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The non profit status of many hospitals are a joke. Instead of 'profits', their is 'reinvestment' done to the hospital, such as jacking up the bonuses for top administrators or spending money on advertising, all which takes away money from actual healthcare costs and diverts them to non essential healthcare expenditure.
You guys and your Tort reform. LOL. Sorry but Tort Reform wont drop prices. In fact if malpractice was such a huge issue, why is the following happening?
Questions like this seem to imply that there was no alternative to Obamacare, that the system was "broken" (just as Obama kept telling us), that free market solutions just do not work (we know Obama does not believe in the free market), and that the only choice we had was for government to step in and "fix it."
None of this is true. "Single payer" is what the leftist "Progressives" want, and this was seen as the way to get their with a minimum amount of resistance from the American people.
Our health care system wasn't broken, and the free market insurance system wasn't broken either. Most people were happy with their current insurance.
The problem is that those who complain about insurance companies, and the high cost of health care, don't understand how insurance works; they do not understand that, like life insurance, or auto insurance, it is based on risk assesment. This is one reason why allowing for pre-existing conditions drives the cost up, but not just for the person with the pre-existing condition. It drives it up for everybody (because that is how Obamacare was set up).
What should have been done instead of coming up with an entire new delivery system and insurance system, is tort reform, and allowing insurance to be sold across state lines.
But such obvious and simple solutions were not what the Democrats wanted. They want complete control of peoples lives. It's that simple.
Questions like this seem to imply that there was no alternative to Obamacare, that the system was "broken" (just as Obama kept telling us), that free market solutions just do not work (we know Obama does not believe in the free market), and that the only choice we had was for government to step in and "fix it."
None of this is true. "Single payer" is what the leftist "Progressives" want, and this was seen as the way to get their with a minimum amount of resistance from the American people.
Our health care system wasn't broken, and the free market insurance system wasn't broken either. Most people were happy with their current insurance.
The problem is that those who complain about insurance companies, and the high cost of health care, don't understand how insurance works; they do not understand that, like life insurance, or auto insurance, it is based on risk assesment. This is one reason why allowing for pre-existing conditions drives the cost up, but not just for the person with the pre-existing condition. It drives it up for everybody (because that is how Obamacare was set up).
What should have been done instead of coming up with an entire new delivery system and insurance system, is tort reform, and allowing insurance to be sold across state lines.
But such obvious and simple solutions were not what the Democrats wanted. They want complete control of peoples lives. It's that simple.
The bolded portion of your post is and always has been the republican's and the insurance industry's wet dream.
Tort reform: === Remove the only protection and recourse a patient has to be compensated for medical mistakes. Texas already did tort reform and medical costs were not lowered by any measurable percentage points.
Sell across state lines:=== This is code for Deregulation of the entire health insurance industry. Basically remove all government regulations and state insurance regulatory commissions and give the insurance industry carte blanc to sell any policy anywhere they want. there's a reason credit card companies are headquartered in a very few states.
It does adversely affect those skills they might have otherwise developed.
Now, they have to look at precedent for any procedure they undertake.
Then the answer would be to reform medical school, which should have been done years ago, considering that today's modern medical school is based on the Flexner Report, which was written over 100 years ago. Besides reforming the CYA aspect of medical school (which is used to cover themselves form lawsuits AND losing their medical licenses), we also should look at why we need 8 years of schooling minimum to become a doctor( this doesnt even inlude residency trainig) when it can easily be done in 6 years, if not 4 years, like most other countries around the world do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nononsenseguy
Questions like this seem to imply that there was no alternative to Obamacare, that the system was "broken" (just as Obama kept telling us), that free market solutions just do not work (we know Obama does not believe in the free market), and that the only choice we had was for government to step in and "fix it."
None of this is true. "Single payer" is what the leftist "Progressives" want, and this was seen as the way to get their with a minimum amount of resistance from the American people.
Our health care system wasn't broken, and the free market insurance system wasn't broken either. Most people were happy with their current insurance.
The problem is that those who complain about insurance companies, and the high cost of health care, don't understand how insurance works; they do not understand that, like life insurance, or auto insurance, it is based on risk assesment. This is one reason why allowing for pre-existing conditions drives the cost up, but not just for the person with the pre-existing condition. It drives it up for everybody (because that is how Obamacare was set up).
What should have been done instead of coming up with an entire new delivery system and insurance system, is tort reform, and allowing insurance to be sold across state lines.
But such obvious and simple solutions were not what the Democrats wanted. They want complete control of peoples lives. It's that simple.
Ya, 47 million uninsured is no problem at all and the costs of the uninsured who are hospitalized don't get past on to everyone else who is insured Everything was Dandy indeed sir. The issue is that the financial aspect of healthcare in the US has been socialized since 1986 thanks to Reagan and EMALTA.
The free market can maybe exists in healthcare but only to a certain point. Again, you fail to include inelastic plasticity to healthcare expenses, and why it can never be 100% free market like many would like to see. Tort reform wont save any expenses as has been show in Texas who implemented but have yet to see their costs drop due to it. The only way to lower health costs is to allow government to negotiate on medicine and inpatient/ outpatient procedures and other high end expensive care. This will allow economics of scale/bulk purchasing to lower health costs, which is why other countries have lower costs of care.
In regards to selling across state lines. There is this notion by many that other insurance policies (auto, home etc) are accessible over state lines. This is not entirely true. You see, insurance standard and issues are handled on a state by state basis. Which is why you cant buy an auto insurance policy from Virginia from Erie Insurance company if your from Oregon. You just cant. The only way to sell insurance over state lines of any kind (including healthcare) is through having a set national insurance standard that must be followed by all 50 states and not allowing any state to amend those standards. Thus a more centralized government would need to over see this. Not only that, it takes alot to have a health insurance work, as the company would have to decide whether it want to operate in that market or not. Even if they decide to, then they need to come in and set up operations in the area, and would have to find ways to negotiates on creating in network coverage, reimbursement rates etc. Selling across state lines would take alot of centralized planning to work.
Not all leftist hate free market. I love the fact that Lasik and cosmetic procedure have gone down in prices due to the free market. I love the fact that LCD tv's are about a 500 to a grand now where as when they first came out, it was about 15k. That is awesome. But what many on the right don't seem to understand is how inelastic plasticity in many sections of healthcare don't fall under free market principles and they will continue to ignore this aspect and shout out "FREE MARKET IS THE CURE FOR HEALTHCARE COSTS" when inelastic plasticity can not and will not ever be subject to free market principles.
You guys and your Tort reform. LOL. Sorry but Tort Reform wont drop prices. In fact if malpractice was such a huge issue, why is the following happening?
The truth is that the wealth of this country is divided up among special interest groups.
The majority of what the working public earns is divided among the banks, utility companies, insurance companies, oil Companies, and retail stores including groceries.
There is little reason for what they charge besides that they can. Their CEO's and stockholders get rich, and the people argue among themselves as to who’s to blame.
There are only 2 sides in any discussion like this.. One side are the people riding in limo's and Lear jets, and the other are the people trying to figure how to make it to the next paycheck.
Questions like this seem to imply that there was no alternative to Obamacare, that the system was "broken" (just as Obama kept telling us), that free market solutions just do not work (we know Obama does not believe in the free market), and that the only choice we had was for government to step in and "fix it."
None of this is true. "Single payer" is what the leftist "Progressives" want, and this was seen as the way to get their with a minimum amount of resistance from the American people.
Our health care system wasn't broken, and the free market insurance system wasn't broken either. Most people were happy with their current insurance.
Except the 30-40 million who couldnt afford or Qualify for Medical insurance may not have been so happy.
As for alternatives The ACA was one of Obamas election promises and he was asking for input of good ideas from the very beginning,the entire time the GOP offered nothing and to this day still have no viable alternative solution to add or offer other than to let the insurance companies have free reign on the business of healthcare. thats akin to putting the proverbial fox in charge of the hen coop, it dont work as greed for more profits usually carries the day.
While some consumer products may have fallen in price none of my insurances have ever fallen in price and are substantially higher than they were 20 years ago.
.
I have a suggestion. On average it costs approximately 1/2 of the OECD average, it has better metrics like infant mortality than the current us model, literally every other post industrial nation does it already, and more than a fair share of independent studies have stated that it could be accomplished by making only very minimal revenue increases assuming certain cuts took place.
Ready for the answer?
Single payer
Ditto--single payer. Let's join the rest of the industrialized world.
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Everything was Dandy indeed sir. The issue is that the financial aspect of healthcare in the US has been socialized since 1986 thanks to Reagan and EMALTA. 
