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Post by Flitzerbiest on May 16, 2014 6:29:15 GMT -6
The people's confidence that the Federal Government can do anything well will be further eroded. "Substandard" insurance plans are going to be re-authorized in a year or two. Obamacare will be reduced to a few small reasonable and targeted insurance reforms that could and should have been implemented with efficient bi-partisan bills but which instead were implemented in the most costly, contentious, ridiculous manner conceivable. Jim, How can you conclude that the Federal government is incapable of administering a national health care plan given that many other central governments have already done so, and are reaping better health care results than the US. Or, did you simply mean that OUR Federal government is capable of doing so? If the latter, doesn't this lend some credence to my previous assertion that our government is irreparably broken and a candidate for redesign? Biest |
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Post by Jim on May 16, 2014 9:50:55 GMT -6
The people's confidence that the Federal Government can do anything well will be further eroded. "Substandard" insurance plans are going to be re-authorized in a year or two. Obamacare will be reduced to a few small reasonable and targeted insurance reforms that could and should have been implemented with efficient bi-partisan bills but which instead were implemented in the most costly, contentious, ridiculous manner conceivable. Jim, How can you conclude that the Federal government is incapable of administering a national health care plan given that many other central governments have already done so, and are reaping better health care results than the US. Or, did you simply mean that OUR Federal government is capable of doing so? If the latter, doesn't this lend some credence to my previous assertion that our government is irreparably broken and a candidate for redesign? Biest Hi Biest: I didn't make that conclusion. I said that people's confidence in the federal government is further eroded as a result of Obamacare. You don't disagree with that fairly inauspicious statement do you? Contrary to your post, I believe our government could administer a national health care plan as well or better than Canada, Great Britain or anyone else - if the support of a decent bi-partisan majority of the people were behind it. I believe our Federal Government does a great job when it does not cross the will of huge swaths of people. 1The wind of national health care was at Obama's back, but he blew it by failing to make the sale. link So Obama's people crammed a half-baked bureaucratic monstrosity through on a party line vote. That is really bad governance on their part. I'm sure the intractability of a huge chunk of conservative/independent citizenry on national health care is frustrating to Obama, you and others who would favor a national health care plan. But we sure as hell don't want to restructure the Federal Government merely to advance a given policy or agenda when advocates have failed to persuade "the masses" that such and such a policy or agenda is a really good idea. History is pretty clear where the adaptation of government to the will of the political class must lead. Jim 1. For example, the Federal Government does a great job of administering the patent and trademark systems in which I operate. New laws are preceded by vigorous debate, but ultimately the key laws and rules are made thoughtfully and carefully and with bi-partisan support. One or two Supreme Court cases rock our world each few years, but they are decided on the merits by significant majorities and so forth. Heck, the international treaties we operate under are almost 100 years old and function nearly perfectly. I work seamlessly with my associate patent lawyers all over the world. I believe that the Federal and International patent and trademark systems work so relatively smoothly because the vast majority of citizens (who care at all) support these programs. (Obviously most citizens don't have an opinion). The lesson is that our government can be a well-oiled force of good when it has the support of the people. See also WWII and the Space Race of the 60's for more dramatic and accessible examples.
p.s. Our patent and trademark system is self-supporting with fees. No taxes are spent by treasury to support these programs. Incidentally, our patent fees are somewhat lower than Canadian and European Patent Office (EPO) fees. As a result, many of our Canadian associates and European Associates make first filings in the US to save a few bucks, when permitted. I'm not sure if our fess are less because our system is more efficient or because the Canadians and Europeans make profit from their systems. |
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Not believing what I am seeing
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Post by Not believing what I am seeing on May 16, 2014 15:24:17 GMT -6
Yep, Ken. That's waste, and it's the sort of thing that is going to be harder to control given that we lacked the courage to go where we we ultimately end up, i e single payer. Iam, right now, at an international Emergency Medicine conference where it is once again crystal clear that the Canadians are kicking our ass in terms of providing scientifically validated care for less cost and with better outcomes. Why? (IMO) Because they have a comprehensive AND comprehensible system. There was howling north of the border when it implemented, but the fact of the matter is that they have a system that can be fairly easily improved, and that they have done so steadily, leaving our "best in the world" system in the dust. This is completely untrue. While their system is not terrible, it is not good for much that is more complicated than a hangnail. When I lived in Burlington, VT our doctors' waiting rooms were filled with French Canadians seeking medical help? Why? Because treatment for too many issues stretches into months, many months, Who wants to wait 2 years for back surgery? Most provinces can't afford expensive machinery and so most high risk pregnancies, for example, are shipped to border states in the US. Anyone who knows what is going on in the NHS and wants single payer here, is beyond human help and should be gently put away. I definitely want a crack at these questions. My guess would be that the DoD's waste doesn't endanger my life. The idiocy, the amateurish conception of the law and then its ham-handed, unintelligent imposition on an unwilling public does. Easy as can be. They still don't have insurance and can't afford it. We could have given every single family (or uninsured person)in the US a voucher for, say, $6000 per family and let them buy the insurance of their choice. It would not have destroyed our health system, it would have been many hundreds of time cheaper than the monstrosity known as ObamaCare and it would have brought the cost of insurance down, especially if we had decided to allow people to shop across state lines. And that is only for starters. Great! |
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Post by Flitzerbiest on May 17, 2014 7:24:17 GMT -6
I practiced medicine in MN as the Canadian healthcare system was implemented. There were some "border crossers" for the first six months or so. Over the past 15+ years i haven't seen a single one. Canadian satisfaction with their system is currently 85%, compared to 30% in the US, and they are crushing us in outcome measures. Don't tell me that the Canadian system is terrible unless you are prepared to study the issue from something other than advocacy sites and step into the ring with real data.
BTW, the most satisfied healthcare recipients in the US? Medicare patients. Single payer.
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Post by Flitzerbiest on May 23, 2014 19:11:30 GMT -6
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Post by stevec on May 24, 2014 10:08:32 GMT -6
This VA debacle has me wondering if a single payer plan will garner any public support st this point.
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Post by Flitzerbiest on May 24, 2014 21:31:18 GMT -6
This VA debacle has me wondering if a single payer plan will garner any public support st this point. Apples and oranges. Single payer means that the insurance is public but the means of delivery are private. There is still an incentive for efficient care delivery. The VA system involves public insurance and public delivery. Bad combination. |
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Post by ken on Jun 24, 2014 16:18:59 GMT -6
Not that this is representative of all of the US:
A friend of mine living in Titusville said many of the doctors offices are closing around the hospital because of the insecurity that the larger deductibles of 6G or 12G will ever be paid. Additionally an acquaintance of his had to drive an hour to Orlando to get an operation because of the lack of doctors now available in that area.
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Post by stevec on Jun 24, 2014 22:13:06 GMT -6
Not that this is representative of all of the US: A friend of mine living in Titusville said many of the doctors offices are closing around the hospital because of the insecurity that the larger deductibles of 6G or 12G will ever be paid. Additionally an acquaintance of his had to drive an hour to Orlando to get an operation because of the lack of doctors now available in that area. I don't know what you're talking about concerning deductibles. What's happening with Titusville's economy that's causing disruption in your friend's life. I have to be honest with you, if I'm planning on having major surgery, it's going to be performed in either the Boston or NYC areas. When I'm in RI, Boston is 1 hr away and NY is 3 hrs. I'm still in FL, no one is touching me here unless I'm taken away in an ambulance. |
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Post by ken on Jun 25, 2014 5:57:49 GMT -6
Not that this is representative of all of the US: A friend of mine living in Titusville said many of the doctors offices are closing around the hospital because of the insecurity that the larger deductibles of 6G or 12G will ever be paid. Additionally an acquaintance of his had to drive an hour to Orlando to get an operation because of the lack of doctors now available in that area. I don't know what you're talking about concerning deductibles. What's happening with Titusville's economy that's causing disruption in your friend's life. I have to be honest with you, if I'm planning on having major surgery, it's going to be performed in either the Boston or NYC areas. When I'm in RI, Boston is 1 hr away and NY is 3 hrs. I'm still in FL, no one is touching me here unless I'm taken away in an ambulance. Perhaps, because the economy tanked in Titusville when the Space Shuttle was nixed, the majority of the people are of the lower income level. Thus, with a 6,000 deductible, doctors have to trust their patients to pay for their services and (if most services are less than 6,000/year) they understand the economics of "I can't make a living"? Just a thought, not saying it is so. As far as his friend, he just couldn't find a doctor that would take him in Titusville. |
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