Today brings the launch of an online game created for the California Nurses Association and National Nurses Organizing Committee.
You Bet Your Health advocates a single-payer healthcare system by highlighting ways in which American citizens can be negatively impacted by the current system of commercially-provided healthcare insurance.
The game is a simple spin-the-wheel affair in which all of the outcomes are bad except when the player lands on a single-payer coverage plan. A press release explains the NNOC/CNA's position:
When American patients trust their health to a for-profit insurance company, they're doing nothing less than gambling with their lives... The game is part of a wide-ranging public education and political mobilization campaign for single-payer health reforms, which is the choice of nurses and doctors.
This video game... features an everyday patient trying to win healthcare from her insurance company. In each case, the insurer wins. Finally, as a bonus round, the patient spins to choose a healthcare system—and is fortunate to land on the single-payer model, which is succeeding in much of the rest of the industrialized world and which has been introduced in Congress as HR 676 (Conyers - MI) and S 703 (Sanders - VT).
Although the NNOC/CNA press release indicates that You Bet Your Health will be ad-supported, there are presently no ads on the game's web page.
Comments
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Flying. I knew I forgot something. But none of those lame pegasus wings. No, I want leathery dragon wings.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Yes.. I think we might have found something to agree on.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
At least until we have to decide who rides it first.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
"Read the US Constitution."
Hah, first of all, while its intentions and general idea's still ring true, to hide behind a document written in 1787 is a mistake. The constitution has so many flaws and so many issues that either no longer apply to todays society OR were completely impossible to forsee while drafting.
That being said, your money is still yours. I'm not suggesting taking it all, but I believe that taking a "Money > The life of an individual" approach is just wrong. In fact, that approach is the same approach that many businessmen in the industrial revolution took, with regards to thier employees. If the government hadn't have stepped in to force them to take better care of them, we might all still be working mandatory 16 hour days, next to dangerously unsafe equipment, in unsanitary conditions.
My point is that government oversight and action is sometimes the only thing standing between the Humanity's greed and penchant for taking advantage of people worse off than they are, and that is exactly what is happening in the insurance business. It is up to the government to stop it.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Where am I arguing that Money>Individual? I'm not. At all. I am, however, saying that I best know how and who to spend it on. You are free to debate the specifics of my spending.
Hiding behind the Constitution? This is priceless. You are protected in your childish ravings by the same document you dismiss.
Epic thread is epic, at this point. Good evening.
~~All Knowledge is Worth Having~~
~~All Knowledge is Worth Having~~
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Im not saying the constitution isn't useful, Im saying that adhering to it letter by letter is a mistake.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Wow, just... wow.
I have never, ever, seen a more concisely worded collection of everything that is wrong with America today.
Congrats!
BTW, charities tend to handle these things more efficiently than the federal government could ever dream to. (St. Jude's, for example, as the1jeffy pointed out in another post). And many of those greedy, evil bastards that obviously murder babies and consume their souls because they make more money than you actually donate quite a bit to these charities. Of course, Obama significantly reduced the amount some were able to donate, recently.
As a matter of fact, I suspect that many of them donate even more than would come out of their paycheck over government health care. The difference? Twofold. One, they get to choose where the money is going. Two, the people getting the money handle it far more responsibly than the government does.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Ignoring the ignorant and silly anti-corporate rhetoric...
So what makes letting the government decides who can live or die better? Because they won't be able to pay for it all, either. (Yeah, guess what? Insurance companies routinely deny claims because they couldn't afford to cover it all). Somebody's going to draw the short straw.
Tell you what, when you find your magical land where everybody gets everything they need all the time for free from a loving caring government, and there's just love and peace and happiness, fuck the ponies.
Bring me back a unicorn.
Edit: Fixed it for you.
To think that it's OK that people who are suffering can just take a percentage of your money is nothing but greed at its worst.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Look, you can keep arguing that its OK for people to die because they didn't have the money to recieve proper health care, but it will never change my mind.
It just shows that you are willing to let people die in order to feed your greed.
No matter how much money I would or could ever make, I would ALWAYS, ALWAYS be willing to let the government have a portion of it to help those less fortunate.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
The government couldn't keep them all alive, either! For the love of god, when are you going to realize that there are not enough hospitals, doctors, nurses, medications, transplantable organs, etc to take care of everyone?
There isn't enough health care to go around. It's a business. Supply and Demand. The demand is higher than the supply. You want things to change? Get the ball rolling. Go out and get a medical degree.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Why is it ok, though, that we make a BUSINESS out of PEOPLE'S WELL BEING? Frankly, its appalling that you think it's ok to make money off of people's lives. Why not take it a step farther? Why not take it a step farther? How about we PAY you to go into the low income neighborhoods and nip the problem in the bud? Lets make a Business out of it! They are only leeches on society anyways, RIGHT?
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Hospitals need money for equipment, medicines, overhead, etc.
Doctors need money for mortgages, student loans, raising a family, etc.
In fact, many hospitals just barely manage to stay out of the red.
We do not live in a magic fairy world. All of those things have to be paid for. None of those things would change if the government took over health care. It would still be a business. The only difference is the CEO would be Uncle Sam. Please, please, please. For the love of god. Just take a deep breath, sit back, and try to understand that.
Edit: There is absolutely nothing wrong with money, or wanting to make money. There is nothing wrong with making money by treating people's illnesses or injuries. And as the1jeffy said, they aren't going to turn you away because you can't pay if you come in with a gunshot wound.
And how far are you willing to carry this "making a business out of people's well being" stuff?
What about food? It's sort of necessary to live. Are people that charge for food evil? Should they be held accountable for making a business out of agriculture? What about clothing? It's rather essential in today's world. What about shelter? Are landlords and realtors making a living off of the suffering of people who can't afford shelter? There's a lot of homeless people in America. What about mechanics? A lot of people depend on their vehicle for their livelihood - should mechanics not charge those people?
You've been taught that the current health care system is wrong. The notion is prevalent among today's pandering politicians. Rather than simply accepting that, you need to stop and examine the *reasons* for today's health care costs, and compare the way hospitals are run to the way - well - just about everything else is.
Unless you are honestly prepared to say that *nothing* in life should cost anything, you don't have a leg to stand on. If you are, I recommend moving to a non-capitalist country, because your issue isn't with health care, it's with capitalism.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Plus, by just saving your money, you wouldn't be giving the government even more power over your everyday life.
What kind of patriot are you!?
"The government always knows what's best for me!"
Just 62,399 repetitions to go!
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
You know, its not everyday that someone references Brave new world.
Thank you kind sir.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
It's nice to know there are still people well read enough to recognize it. :)
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
I've never once said that. However, I am also aware that the government is in a unique position to help those of use who are less fortunate, given the right approach. It's a far, far cry from the "Goverment is part of the problem" approach of letting the people deal with shit themselves. I'm all for personal responsibility, and I hate as much as you do people who CHOOSE not to work. However, I fully support helping people who are trying thier best, but just can't seem to get ahead because of all the gouging that businesses like these insurance companies do.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
As someone once put it "People usually don't fall through the cracks, they get swept toward those cracks and oush through."
If I remember someone who quit theiy job at an insurance company didn't like that she absolutley had to have a 10% rejection rate.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
As with many things in life, there is no black and white. A single-payer system has problems, just like the current system has problems. As an ex-pat Canadian who has been living in the US for 12 years, I've had experience with both systems and neither is perfect. It's too bad that we as a society are so caught up in the "Tyranny of OR" that we feel we must use exaggeration and hyperbole to get a point across.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
It's a nice little flash-movie presentation, but it ain't a game. Now, if there were opportunities to win against the insurer once in a while, like in a straightforward "your arm breaks, your medical covers that, you don't have to spend $3000 on surgery" way, then that'd be gamelike -- but it also wouldn't drive home the point as well.
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The Mammon Philosophy
Fangamer
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Dude, I think your arm's broken.
Re: Online Game Promotes Single-Payer Healthcare System
Just out of curiosity, which set of immunizations cost $1500+?