- Joined
- Dec 6, 2015
- Messages
- 10,279
- Reaction score
- 5,991
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Undisclosed
It just assumes "Medicare-for-all." That is the slogan isn't it?
As I have said before, you interpret this far too literally.
Second, with respect to the extent of Bernie's proposed SP coverage (featuring peripherals such as full dental, vision, long term/palliative care, etc), I'm actually agreement that it's probably too ambitious; this is something that I can forgive however as a starting point as such coverage would likely not survive the legislative process in totality. When negotiating, you initially aim high. However, this does not forgive ridiculous assumptions on behalf of these estimates which amount to de facto hatchet jobs and egregiously overstate costs by presuming both the excessive current cost of care, and rates of medicare inflation with little adjustment in perpetuity.
As for the rest of your post, in summary it amounts to essential defeatism on the issue of SP: namely the belief that bloated and disproportionate spending on health care (even when we consider healthcare outcomes!) in the United States vs the remainder of the first world should be tolerated and must be tolerated (for the sake of healthcare industry and insurers vs constituents), and that no material progress can be made in this regard (expansion of the ACA is not material). If you were merely of the view that the transition to SP should be graduated, and that instantaneous savings cannot be arrived at, that's a sentiment I could appreciate and it's actually one I agree with and hold personally; as mentioned I would much rather phase in healthcare deflation over a period of time until OECD levels are reached in order to minimize destructive upheaval and to permit realignment of the economy. Unfortunately, you are of the position that such an endgame is not merely difficult but impossible and that resignation on the matter by embracing disinflationary measures of questionable value via expansion of insurer subsidies such as Hillary's proposal is the only viable way forward; this is a position I find completely untenable and that I cannot and will not ever agree with.
I don't imagine there is much left to discuss here.
Last edited: