The reason why we have the most expensive healthcare in the world

[Barb]

We have the most expensive health care system in the word because pious do-gooding little dickweeds like you want free everything for everyone, at the expense of everyone else.

No, it's because idiots like you are carrying water for the healthcare lobbyists who are ripping us off.

That may be part of it but it's certainly not all of it. Another big chunk of our health care costs is because we are the source of the bulk of the innovations in treatment in drugs and that costs money. The reason health care is cheaper in other countries is because we do all the work for them especially in the area drugs.

Complain all you like about the higher cost of care here, just realize you can't have it both ways. You can't pile on the restrictions on pharmaceutical companies and hospitals in the name of low cost to the consumer and expect them to continue to crank out the life improving, life saving treatments and drugs at they rate they have.

Profit based medicine has consequences:

If new inventions are driven primarily by the pursuit of profits, then we have a serious bias against the invention of public good or technologies that preserve or restore public goods. For example, the pharmaceutical indistry employs legions of scientists and spends billions on research and development for noncommunicable diseases afflicting the wealthy. Daly and Farley, Ecological Economics, Island Press, 2004, pg 172

It is no coincidence that only 13 of the 1240 new drugs licensed between 1975 and 1996 dealt with lethal communicable diseases that primarily afflict people from developing countries. Ibid, pg 173

 

[Ava]

We have the most expensive healthcare in the world, because it is the best in the world. Nothing this good comes cheap. We also have the most expensive healthcare in the world because lawyers are making a fantastic living suing heathcare professionals who are not perfect.

Tort reform would help reduce healthcare cost. The average physician pays 50 to 80% of his/her profits for malpractice insurance thus doctors have to see twice or more, as many people, in the alloted time they took to see only one, before malpractice insurance was instituted. Thus we all suffer because physicians have to rush us through. They don't have the time to treat us well and stay in business. Many have left and many others plan to soon.

The average physician takes anywhere from 9 to 12 years ( depending if and upon any speciality ) to graduate from medical school and with a $200,000. debt from grants to go to school. Then they must quickly have malpractice insurance. They spend many years in education to help others while doing something they love and deserve to make a comfortable living. They have sacrificed much of their lives for their goals.

There are 800,000 physicians and nurses practicing today, to treat 300 million people. Many are of retirement age or soon will be. If ObamaCare is passed the average person will wait many more months to see a specialist, for their condition and or any surgeries. Many will die while waiting. Too few medical practitioners to handle the masses. Every doctor's office in my area on the coast of Oregon, already is a closed practice.

If heathcare is passed the way our president and Congress want it, we only have to look at Britain and Canada to see the results. Doctors do not have to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients as it is, for they are reimbursed so little for that and Obama plans to pay them even less, than they receive now, under his proposed plan, and as of this post. Most doctors will forego seeing those patients. There goes healtcare for our parents and grandparents. And there goes many doctors, permanently. And this healthcare will sharply reduce the amount of people who go into the healthcare field. They don't want government or insurance companies telling them how to practice their employment even more than they do now.

Hospital emergency rooms have to see any patient that comes to them, as it is currently. Medicaid covers the low imcome. Other clinics will bill a patient on a sliding scale.

Republicans realize and are willing to do something about healthcare, now that they see how important it is to some people, even though the largest percentage of ppl are comfortable with their healthcare, just as it is now.

If legislation passes in the form Congress wants it to, the healthcare you have today is going to look like the cadillac plans, compared to the quality it will go down to.

Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you have a bright day.

 

[Charles Stucker]

Yeah....Lobbyists are the only reason.

Does one get used to the excruciating pain that chronic stupidity must certainly inflict upon a body?

I hate to correct you onthis Dude, but there is a classic quote "No Brain, No Pain"
Chris is certainly pain free.

 

[rdean]

I thought Obama was the one who was going to get rid of Lobbyists..

Yea, all by himself.

Yeah, I was thinking that when he made the ridiculous claim.

Course, he does seem to think that he can silence anyone who disagrees with him. so maybe thats what he has in mind.

You got Obama confused with Republicans.

 

[Chris]

That may be part of it but it's certainly not all of it. Another big chunk of our health care costs is because we are the source of the bulk of the innovations in treatment in drugs and that costs money. The reason health care is cheaper in other countries is because we do all the work for them especially in the area drugs.

Complain all you like about the higher cost of care here, just realize you can't have it both ways. You can't pile on the restrictions on pharmaceutical companies and hospitals in the name of low cost to the consumer and expect them to continue to crank out the life improving, life saving treatments and drugs at they rate they have.

Horseshit.

The reason healthcare is cheaper in other countries is because they use effective cost savings techniques that work better and cheaper.

And drugs don't make people healthier.

They very well may. It doesn't change the fact Chris. We have far higher R&D expenses than most other countries. The drugs and treaments that save lives cost money. It's that simple. That is a cost of health care that most other countries simply don't have as much of. If you are in denial about that you have problems.

And did you read that last sentence before you posted it? Are you being serious. I won't be so obtuse as to contend that you must believe we don't need drugs to cure people from illness, on the other hand it's hard to figure out what else you may be contending. My parents would love to have known they didn't need to spend that money on me for chemo and radiation. I would live have know that didnt' really need a drug to help my arthritis. Why didn't you tell me I could just wait it out?

Drugs are way overused in our system. There are other, cheaper ways of healing. But drugs and surgery are the ones that make the most money. That is why our system is loves them.

 

[Chris]

Yeah....Lobbyists are the only reason.

Does one get used to the excruciating pain that chronic stupidity must certainly inflict upon a body?

I hate to correct you onthis Dude, but there is a classic quote "No Brain, No Pain"
Chris is certainly pain free.

When faced with the truth, righties do one of two things.

Personal insult.

Change the subject.

You have managed to do both in one post.

 

[Cuyo]

I thought Obama was the one who was going to get rid of Lobbyists..

Turns out that legally, he can't.

The framers designed congress to be responsible for cleaning their own house. All the President can do is continue suggesting reform. Please write your congresscritter.

You'd have thought that, being a 'Constitutional Law "Professor"', Obama might have been aware of that when he was promising shit he couldn't deliver.

CG, do you have anything to contribute to the conversation, other than re-iterating that you hate Obama?

 

[Bern80]

Horseshit.

The reason healthcare is cheaper in other countries is because they use effective cost savings techniques that work better and cheaper.

And drugs don't make people healthier.

They very well may. It doesn't change the fact Chris. We have far higher R&D expenses than most other countries. The drugs and treaments that save lives cost money. It's that simple. That is a cost of health care that most other countries simply don't have as much of. If you are in denial about that you have problems.

And did you read that last sentence before you posted it? Are you being serious. I won't be so obtuse as to contend that you must believe we don't need drugs to cure people from illness, on the other hand it's hard to figure out what else you may be contending. My parents would love to have known they didn't need to spend that money on me for chemo and radiation. I would live have know that didnt' really need a drug to help my arthritis. Why didn't you tell me I could just wait it out?

Drugs are way overused in our system. There are other, cheaper ways of healing. But drugs and surgery are the ones that make the most money. That is why our system is loves them.

Are they over prescribed? Maybe. That's a bit of a back pedal from "We don't need drugs" They cost more because they have higher research and development costs then say insert pin here and feel better. They are used more prevalently not because they make money but because our cultural is slow to believe in more holistic type medicines. It isn't realistic to think that holistic medicine can cure everything anymore than drugs can cure everything.

I can tell you from my own personal experience with arthritis that the drug I was prescribed has simply been a miracle. I was on it back when it was in the trial stages. I couldn't walk without being in excruciating pain. That drug was developed here in the U.S.

This isn't politics Chris, it's simple facts. Development costs money. And the fairest way to pay for it is via those peope that will benefit from it.

 

[Political Junky]

The US has Socialist health care, it's the Veterans' Administration ... Government owns the hospitals and pays the doctors' salaries.
Medicare is not Socialist, as it simply writes checks.

 

[Chris]

The US has Socialist health care, it's the Veterans' Administration ... Government owns the hospitals and pays the doctors' salaries.
Medicare is not Socialist, as it simply writes checks.

Don't bother these dodos with the facts.

They just want to parrot FoxLies.

 

[Oddball]

Y'all sure you want to use the VA as your example of how gubmint medical care "works"?

Really?

 

[The T]

I thought Obama was the one who was going to get rid of Lobbyists..

You may add it to the list of "WHOPPERS" made by the 'Boy KING'...The Malignant narcissist that is Obama.

He has NO business being POTUS.

 

[The T]

No, it's because idiots like you are carrying water for the healthcare lobbyists who are ripping us off.

That may be part of it but it's certainly not all of it. Another big chunk of our health care costs is because we are the source of the bulk of the innovations in treatment in drugs and that costs money. The reason health care is cheaper in other countries is because we do all the work for them especially in the area drugs.

Complain all you like about the higher cost of care here, just realize you can't have it both ways. You can't pile on the restrictions on pharmaceutical companies and hospitals in the name of low cost to the consumer and expect them to continue to crank out the life improving, life saving treatments and drugs at they rate they have.

Horseshit.

The reason healthcare is cheaper in other countries is because they use effective cost savings techniques that work better and cheaper.

And drugs don't make people healthier.

Yeah as they WAIT for months on end and wither and DIE on the vine?

YOU are an IDIOT Chris. Socialism does not work.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Yeah as they WAIT for months on end and wither and DIE on the vine?

No they don't. Not even remotely true. My boyfriend is British. I have friends in Canada, France, Sweden, Britain and Ireland and our healthcare and health insurance systems are terrible in comparison. They think we're stupid because we have completely sold out to the insurance companies and big pharma. Facts are facts.

 

[Oddball]

That's the best string of non sequiturs I've seen in quite awhile!

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Well, I've talked at length with every last one of them and they all go to the doctor when they need to, never have to wait and they are all very happy with the degree of care they get. And none of them have to worry about going bankrupt by getting cancer.

They say that the right wing (the puppets for the health insurance industry and pharma) are completely distorting their medical care systems and they are completely right.

 

[AVG-JOE]

We also have the richest HC establishment and workers in the world.

Coincidence?

I don't really think so

Not that you don't have a bit of a point, ed..... but the real drain, in my humble opinion, is the cost of the bureaucracy that we employ to track the premiums we pay and the benefits paid on our behalf.

25% of the health care premiums paid by you and your employer go towards overhead, administration and profits.

Social Security and Medicare have proven that the cost of running the bureaucracy can be held to less than 5%, that leaves 20% of your monthly premium and my monthly premium (not to mention 20% of what our employers contribute on our behalf) going towards corporate jets, veal and lobbyists to make sure any viable competition is squashed immediately.

Chumps. Every fucking one of us.

 

[The T]

Yeah as they WAIT for months on end and wither and DIE on the vine?

No they don't. Not even remotely true. My boyfriend is British. I have friends in Canada, France, Sweden, Britain and Ireland and our healthcare and health insurance systems are terrible in comparison. They think we're stupid because we have completely sold out to the insurance companies and big pharma. Facts are facts.

Who gives a fuckin' tinker's DAMN what "THEY" think? FACTS ARE...that American Healthcare *IF* this goes through will be in the hands of unattached BUREAUCRATS that will ultimately make Life/Death decisions on whether or not the Government PLAN will allow you to even SEE a doctor and PAY for it.

What fuckin' world do you live in anyway? I don't particuliarally give a RAT'S ASS what some dumbass CANUCK, or LIMEY thinks truth be told.

There are HORROR STORIES in BOTH PLACES, and many from there still COME HERE to get done what needs to be done...and YOU forgot to include that little tidbit, didn't you?

You do NOT replace an entire house for LEAKS in the roof.

 

[Zander]

Clearly, the only solution is to put Obama in charge. He can probe the asshole of every American.

 

[The T]

Clearly, the only solution is to put Obama in charge. He can probe the asshole of every American.

And he'd enjoy it. (After all? Isn't that what he's proposing)?

Priceless response!