Comments on: Quote Of The Day http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/ Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:09:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: HispanicPundit http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169959 HispanicPundit Sun, 20 Jan 2008 03:26:03 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169959 A couple of comments: 1. People, yes even poor people, have more access to healthcare and especially high quality healthcare here in the United States than in Canada. Single-pay healthcare rations much more harshly. In fact, that is one of the selling points of single-pay and a significant reason why it is "cheaper" - though I wouldn't say that makes it superior. 2. The United States healthcare system does have real advantages to single-pay. The most important of which is innovation both in pharmaceuticals and technological. You change to single-pay and you kiss these advantages goodbye. In fact, since the United States is one of the few remaining non-single pay countries (which, btw, is the reason pharmaceutical and technological breakthroughs are all primarily from the USA), converting the USA to single-pay would kill the last goose that lays the golden egg. 3. The difference between the "price" of what we have now and single-pay, assuming the healthcare use stays constant, would be about the same...the only difference is that with single-pay you would be shifting costs on to younger workers - causing a reduction in social justice, IMHO. See <a href="http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/08/the_morality_of_health_care_fi.php#more" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/08/one_more_stab_at_the_apple.php" rel="nofollow">here</a>. A couple of comments:

1. People, yes even poor people, have more access to healthcare and especially high quality healthcare here in the United States than in Canada. Single-pay healthcare rations much more harshly. In fact, that is one of the selling points of single-pay and a significant reason why it is “cheaper” - though I wouldn’t say that makes it superior.

2. The United States healthcare system does have real advantages to single-pay. The most important of which is innovation both in pharmaceuticals and technological. You change to single-pay and you kiss these advantages goodbye. In fact, since the United States is one of the few remaining non-single pay countries (which, btw, is the reason pharmaceutical and technological breakthroughs are all primarily from the USA), converting the USA to single-pay would kill the last goose that lays the golden egg.

3. The difference between the “price” of what we have now and single-pay, assuming the healthcare use stays constant, would be about the same…the only difference is that with single-pay you would be shifting costs on to younger workers - causing a reduction in social justice, IMHO. See here and here.

]]> By: Jon http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169926 Jon Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:21:21 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169926 I did watch Stossel. I agree with pretty much everything he says. But the facts seem to remain. Free markets are the best option. I agree on that. But we do not have that. If everyone went to FSA's I'd be all for it, but all I'm saying is that Canada may be better than what we have. People suffer in Canada waiting. But people suffer in America because the insurance companies that make the decisions reject treatment. People suffer because of general poverty, which health care in the U.S. greatly contributes to. More people go bankrupt due to medical issues than for any other issue. Our system is a total disaster. Canada has problems, but watch Sicko and see if you don't agree that our problems are worse. I did watch Stossel. I agree with pretty much everything he says. But the facts seem to remain. Free markets are the best option. I agree on that. But we do not have that. If everyone went to FSA’s I’d be all for it, but all I’m saying is that Canada may be better than what we have.

People suffer in Canada waiting. But people suffer in America because the insurance companies that make the decisions reject treatment. People suffer because of general poverty, which health care in the U.S. greatly contributes to. More people go bankrupt due to medical issues than for any other issue. Our system is a total disaster. Canada has problems, but watch Sicko and see if you don’t agree that our problems are worse.

]]> By: HispanicPundit http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169658 HispanicPundit Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:45:02 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169658 You give me many things to respond to in your post but instead of going back and forth on that now, I recommend you <a href="http://hispanicpundit.com/2007/09/18/abcs-2020-special-on-health-care/" rel="nofollow">watch this 20/20 special on healthcare</a>. It directly addresses much of what was in Moore's Sicko and will atleast remove many of the false propaganda points from the film. You give me many things to respond to in your post but instead of going back and forth on that now, I recommend you watch this 20/20 special on healthcare. It directly addresses much of what was in Moore’s Sicko and will atleast remove many of the false propaganda points from the film.

]]> By: Jon http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169638 Jon Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:25:57 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169638 HP, have you seen Michael Moore's film Sicko? I saw it this weekend and it was eye opening. I'm a liberterian like you, so I don't want socialized medicine, but I've wondered if perhaps a Canada style system would be better than what we have. We don't have a free market system. We have a system where corporations have bought off the politicians, and politicians have regulated things such that we are super expensive. After watching his movie I'm starting to think that I have the answer to that question. His plans, while not as good as a free market system, are better than the system we have. According to the World Health Organization our health care ranks just below Sri Lanka as 37th best in the world. Cuba is 39. Yet Cuba pays $250/person/year whereas we pay $7500. I think we pay twice as much as our nearest rival, yet we're not that great. France is #1. Yes, they pay more in taxes, but it's still a lot less than what we pay between the costs our employers pay and our premiums. Doctors make house calls. They send people to your home to make you dinner and do your laundry if you give birth. He didn't list the cost, but I believe it's less than what we pay. Plus here people are going bankrupt, people are not permitted to go to any doctor they choose. We might be slightly better in terms of wait times for non-emergency services, but when you consider what this is costing us I don't think it's worth it. HP, have you seen Michael Moore’s film Sicko? I saw it this weekend and it was eye opening. I’m a liberterian like you, so I don’t want socialized medicine, but I’ve wondered if perhaps a Canada style system would be better than what we have. We don’t have a free market system. We have a system where corporations have bought off the politicians, and politicians have regulated things such that we are super expensive. After watching his movie I’m starting to think that I have the answer to that question. His plans, while not as good as a free market system, are better than the system we have. According to the World Health Organization our health care ranks just below Sri Lanka as 37th best in the world. Cuba is 39. Yet Cuba pays $250/person/year whereas we pay $7500. I think we pay twice as much as our nearest rival, yet we’re not that great.

France is #1. Yes, they pay more in taxes, but it’s still a lot less than what we pay between the costs our employers pay and our premiums. Doctors make house calls. They send people to your home to make you dinner and do your laundry if you give birth. He didn’t list the cost, but I believe it’s less than what we pay. Plus here people are going bankrupt, people are not permitted to go to any doctor they choose. We might be slightly better in terms of wait times for non-emergency services, but when you consider what this is costing us I don’t think it’s worth it.

]]> By: Michael http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169625 Michael Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:51:34 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169625 This sounds like what Paul Krugman has been writing about the past 3 years. This sounds like what Paul Krugman has been writing about the past 3 years.

]]> By: Department Of Health » Quote Of The Day http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169605 Department Of Health » Quote Of The Day Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:50:59 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169605 [...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Hispanic Pundit [...] […] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Hispanic Pundit […]

]]> By: Department Of Health Services » Quote Of The Day http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169584 Department Of Health Services » Quote Of The Day Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:53:57 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/01/15/quote-of-the-day-504/#comment-169584 [...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Hispanic Pundit [...] […] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Hispanic Pundit […]

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