The New England Journal of Medicine looked at both Obama’s and McCain’s proposed health care plans. It did not really like either system. GOOD job in not liking either solution but NOT proposing how to reform the problem. I guess people like to poke fun at ideas but make no suggestions of their own.
Anyway here are the two articles. To sum up Obama = too expensive. McCain = will stop covering many people, not viable. Guess there is no answer, let’s just bitch more and do nothing.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Jon Kepler // Oct 21, 2008 at 2:45 am
Have you heard anyone say “let’s just copy Canada”? As a Canadian, I’m told Americans envy our system. I’m not sure they should, as I’ve developed quite a bit of resentment towards it over the years, but “let’s copy Canada” is at least a better answer than no answer.
2 LivingAlmostLarge // Oct 21, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Yes, the liberals like myself out there. Healthcare is a right not a responsibility.
3 fengshui // Oct 21, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I think that the first step is to set “standard” reimbursement rates for all visits, proceedures, labs, supplies, etc. Then we can start to get somwhere. When you take away the profitability of people’s care, is when we can start to make some progress.
4 Jim ~ mydebtblog.com // Oct 23, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I believe healthcare is a privilege. Nobody owes it to you just because you exist. There are a lot of things you need before healthcare in order to survive like food and shelter. This is why people actually try to find a way to produce something in order to provide an income to meet their needs. I am willing to pay in order to not have to go to a hospital run like a DMV when I need it.
5 LivingAlmostLarge // Oct 23, 2008 at 4:56 pm
That’s why Jim, the US has the most expensive system. Because people believe it’s a privilege over a right. I think Healthcare is right with food and shelter. That there is a minimum level of care for people. That people have a right to be treated with a certain quality of life.
And until people realize this, we’ll always have a lot of uninsured people driving up the costs.
6 Jon Kepler // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Jim, as unfortunate as it is, maybe it’s actually not too expensive, but just as expensive as it’s supposed to be. I know, it’s a sobering thought, but if it was too expensive wouldn’t a less costly competitor pop up? It happens in laser eye surgery and other areas. If it’s not happening in the general sector, there has to be a reason for it.
7 Pearl // Oct 27, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I’m never sure what people mean when they say that something that costs money is a “right.” None of us have a right to other people’s services without due payment, even when we need them. When the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, it freed ALL the slaves, no matter how much their owners might have depended on them.
My first instinct is that when people say that, they mean they want someone else to pay for what they consume. If the “someone else” is OK with that, or under some moral obligation (like parents are for minor children, or children who were provided a decent start in life should be for elderly parents) then fine, but otherwise, aren’t you simply saying that you are entitled to help yourself to someone else’s earnings to meet your needs or wishes?
Don’t forget that almost every penny the government has was removed from the person who earned it at the point of a gun. I say almost because a few (very few) people actually donate money to the government.
Are you OK with violence or the threat of violence being used to give you your “right” to “free” health care at someone else’s expense? I might be if I was absolutely destitute and at the point of death, but not just because I’d rather spend the money on something else. We can be compassionate as a society, and we are - every illegal immigrant who can sneak into the country will get the best emergency care in the world and pretty adequate non-emergency care as well. Poor Americans who need health care services but can’t afford to pay are almost always eligible for Medicaid.
The rest of us should stop whining about how much health care costs, just budget it like any other living expense, and thank our lucky stars that so many of us will live longer healthier lives because of the innovations that our health care system has created in the last century.
Besides, government today spends an average of $10,000 a year now on educating a K-12 student, and yet many districts can’t even teach most of their students to read proficiently or compose a decent letter.
I’m for waiting until government gets the education gig right before turning over the whole health care industry to it.
8 Jon Kepler // Oct 27, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Pearl, as someone with no choice but to live under an ineffective government system, I agree with you. Here in Canada, those with money and a serious illness are denied the right to pay for a service here at home, and are forced to endure traveling abroad while sick to receive treatment.
9 LivingAlmostLarge // Oct 29, 2008 at 10:56 am
I believe that people have a right to have medical treatment. They have a right to have surgery and care. I believe that if they are working but can’t pay $20k for an auto accident they should still be cared for.
It’s not a privilege based on your income. And every other Westernized country believes medical care is a right not a privilege.
We help the poor, but what about the middle class, many of whom go BK because of medical bills?
Jon, come to the US. I married a Canadian who is still shocked that medical bills can bankrupt people. That coverage can be denied through legal loopholes. Come to the US and see how a family with a diabetic child or cancer can use all their money with co-payments, deductibles, surgeries, etc.
Come here and be afraid. Afraid that when you lose your job you will lose medical insurance. Or be denied by a pre-exisiting condition.
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