tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post2498245469944615952..comments2024-03-27T11:18:34.222-03:00Comments on Viable Opposition: The Perfect Health Care StormA Political Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03342345936277964422noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-45673438548397980922012-08-30T01:20:54.085-03:002012-08-30T01:20:54.085-03:00I dispute the notion that due to healthcare being ...I dispute the notion that due to healthcare being paid for by a third party, we consume too much healthcare. I've not seen any evidence to support that. After all, in country after country, the system is either free healthcare (ie; UK), single payer (ie; Canada, Japan) or private regulated insurance (Germany). Its all "third party payers". People are free to consume healthcare without limits. Nonetheless, the cost of care is far less. The difference is that in those places the market is NOT fee. The people vis-a-vis their governments simply say here's what you get. Take it or leave it. Misterzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03180999710791174831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-45212365018264017252012-08-21T10:13:33.120-03:002012-08-21T10:13:33.120-03:00The US is all about profits, and healthcare is arc...The US is all about profits, and healthcare is archetypical of this mindset. Pretty much everyone along the line extracts their pound of flesh, particularly the health insurers. <br /><br />A single payer would help. Good luck on trying to get rid of private insurers, the doc overtesting , the provider and pharma interests. Teeth would gnash, dollars would flow...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-20267697450662311132012-08-15T10:18:42.706-03:002012-08-15T10:18:42.706-03:00Perhaps it should also be mentioned that the healt...Perhaps it should also be mentioned that the health related outcomes such as average life span in the US are worse than most other OECD countries.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-26771460847835315982012-08-12T23:50:29.221-03:002012-08-12T23:50:29.221-03:00From what I've been able to piece together, he...From what I've been able to piece together, healthcare is more lucrative in the US, for doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, and medical equipment manufacturers. We also spent more on administrative cost and sales/marketing costs. <br /><br />One reason these costs have gotten so high is that there has been also <b><a href="http://moderatepoli.blogspot.com/2011/11/health-costs-reimbursements-fail.html" rel="nofollow">no brake on medical consumption</a></b> since costs are largely handed off to third parties (but maybe this is true in countries with socialized medicine too). ModeratePolihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01721945380057992971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-89174487463594241942012-08-12T12:15:34.942-03:002012-08-12T12:15:34.942-03:00Has anyone done an analysis that explains why the ...Has anyone done an analysis that explains why the U.S. is spending so much more on health care on a per capita and as a percentage of GDP basis? I come from the land of free health care (my family monthly premiums for a drug and hospitalization top-up are just over $100) and I see that our costs are less than 60 percent of American costs. Sure, we have our death panels and set elderly Canadians adrift on ice floes but other than that, what is the difference? (just kidding) (I think).<br /><br />I know that we have our horror stories about waiting times but, from my personal perspective and experience, when we really need the system, it is there for us in a very timely fashion. Is it possible that someone, somewhere within the American medical system is making a huge profit on the backs of taxpayers?A Political Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03342345936277964422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6399730406480392183.post-75757888791707014602012-08-12T00:19:13.004-03:002012-08-12T00:19:13.004-03:00It looks dire, but I think the tide is turning. Fi...It looks dire, but I think the tide is turning. Finally, the heads of both parties have their <b><a href="http://moderatepoli.blogspot.com/2011/11/solving-healthcare-cost-puzzle.html" rel="nofollow">respective ideas</a></b> for the beginning of cost containment. However, the rank and file politicians will still opportunistically use any change to Medicare as a bludgeon on an opponent. I actually expect some progress next year, which luckily isn't an election year. (Lots more short posts on healthcare <b><a href="http://moderatepoli.blogspot.com/search/label/healthcare" rel="nofollow">here</a></b>.)ModeratePolihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01721945380057992971noreply@blogger.com