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To: Knighty Tin who wrote (260135)	9/12/2003 10:02:14 AM
From: Oblomov	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

>>There is no insurance co. in the world that negotiates the rates medicare negotiates for medical care. In what sense does Medicare "negotiate"? They simply decide what they will pay, whether it covers costs or not.

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (260135)	9/12/2003 10:40:38 AM
From: Freedom Fighter	Respond to of 436258

KT >1. Most nationalized systems have private care for the wealthy, as long as the providers are meeting their quotas of real people. < That would be satisfactory. >2. The AMA's monopoly lock down on new doctors and medical school attendance would probably disappear and we would have more qualified doctors and nurses. < Personally, I never sensed a shortage of doctors and nurses – though many clearly work a lot harder than I do. I sensed a shortage of access to them. >3. Nurses, the ones who do most of the work, would probably make more money< I’m not sure what nurses actually make, but based on what I’ve heard I would also think they are underpaid. It does seem odd to argue that there’s a shortage of them AND that they are underpaid though. I think this is one of the personal values things. I think teachers, most policemen, and firemen are underpaid relative to their contribution and importance to society, but somehow the market system for employment doesn’t support that view - otherwise no one would want the job. Yet every time there’s a test for the job there are a zillion applicants >>4. Once again, govt. medicine is so much more efficient than hodge-podge private medicine plans that we would get better care at a lower price. There is no insurance co. in the world that negotiates the rates medicare negotiates for medical care.<< I have to disagree. I think we could certainly weed out a layer or two of inefficiency in the short term, but this is America. In 20 years or so health care providers of all types would use politics to expand the system in all sorts of idiotic ways and it would slowly spiral down into a system delivering less “value” per dollar even if was covering more people.