’s medical system – the public system – which is relied upon by a majority of the population. While celebrated by Costa Ricans for “universal access,” it’s often criticized for long wait times and delays in treatment.
“There’s a difference between the healthcare system that serves people living in Costa Rica versus that which is known to foreigners,” said Robert Book, a healthcare economist for the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. “It’s the private option for foreigners that Mr. Limbaugh was referring to when he said he would go to Costa Rica.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Limbaugh clarified his comment about leaving the United States, after “the liberal media” celebrated his vow of self-imposed exile, viewing healthcare reform as a way to rid themselves of the conservative talk show host.
“If I have to get thrown into this massive government health care insurance business and end up going to the driver's license office every day when I need to go to the doctor, yeah, I'll go to Costa Rica for treatment, not move there,” he told listeners Tuesday, according to a transcript on his website.
Mr. Cortés said Limbaugh would not be alone in traveling abroad for medical care. He’s expecting medical tourism to increase by 5-7 percent over the next year, regardless of what happens with the US healthcare reform bills.
And that increase is building upon a growth Costa Rica has already seen. Since the recession forced many Americans out of jobs, Costa Rica has seen a surge in the number of their northern neighbors coming here for health services. In fact, there’s an entire industry catering to the medical tourist, including post-surgery spa services, sightseeing packages, hotels, and transportation.
But, if Limbaugh did move to Costa Rica and chose to initiate the process of residency, he’d be required to pay into the government-run social security system – which runs the health care system too. Under law, all people employed in Costa Rica must contribute 5.5 percent of their salary to the state-run social security system and employers are required to match their payment with 9.25 percent. Even those here for retirement are obligated to contribute under new immigration laws, regardless of whether they hold private insurance.
“The strengths of our health system (is) that it is universal, that it’s based on the idea of solidarity and that it’s fair,” says Dr. Ana Morice, vice health minister in Costa Rica. “What we need to improve is access to health services. Many times someone requests an appointment and doesn’t receive it until a year later. In that area, we have much to improve.”
Of course, if Limbaugh decided to move to or buy real estate in Costa Rica, he wouldn’t be the first celebrity. His neighbors might include actor Mel Gibson, model Gisele Bundchen, AOL executive Steve Case, or Vice President Joe Biden’s brother, Frank.

[budgie]

So even if he won't move there, the great Rush Limbaugh - champion of non-socialized medicine (made up term just like socialized) is willing to pay the Costa Ricans, a country with a public health plan, to give him better treatment? You'd think he'd avoid the place on principle at least...

[I can't think of a name]

So even if he won't move there, the great Rush Limbaugh - champion of non-socialized medicine (made up term just like socialized) is willing to pay the Costa Ricans, a country with a public health plan, to give him better treatment? You'd think he'd avoid the place on principle at least...

You still don't get it. American Healthcare providers will go down there and set up clinics for Americans to pay for their own care

[seraosha]

All aboard the failboat...from the topic to the retorts.
TGIF

[Chulo]

So even if he won't move there, the great Rush Limbaugh - champion of non-socialized medicine (made up term just like socialized) is willing to pay the Costa Ricans, a country with a public health plan, to give him better treatment? You'd think he'd avoid the place on principle at least...
"Socialized" is hardly a made up term.

You must be too full of rage to understand that
1. Rush agrees that health care needs to be overhauled
2. Having the government overhaul it and then take over is not the way

and in Costa Rica, they dont just have a government run system but also a private one.

Any way, carry on with the rage

[cltknight]

The only country in the world that adopts the kind of health care system that Rush is advocating for is Somalia, in other words, none.

[Chulo]

The only country in the world that adopts the kind of health care system that Rush is advocating for is Somalia, in other words, none.
And can you explain/detail/point out what kind of health care system Rush has advocated for?

[Wimbly]

If you look on youtube or google, the internet is chuck full of claims Rush is going to leave the country. Its yet another teachable moment in the anatomy of a smear.

[cltknight]

..........repost

[cltknight]

And can you explain/detail/point out what kind of health care system Rush has advocated for?


Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh has waded further into the nation's universal health-care policy debate by offering his own health-care reform proposal.

In an interview with FoxNews's (NWS) Greta Van Susteren, host of On The Record, Limbaugh challenged the claim that 47 million Americans are without health insurance, arguing that the figure is much lower than that, so a comprehensive social-policy revision is not needed.


Limbaugh argued the 47 million figure contains "millions of illegal aliens" who should not be covered. And he disagreed than tens of millions of uninsured Americans are going without medical care, contending that they do receive medical care when they're treated at hospital emergency rooms. Those who cannot pay are not billed, Limbaugh said, and those who can pay or have assets are subject to hospital collection-agency efforts to recover some or all of the medical care expense.

That's the system Limbaugh would like to keep in place: those who don't have health insurance must visit the emergency room, and the hospitals that treat them must determine who to seek repayment from. People who can't pay but have assets, he said, "have their car repossessed," he said.

Limbaugh said the major issue in health-care insurance concerns major medical/catastrophic coverage -- a citizen's risk of incurring an enormous medical bill from a surgery, accident, or serious illness: a $60,000 knee operation, a $100,000 cancer treatment, a $200,000 bill to remove a brain tumor.

Limbaugh said the above can be addressed by passing an insurance program targeted to catastrophic coverage, and he estimated the U.S. Congress could cover 12 million Americans for $30 billion per year. So there's no need for "a comprehensive, trillion-dollar health care reform bill," he said.

Economic Analysis: One up, one down, regarding Limbaugh's health-care reform proposal. I'm giving Limbaugh credit where credit is due: his concept for a federal major medical/catastrophic coverage policy for those currently don't have/can't afford it is consistent with measures in current House and Senate reform bills seeking the same. However, Limbaugh's estimate that only 12 million Americans would need to be covered by a federal major medical policy undoubtedly is low, so his forecast of a $30 billion annual cost also is probably low.

David H. Wang, an economic modeler, will run a major medical cost forecast using different assumptions; I'll publish his results when they're complete in a couple of weeks.

But Limbaugh's idea to have the uninsured continue show up at hospital emergency rooms for primary care and other medical services just does not represent a credible, feasible, or financially savvy policy.

To have tens of millions of citizens continue to impose $1,000 and more per visit to the emergency room costs on the U.S. taxpayer for primary care, when so many more efficient policy options exist, simply makes no sense financially and does not represent the most effective allocation of federal taxpayer dollars.

Any federal health-care reform bill must include an affordable insurance plan that covers and enables regular, sustained, preventive health care services by primary care physicians.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/rush-limbaughs-health-care-reform-ideas-one-heart-one-dart/19110871/

[Ought Six]

A lot of countries have 'medical tourism' clinics. They are private programs that are entirely outside of the nation's government-run healthcare system. So the claim that medical tourists (including Rush) are enjoying the fruits of socialized medicine in these other nations is simply false.

[khaz]

The rich under obamacare will simply pay out of pocket for whatever they want here or abroad, the rest of us will get rationed care and die sooner then later.

[plato]

"Socialized" is hardly a made up term.

You must be too full of rage to understand that
1. Rush agrees that health care needs to be overhauled
2. Having the government overhaul it and then take over is not the way

and in Costa Rica, they dont just have a government run system but also a private one.

Any way, carry on with the rage

So, we only have a government run system in US? No private ones?

[Dominique]

I just want to know will it be easier for him to fake prescriptions for narcotics outside of the US.

[muttbutt]

I just want to know will it be easier for him to fake prescriptions for narcotics outside of the US.
PMSL....miow Dom.... ROFL

[budgie]

Maybe I should have titled the tread "Rush prefers loose prescription laws'. In hindsight it would have been far more accurate.

[11 Bravo]

"Socialized" is hardly a made up term.

You must be too full of rage to understand that
1. Rush agrees that health care needs to be overhauled
2. Having the government overhaul it and then take over is not the way

and in Costa Rica, they dont just have a government run system but also a private one.

Any way, carry on with the rage


YOu put it out so clearly yet the odrieganda's and birdmen just keep right on wiht the fraudulent vitriol... it's so twisted of them ,it's funny and rightly so !.

[TallGuy]

The rich under obamacare will simply pay out of pocket for whatever they want here or abroad, the rest of us will get rationed care and die sooner then later.

Show me a private health care provider that doesn't ration health care. HMOs are notorious for rationing health care. You can't get treatment without getting the OK from the insurance company first. The insurance companies lose money by treating you, so they will do anything to avoid that. That's why you have all that illegible fine print on your insurance policy.

[Estopped]

The rich under obamacare will simply pay out of pocket for whatever they want here or abroad, the rest of us will get rationed care and die sooner then later.

Ignoring the fact that developed nations with socialised health care live longer lives.

[bababooey]

Rush is not worthy of mention in this forum. To figure out this individual's thinking is not worth the investment. He and other babbling mouthpiece's only function is to fill their alloted air time with hot air so as to attract as many listener's as they can, thus justifying their radio/TV careers. I'd just as soon listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Wimbly]

Rush is not worthy of mention in this forum. To figure out this individual's thinking is not worth the investment.

Its not a matter of "figuring out" though. Its a matter of opening your ears, listening and not taking the MSM's spin as fact. .

[11 Bravo]

Rush is not worthy of mention in this forum. To figure out this individual's thinking is not worth the investment. He and other babbling mouthpiece's only function is to fill their alloted air time with hot air so as to attract as many listener's as they can, thus justifying their radio/TV careers. I'd just as soon listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.

Does your rant take in account your apparent Hero radio personality named Howard ?.

[Mackie]

And can you explain/detail/point out what kind of health care system Rush has advocated for?

And that would be intresting. How should Rushs great Health Care system look like?

[Dominique]

And that would be intresting. How should Rushs great Health Care system look like?

Apparently it involves faking prescriptions for drugs, and lying about it. Then hiring an expensive lawyer to get out of trouble when caught cheating the system.

[bababooey]

Does your rant take in account your apparent Hero radio personality named Howard ?.

Howard is God. I cannot blaspheme Him....

[Wimbly]

Apparently it involves faking prescriptions for drugs, and lying about it. Then hiring an expensive lawyer to get out of trouble when caught cheating the system.
Man you guys are educated when it comes to any thing Rush (the radio host) ever did, but you don't seem to give a flying **** about elected officials and what they did (as long as they have a D next to their name).

Barney Frank ran a gay brothel from his apartment. Charlie Rangel is a tax cheat and ethics violator. Chris Dodd is another tax cheat and cheater. No, but lets dwell on a radio host and the hypothetical crime he might have been convicted with if he were ever convicted of anything.

[KoTeMoRe]

Yes they don't have JUST a PUBLIC health system, they got a PRIVATE one too. Just like anywhere else in this world, except for North Korea and Somalia...

[11 Bravo]

Howard is God. I cannot blaspheme Him....

Well this expalins your sillyness in spades.

[XASA]

Wimbly, the little bit of creditbility you have is further diminished when you use disinformation in a poor attempt to prove a point. You are grossly misrepresenting the facts, something which you persistenly have accused the so-called "MSM" of doing. Frank did not run a gay brothel from his apartment. He did pay a gay prostitute for ***, then moved him into his apartment. The prostitute continued to do business while living with Frank, which Frank had no knowledge of and the ethics panel cleared him. That doesn't mean Frank isn't a sleazebag but if you are going to accuse him of something, get your facts straight. Rangel's tax and ethics problems are still under investigation; however, enough has come out that he has had to resign from his committee chairmanship. Dodd problem was being too close to Countrywide Mortgage but the Senate's ethics panel found him not guilty of any malfeasance but did question the appropriatness of his business dealings with Countrywide. Yes, he is another political sleazebag, but the controversy has led him to not run for re-election. I am not defending Frank, Rangle or Dodd, but just relating the truth. The point being, when politicians are caught in sleazy circumstances regrdless of their political party, they suffer the consequences of their actions. Limbaugh just gets richer preaching to his choir who rabidly defend him regardless of his many proven shortcomings.

Finally, even if every thing you said about Frank, Rangel and Dodd is true, the fact tht Limbaugh was a hypocrite about drug abusers when he, in fact, was one still would be a factor in people disliking him

[JKD]

Man you guys are educated when it comes to any thing Rush (the radio host) ever did, but you don't seem to give a flying **** about elected officials and what they did (as long as they have a D next to their name).

Barney Frank ran a gay brothel from his apartment. Charlie Rangel is a tax cheat and ethics violator. Chris Dodd is another tax cheat and cheater. No, but lets dwell on a radio host and the hypothetical crime he might have been convicted with if he were ever convicted of anything.

Why do you expect Dominique or anyone else to discuss any of those things in a thread that's specifically about Rush Limbaugh?

[Mackie]

Man you guys are educated when it comes to any thing Rush (the radio host) ever did, but you don't seem to give a flying **** about elected officials and what they did (as long as they have a D next to their name).
I mean if you criticize a concept you should offer a alternative. Otherwise it's populism.

[Dominique]

Man you guys are educated when it comes to any thing Rush (the radio host) ever did, but you don't seem to give a flying **** about elected officials and what they did (as long as they have a D next to their name).

Barney Frank ran a gay brothel from his apartment. Charlie Rangel is a tax cheat and ethics violator. Chris Dodd is another tax cheat and cheater. No, but lets dwell on a radio host and the hypothetical crime he might have been convicted with if he were ever convicted of anything.

IMO, Rush, and several of the people you mentioned on that list, should be wearing orange jumpsuits, and showering with Big Bubba, but I'm not the one in charge or prosecuting these clowns. I'm in favor of equal enforcement of the law, no matter who you are, and Rush, the tax cheats, idiots taking bribes, and anyone else caught breaking the law needs to go to jail and/or prison. And Wimbly, let not pretend that Rush wasn't faking prescriptions to get drugs.

[California Joe]

I think Wimbly is using threads here as portfolio material when he applies for Karl Roves job.

[brainplay]

And Wimbly, let not pretend that Rush wasn't faking prescriptions to get drugs.

No one is really denying that. It's more of a comment on the fixiation that you and many have with it whenever he is brought up and how most threads that deal with him end up going down that path pretty quickly.

[Dominique]

No one is really denying that. It's more of a comment on the fixiation that you and many have with it whenever he is brought up and how most threads that deal with him end up going down that path pretty quickly.

That's becuase, I could really care less what a guy that should be sitting in jaisl has to say. Rush wants to talk sh*t, but when he gets busted, it turns out he's no better than the rest of the idiots he's railing against. Just another load mouth, who's out to line his pockets, and to look out for number 1.

[budgie]

I think Wimbly is using threads here as portfolio material when he applies for Karl Roves job.

As I've often said those who immerse themselves in 'the argument' on these forums may be doing so a way to fantasize that they're participating on the same level as the pundits. They're not so interested in the issues as being part of the game...

[Wimbly]

As I've often said those who immerse themselves in 'the argument' on these forums may be doing so a way to fantasize that they're participating on the same level as the pundits. They're not so interested in the issues as being part of the game...

Not you though, right? :roll:


That's becuase, I could really care less what a guy that should be sitting in jaisl has to say..

Why should he be sitting in jail? he was never convicted of anything. He got hooked on pain medication while being treated. It happens to millions of Americans.


it turns out he's no better than the rest of the idiots he's railing against. Just another load mouth, who's out to line his pockets, and to look out for number 1.

Yet you're always in the Rush threads. Why is that if you don't care what he says? You remind me of the people in the MSM who constantly say hes irrelevant, yet report on him every single night. Half the time you only think you know what he said, because you read it second hand and it isn't even accurate. This thread was started based on yet another mangled Rush quote!

You know, lots of pundits say lots of stupid things, yet Rush's usually inaccurately quotes words are constantly put under a microscope for you to get outraged about. Why aren't you ever on here wringing your hands about Chris Matthews or Bill Mahr? Could it have something to do with the fact the MSM doesn't cover their stupidity?

[Dominique]

Why should he be sitting in jail? he was never convicted of anything.

The bolded text is the point, his ass should be sitting in jail. If that had been you or me, we'd both be guests of the state.

[QUOTE=Wimbly;4822296]He got hooked on pain medication while being treated. It happens to millions of Americans.

Boo, effin who. And money didn't get me the little red fire truck I wanted for Christmas. I hear "It's not my fault" every day of the weak, and I' sick of it. He could have gotten treatment, for his addiction, it's not like he can't afford it. But he chose to got another route, and fake prescriptions for a controlled narcotic. He could have stood up, taken responsibility for his actions, and did his time, but he didn't. Instead he hired a high priced lawyer, and some PR guys to spin the story to the media. He's a criminal, and if you haven't guessed it, I have zero to no sympathy for lying, hypocrites, with a holier than thou attitude, that are just as dirty, if not worse than the people they claim to be speaking out against. Phuck him, and the rest of the so called TV pundits. They're all out to make a fast buck, sell books, and stir up sh*t by playing on the fears of the general public, be they on the left, or the right.


Yet you're always in the Rush threads. Why is that if you don't care what he says?

I'm not here because of Rush, I'm here to debate you. I enjoy a good argument, and while there are many days I think you're off your meds, you can at least be counted on to speak your mind, and put up a good fight.


You remind me of the people in the MSM who constantly say hes irrelevant, yet report on him every single night. Half the time you only think you know what he said, because you read it second hand and it isn't even accurate. This thread was started based on yet another mangled Rush quote!


Actually, I get most of my Rush info from quotes you, or others, post right here. And if I want to dig around for details, I do my own research, and either read over transcripts of the show, or video clips. But other than that, I don't keep track of what he says, or does. Unlike several people here who seem to know every time he, or any of the other oxygen thieves that masquerade political commentators take a piss. Seriously, for guys that supposedly have jobs and families, how do some of you find the time to sit down everyday, dig through hours of video, read all of these blogs, and pick out all of the little sound bites, video clips, any the rest. I don't have the time, and/or interest to do it.

[Chulo]

As I've often said those who immerse themselves in 'the argument' on these forums may be doing so a way to fantasize that they're participating on the same level as the pundits. They're not so interested in the issues as being part of the game...
AFAIK you are not in U.S right? Overseas posting or not American at all?