05-05-2017, 05:24 PM
(05-05-2017, 02:07 PM)The Wonkette Wrote:(05-05-2017, 04:30 AM)Galen Wrote:Perhaps you might contemplate how much lifespans have increased in the past century. Medical advances, vaccinations, municipal sanitation, and access to expensive, lifesaving medical procedures through insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid all played a part, I'm sure.(05-04-2017, 04:29 PM)Odin Wrote:(05-04-2017, 03:21 PM)Galen Wrote: <snip>
Not really. You might want to investigate why medical costs are so high but then that would involve actually thinking. Thinking is too hard so I don't actually expect you to get around to doing it.
Perhaps an example of how the working class and poor dealt with health care before the government fixed it will demonstrate to you what really happened when the progressives and the AMA got their way in the early twentieth century.
You might spend some time contemplating how government increases the costs of medical care and everything else. You might also want to spend some time contemplating what government really is but I know that will never happen.
1. Galen is correct on one thing. Government sanctioned oligopolies are one of the main drivers of high health care costs are due to assorted regulations that protect said oligopolies. I wrote one to one of my Repug Senator about this stuff. I should be able to purchase my drugs from anywhere in a global market place. I don't want to be "protected" from "bad drugs". Rags is a big boy and can make choices to say, buy my drugs in Canada or China, for that matter. Live by the free market, die by the free market. If Shrerki's fucking hedge fund wants to jack up prices on the US market, then I should be able to circumvent that shit by buying my drugs from China, then so be it.
2. Government should be able to kill off oligopolies if it wants and the market place should be able to do likewise. I demand the right to get my meds from lowest price anywhere in the world. If an oligopoly jacks up prices of there shit, then I want them to face foreign competition. Also, if an oligopoly abuses its rights, then the Federal Government has the right to revoke the charter. There needs to be a death penalty for charter abusers. Yes, government sanctioned patents/corporate charters are a huge driver in outrageous health care costs.
3. Wonkette, why can't we just allow for more competition? Abolish the state level monopoly of health insurance companies, first. Now, here's the big thing, would it not be true that a VAT financed Medicare for all reduce the effective costs of US labor? I think it would. If I had my way, I'd promote the VAT/Medicare for all as a way to reduce the effective cost of US labor. Payroll taxes increase the price of labor, so let's just chuck that for the aforementioned VAT, which reduces the effective cost of labor.
4. Payroll taxes are not sustainable. The number of working folks is set to fall with the ongoing Boomer retirement. That's why I support VAT as the proper funding source.
5. If we had single payer/ 1 standard for medical coding, that would save money. Insurance companies are just a useless layer of administration. With single payer, the US should fold Medicare/Medicaid/CHIP/VA stuff into a single program. I do not recall any dead Canadians or maimed Canadians due to their system.
---Value Added 