Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (3990)	1/18/2008 11:50:44 AM
From: TimF	Respond to of 42652

OK, but its more than 1%. Even if the combination of government spending, and people paying out of their own pocket accounts for 80% of health spending. The remaining 20% of 15% would be 3%, and that wouldn't include overhead and profit for the health insurance companies.

To: Road Walker who wrote (3990)	1/18/2008 6:18:32 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

Total health care spending in the US is slightly more than 16% of GDP. In France, whose citizens receive the same quality of healthcare that we do, total health care spending is slightly more than 10% of GDP. We (the individual) have no control over healthcare costs. All costs are set by the insurers, doctors and pharma companies, etc. These players are relatively free to set whatever prices they want because most of the rules of competition don't apply to the health care industry. The only control we have is to what extent we choose to participate in the system, i.e. how much of it to buy. To get an idea just how expensive our health care is relative to other countries with similar per capita income, keep in mind that our 16% of GDP is the cost of a system in which significant numbers of people are using as little of the system as possible. In other words, many people, esp. those who lack insurance, try to avoid spending on medical needs. If they were insured, I would assume the GDP percentage number would be higher.