# The Healthcare Industry has changed since the Revolution



## Toronado3800 (Mar 28, 2010)

There, I said it.

In the time of the revolution a man could live to his normal life expectancy while spending almost 0% of his income on doctors.  They might help or just might come and bleed you to cure the flu.

By 2010 we spend whatever % of our GDP on health care.  The situation has been getting "worse" for some time.  Worse because we keep finding expensive new cures and treatments for all kinds of ailments.  

In 1790 what happened to a fella with a terrible disease?  Hopefully they had a relative to take them in?  Were there state or Church sponsored homes for the masses?  For sure they died quicker.  My pops lingered on forever with lung cancer thanks to the help of doctors draining fluids and this or that.  Back in the day a significant portion of that money would not of been spent on doctors but would have been passed on to the family.

Universal healthcare will not solve these issues.  If everyone gets taxed or forced into having health insurance it might "fix the math" in the insurance industry for awhile though.  Make the system work better.

What do I hope will happen over the next 50 years to help the situation?  Hopefully a field will emerge which specializes in streamlining the medical industry.  Making MRI's, Chemo, CAT Scans, gene therapy, all that more affordable.  Economically we are "fighting against" the Magic Johnsons of the world who can afford whatever new million dollar treatments which can extend their lives.  I say fighting because darn it, when I'm dying of something instead of saving my money to pass on to my kids I'm going to use it all on whatever treatment will keep myself alive.

Until then, no more treatment for tax cheats.  No last moment medical care for failed Christian Scientists who have wavering faith when a cure able disease kicks in.  (Let them die on my hospital's front steps when their appendix ruptures if they don't have the cash!)  

As I believe in using the fear of God to keep man kind in line, I believe a bit of the fear of a capitalist hell is needed to keep folks working and paying.


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