tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post6153576243842289302..comments2023-09-11T05:24:10.918-04:00Comments on U.S. Healthcare Issues and Fixes: Better US Health Care At Half The CostSandipMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-20189820870388287632011-03-28T15:14:07.088-04:002011-03-28T15:14:07.088-04:00This is where I think we need strong govt action. ...This is where I think we need strong govt action. A strong FTC to prevent too many mergers to ensure that there are enough players to maintain a free market. It is the fault of the govt that there are only 4 or 5 major players where 2 decades ago there were 15 to 20 players.<br /><br />And show me a society without greed and I'll show you one living in the stone ages. Greed is what makes us different from dogs or monkeys. That's what makes me wake up in the morning. That's what makes me want to invent something and profit from it. Substitute that, and all you will get is a power grab by authorities.<br /><br />And why should I share my hospital room with an illegal alien or someone who hasn't contributed to the system? Let him go to the govt or county hospital. There is the access.<br /><br />KenrodAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-83933843214132421412011-03-28T11:15:26.099-04:002011-03-28T11:15:26.099-04:00Let's put anecdotes aside as we can find some ...Let's put anecdotes aside as we can find some to support any position. Why should we assume that private companies driven by profit maximization or greed will be the "marketplace" that works most efficiently for public good, and better than an elected central planner (the government)?<br /><br />I didn't find a cogent theoretical rationale for the above even in "my" University of Chicago that's the Mecca of free market thinking. The evidence was mainly empirical ("we had free markets and we did better than the rest of the world") but that's being weakened by more recent data about the rise of more centralized economies.<br /><br />Besides, the US health market is hardly "free" as the players have devastated competition through consolidation, limiting supply and other measures that the government should have stopped in the first place.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-55143741178578592042011-03-28T00:37:09.400-04:002011-03-28T00:37:09.400-04:00There is a difference between allowing the marketp...There is a difference between allowing the marketplace and allowing the govt to ration. The marketplace does it far more efficiently and, I would say, fairly. My niece was recently shopping for a medical policy. One cost $54 for a $500,000 lifetime max benefit. The other for $65 for a $4 million max benefit. Yet another was $73 for a 7 million max. In this case the applicant should be allowed to determine the level they want.<br /><br />I would agree with Obamacare that certain policies are a total rip off. For example, Mcdonalds and other major cos was selling these policies that cost $25 a month for an annual max benefit of $2000. Rarely do I agree with govt intervention in such cases but this one is okay by me.<br /><br />KenrodAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-1835772197679616972011-03-23T16:39:03.713-04:002011-03-23T16:39:03.713-04:00About Berwick not getting confirmed, that's my...About Berwick not getting confirmed, that's my point precisely. He's a great choice whom Republicans wrongly and vigorously oppose because they've been bought by the health industry providers.<br /><br />Of course there should be some rationing, as public resources are not limitless. UK does it formally and it occurs de facto in almost every other place, including the US. Would you think it fine to spend a trillion dollars to save one life? I don't. In fact till the health reforms Act private insurers had a cap on lifetime benefits, which was a very extreme form of rationing.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-3808725275913283922011-03-23T12:13:27.245-04:002011-03-23T12:13:27.245-04:00If Burlick was such a good choice, why was he ramm...If Burlick was such a good choice, why was he rammed through without a vote from Congress?<br /><br /><br />He believes in rationing which is the antithesis of the capitalist system we live in. Rationing, as several studies have found, will solve the problems in the short run but magnify them in the long run.<br /><br />KenrodAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com