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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:12 pm Post subject: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/272-39/8803-our-broken-health-care-system-is-killing-us
Key points from the article:
1. The United States pays about twice as much more per person for health care as other industrialized nations.
2. Prescription-drug companies frequently take the breakthroughs developed on the taxpayers' tab, add a little custom design, then patent the drug.
3. Billions are spent each year in wooing doctors and hospitals to adopt said companies' brands (of drugs).
4. The U.S. pays far higher prices for the drugs than other industrial nations.
5. The U.S. government does not negotiate bulk-purchase discounts for drugs.
6. The powerful health-care lobby blocks reform legislation and gives plum jobs to compliant politicians.
7. Health-care emergencies are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S..
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
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radcon
Joined: 23 May 2011
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| Not to mention what a pain it is for US companies to have to offer health care to its workers: the cost of the insurance itself and the admin costs within the company. Japanese and Korean auto manufacturers dont have to worry about health care while Ford and GM do. Big disadvantage. |
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comm
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:49 am Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Privateer wrote: |
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
Personally, I'd vote for a Constitutional amendment which would allow the United States to set up a mandatory-participation national healthcare system. This would be my ideal way to reform the system...
BUT
It would be unconstitutional unless that happened, and I suspect that many States would fight tooth and nail against it. Which is why I suggest we eliminate federal subsidies to pharma and other regulatory benefits and establish State-by-State mandatory-participation healthcare systems.
This would have the primary benefit of actually being possible, but the secondary benefit of allowing people in one State to see how well other States are able to provide healthcare. Ex: Texas chooses not to establish a State-wide program, but California does and it's gloriously effective. Texans would see how well it works in California and demand it from their politicians. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:51 pm Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Privateer wrote: |
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
Is Canada's health care system nationalized? Its publicly-funded but run by private entities and administered provincially. Its not nationalized health care.
I want a universal coverage system, but I would not want government-run health care. England's health care system is not a model, Canada and France's are. And its the spectre of the English total government model that Republicans use to scare Americans out of the tepid reforms of Obamacare. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| What? I agree with Comm?!?!? Nice post! |
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comm
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Unposter wrote: |
| What? I agree with Comm?!?!? Nice post! |
"Even a broken clock..." right? |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:33 am Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Privateer wrote: |
| Is Canada's health care system nationalized? Its publicly-funded but run by private entities and administered provincially. Its not nationalized health care. |
However the private entities ultimately have to answer to the provincial government. If the government decides to shut down an 'entity' for violations, it can. |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:09 am Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Kuros wrote: |
| Privateer wrote: |
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
Is Canada's health care system nationalized? Its publicly-funded but run by private entities and administered provincially. Its not nationalized health care.
I want a universal coverage system, but I would not want government-run health care. England's health care system is not a model, Canada and France's are. And its the spectre of the English total government model that Republicans use to scare Americans out of the tepid reforms of Obamacare. |
I'm sure your quibbles are very important.
And we should all check under our beds for spectres of total government and other bogeymen. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:55 am Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Privateer wrote: |
| Kuros wrote: |
| Privateer wrote: |
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
Is Canada's health care system nationalized? Its publicly-funded but run by private entities and administered provincially. Its not nationalized health care.
I want a universal coverage system, but I would not want government-run health care. England's health care system is not a model, Canada and France's are. And its the spectre of the English total government model that Republicans use to scare Americans out of the tepid reforms of Obamacare. |
I'm sure your quibbles are very important.
And we should all check under our beds for spectres of total government and other bogeymen. |
I don't know how important they are, but we should get our terms correct. Most of Europe doesn't have government-run health care, they have government-funded health care.
Is the current English system better than the current American system? Of course. But if we're looking for reform, America should embrace the best possible model. For the US, that would be either single-payer health care or public option for health care. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:23 am Post subject: Re: American healthcare system a drag on the economy |
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| Privateer wrote: |
| Kuros wrote: |
| Privateer wrote: |
Before declaring a national health service 'unaffordable' (let alone 'inefficient'), please bear in mind the egregious costs of the current system, which functions as a cash cow for HMOs and Big Pharma.
Some have said there would likely not even be a deficit if the U.S. had a national healthcare system like those in Europe or Canada. |
Is Canada's health care system nationalized? Its publicly-funded but run by private entities and administered provincially. Its not nationalized health care.
I want a universal coverage system, but I would not want government-run health care. England's health care system is not a model, Canada and France's are. And its the spectre of the English total government model that Republicans use to scare Americans out of the tepid reforms of Obamacare. |
I'm sure your quibbles are very important.
And we should all check under our beds for spectres of total government and other bogeymen. |
What an empty retort. As much as it pains me to quote John Knowles, it is apropos in this case:
| Quote: |
| �Sarcasm... the protest of those who are weak.� |
I did not know that Canada's health care system was run by private entities. Interesting.
Anyway, Kuros, I'm not quite sure why you are so anti-government involvement. One of the best health care programs in the United States is Tricare, the military's health care plan. |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:19 am Post subject: |
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| I agree with Kuros that the U.S. should choose the best healthcare system model it can; I just don't like the insinuation that 'government-run' = 'bad'. Bucheon bum is right that military healthcare, completely government-run, is a pretty good model. |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 4:50 am Post subject: |
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It looks as if the U.K's system is going belly up. Part of the decline of Europe is their healthcare system. Look where it has gotten them. healthcare is a drag on all economies. A mixed system is probably best.
Bucheon bum is correct the military system works well, not sure if it could be translated to a population of 300 million. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Yes, you're right. I don't know if Tricare could be duplicated to such an extent to work for everyone in the USA. It is just evidence that government programs can work well.
Another internal example that works in the USA but is entirely the private sector is Kaiser. |
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