The Disaster of Government-Run Businesses, Part 1

[DrunkenAsparagus]

Do you suspect they will stop drinking and doing drugs? Eat better? Drive safer? Not be stupid?

No, but statistically, they cost a lot less to the system than older people.

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

All the mandate will do is encourage more people to use the system more when they don't need to.

Preventative care costs far less than emergency care, regardless of who's paying.

 

[Boo Radley]

No, but statistically, they cost a lot less to the system than older people.

Of course they do, but they help pay for those who need it most and can't afford it. ANd when they find themselves there, they young will help them as well. The fact is the real causes of higher costs will not be eliminated by allowing the young to not be insured, or even doing away with insurance. We have history to inform us on this.

 

[DrunkenAsparagus]

Preventative care costs far less than emergency care, regardless of who's paying.

It saves lives, but it's not necessarily cheaper. Many people are paying for the service, and in total, it costs more.

 

[DrunkenAsparagus]

Of course they do, but they help pay for those who need it most and can't afford it.

Why should they have to?

ANd when they find themselves there, they young will help them as well. The fact is the real causes of higher costs will not be eliminated by allowing the young to not be insured, or even doing away with insurance. We have history to inform us on this.

Yes, we do have history to inform us. Before government got so involved with health care costs were lower. The biggest factor was tax incentives for employer based coverage. This third payer system obscures costs and removes the incentive for keeping them down, driving them up. Get rid of those incentives and deregulate healthcare and costs will go down. As for the mandate, by forcing more young people into this system, they will also have little incentive to control costs and they will add to the problem.

 

[lizzie]

More scare nonsense. :roll:

Not scare nonsense. Government-run businesses are far less efficient than private ones.

 

[lizzie]

Preventative care costs far less than emergency care, regardless of who's paying.

Taken at face value, that's true. What most people aren't taking into account is human nature, specifically American human nature. Americans have become spoiled and self-indugent, fairly decadent in lifestyle, and lazy. In general, we don't want to prevent disease. We want to eat, drink, and be merry, then have someone in the health care industry "fix" us without having to make lifestyle changes. This is what will kill our health care system. We want to be healthy and have great care, but we don't want to pay the price or be responsible for it at the individual level.

 

[lizzie]

Let people actually see and be responsible for the cost of their care more easily, and costs will decrease. All the mandate will do is encourage more people to use the system more when they don't need to. They're already paying for it. Why not milk the system.

This is the damage caused by HMO legislation in the mid-70's. It has encouraged much over-utilization, which has driven costs sky-high.

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

Taken at face value, that's true. What most people aren't taking into account is human nature, specifically American human nature. Americans have become spoiled and self-indugent, fairly decadent in lifestyle, and lazy.

I wish I could disagree with you.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

This is the grim fate we will all share if the cluster**** "health care" law isnt repealed.

The Disaster of Government-Run Businesses, Part 1

The government already runs healthcare: The Military Healthcare system, Medicaid and Medicare.

One only needs to look at those things to see how screwed up everyone else's healthcare is now going to be. . . .especially military care. It's full of mostly incompetent Dr's, Dr's who can't agree on a damn thing together, and other perogatives which get in the way of healthcare. There area few good Dr's peppered in there - you're lucky if you get one.

If it wasn't for a civilian DR one of my husband's torn tendons would never have been "found" and "repaired" - something the military couldn't do in the 10 + (YES - 10 +) medical visits within 1 year that my husband went to on behalf of steadily worsening pain and lack of use in his left elbow.

But whatever - everyone thinks the government has their **** straight - I guess we'll just have to sit back and watch how they bitch and complain when they find out otherwise.

 

[lizzie]

I wish I could disagree with you.

Thanks. I wish I could disagree with me too.

 

[Boo Radley]

Not scare nonsense. Government-run businesses are far less efficient than private ones.

No,scare tactics. The government is running business. Fear mongering about socialism that isn't taking place has a long, long history.

 

[Boo Radley]

Yes, we do have history to inform us. Before government got so involved with health care costs were lower. The biggest factor was tax incentives for employer based coverage. This third payer system obscures costs and removes the incentive for keeping them down, driving them up. Get rid of those incentives and deregulate healthcare and costs will go down. As for the mandate, by forcing more young people into this system, they will also have little incentive to control costs and they will add to the problem.

No, before technology when grandma did much of the health care, cost were lower. With the advent of more technology, requring more specialized care, peopel were left to their own devices, some trading fruits and vegetables for minimial care by the dying breed of family doctors. As cost went up, and I linked this once, people sought a way to help afford the new technologies and special care. Insurance was born.

If you take insurance and government out, it may well cost the wealthy a few dollars less, but mddile class and poorer people will be left with little to no care. History shows this. And doctors make it clear that they will not go back to trading service for friuts and vegetables.

Regardless, insurance and government will not be removed from this equation. Nor would the voters actually allow, and for some of the good reasons I've mentioned. So, the system needs something other than either leaving it alone or fruitless calls for turning back time.

 

[mpg]

I wasn't around during the healthcare debate or was busy. What exactly in the reform is to the advantage to the industry and how is it a handout to them? Just wanna know.

The government decided to spend 100 billion dollars per year to help people buy private insurance.