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Flame » in reply to re: government expertise

I'd agree with some of what you say
azstrummer — (archived)

if I didn't get to see how the top tier of the health care profession live Tom. Those folks working as physicians, pharmacists, drug representatives and certainly the upper management in all of those firms have to come up with creative ways each year to burn through all their cash. When a tongue depressor in a hospital is billed at a high price instead of the nickel it cost to produce it, something's seriously out of whack and someone's getting exorbitantly rich at the expense of others.

There's plenty of free market competition going on Tom and it's a nasty sight when they're allowed to do their thing. All that stuff should be tackled if the system becomes governmental. I grant it will be a mess. However, the first thing is to eliminate the part that simply isn't necessary, the insurers. Get some breathing room first and I'll be right there with you bitching about any governmental overreach.

Does anything get done around your house Tom? I can imagine someone in your household suggesting a change of environment and you going on a tirade about why one tiny part of it is wrong philosophically. Government run universal health care will never be perfect and it'll take all of us to keep the pressure on to ensure jerks don't make it inefficient but it seems to work in other countries and overall the citizens of those places wouldn't dream of giving it up no matter how upset they might get at little parts from time to time.

Market run health care will favor the wealthy and never get prices to where some minimum wage earner can afford basic service. I'm afraid you just can't make the opposite case. Human greed will take over and greed will aim the services at the deepest pockets. It all boils down that it's a social responsibility to ensure your neighbors are healthy and productive. It makes all our lives better, reduces crime and makes the country's economy more viable once the burden of providing that care gets lifted of of businesses.

I'll bet my employer could and would pay me considerably more money in wages if they didn't have the burden of providing a health care plan. Wouldn't those additional wages go back into our economy and help us all out? Even if my taxes went up the same amount that I received in additional wages, what would be wrong with the break even given that then all people would be universally covered? I just don't get the objection other than your profound distrust of government. Did some city councilman talk nasty to you once?

Art

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