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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: geode00 who wrote (227196)	4/16/2007 12:42:36 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I would think that government run health care might generate significant savings by controlling communicable diseases, and stopping chronic conditions, like diabetes, from progressing to critical, and much more expensive, levels. I would think it might also produce savings by lessening sick days in the working poor, and by increasing productivity (since the working sick are not especially good workers). For compassionate reasons I believe in universal health care, but I think it would also have economic benefits.

To: geode00 who wrote (227196)	4/16/2007 1:36:08 PM
From: lazarre	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Well said, sorta. Without the invective you might have been a little more compelling. I'm as pissed off as you are re: this patch work scam of a health care system that leaves 40 million of us stranded in the emergency room that wouldn't be necessary ( and freaking outta sight costly ) if they had a designated primary physician---most of whom are into preventative watch dogging, if not for the patient, at least to keep their potential, future health costs down. You might have mentioned, also ( okay, let me apologize up front for attempting to put words in your mouth ) that the business model for medicare ( sans the fraud, which is inevitible in any system ) would be the best in the world if it wasn't so complicated for some of the less, well okay, intelligent seniors to understand. I'll throw in the US Postal Service as well---the best run semi-governmental entity around, though they have recently ---relatively speaking---dipped into the red but what business does not once in awhile. The biggest plus for a single payer system is the elimination of the 15% built in for administration that our current system gobbles up to the tune of billions with a B, dollars. THERE ARE some things the government does right. It deserves a chance based on the above and more which anyone could read about. Hilary and Magiziner really fubared it and, I fear, the memories still linger as some evil plot concocted by a bunch of commies. You gotta hand it to the health " Care " Industry when it comes to protecting their interests. Who were they? Harry and Louise?...so powerfully done I can still remember their names unless I'm having another senior moment... And, yes, threadsters, we've all heard the anecdotes of Canadians flocking into Michigan and NY to get life saving operations done on time. Sure, there may be a few very, very serious glitches here and there but, largely, the Canadians are pleased with their single payer model. Anecdotely speaking, my sister-in-law is German and rails against our current system vis a vis the German model which she claims is extraordinary. And her husband works for Sprint and has "great " coverage. I have great coverage but, like you pointed out, what if I were to lose it. I'd and some people connected with me would be sunk. lazarre

To: geode00 who wrote (227196)	4/16/2007 1:57:04 PM
From: neolib	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You rightwingers blow up American taxpayer resources everyday... I'm pretty sure that I'm left of center... I don't work for insurance of any kind, in fact I'm a consumer of insurance for 1) health care, 2) auto, 3) home, 4) farm liability, and 5) farm employee. I don't like paying it either. Health care poses many conflicting issues, the dominant one being that consumers are largely out of the payment loop. In addition, they are poorly informed on what they are purchasing. They also want the best. Cures are expensive to develop. Nobody likes somebody else telling them what they can get and what they can't, especially if it is your life for a piddling $1M. I would love to see a robust discussion of the issues. But chanting the leftwing "profit is evil" line is not the answer.