It is so hard to watch the politicians try to figure out the healthcare mess that for the most part they created. Rather that look at what is obvious, they turn a blind eye to the results of their meddling and continue to press on. When they are confronted with the damage that has been done by their actions, they act like the Black Night in Monte Pythons "Holy Grail".
It is all very simple, they have done to healthcare what they have done to our governmental spending. Long and short, its like the income tax. Those that support the "Fair Tax" are quick to point out that you would pay a lot more attention to what the government was spending its money on if you had to write a check out of your own pocket each month. Because they get the money before you do in the income tax, we really dont see it so they can spendit before we know it. The same is with employer paid healthcare and government healthcare. You dont feel the money coming out of your pocket so you dont care how much it is spent.
So, if you paid for healthcare out of your own pocket, you would be much more careful how you spent it! You would shop around to get the best deal. Oh, wait a minute. Congress made it so you cant shop around. They fixed the prices of all Medicare/Medicaid so there is no real competition for who can give the most for the money.
If you want to help more people get healthcare and drive down the cost, its easy. Give the people the money and let them spend it. Sure, some will decide not to spend it and pocket it. Then its their own problem. I would love to see hospitals become Wallmart and have specials and deals. I can just see it "After Thanksgiving Sale on mamograms and PSAs, we will even throw in a colonoscopy". (Of course, you cant do that because of Pete Stark).
Lets get rid of physicians having to contract with health insurance companies. Let physicians and hospitals post rates for their services and compete for patients and let patients spend their healthcare dollars as they wish. You pick if you want Hilton on Motel 6 healthcare. Get rid of insurance contracts with pharmacies. If the drug companies want to sell more meds, let them make it cost effective enough that the patient will want to pay for their drugs.
Of course none of this will happen as our elected officials turn their blind eyes to the results of their meddling in our healthcare system and ingnore the results of all the other countries who have already been done the same road.
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2 comments:
Great post!
Love the Thanksgiving special idea. Ha ha!! Woohoo free colonoscopy! LOL! Actually free anything medical from pt perspective is a good thing... depending on provider offering.
Post Holiday sale ..tho..Hilarious!
I've thought the fair tax sounds intriguing to me..although... what if people protested by not making purchases... what would happen to government funds?
Dr Schwab is back to writing in his Surgeonsblog again and he current post is about single payer ins, etc.
I would nOT leave my trusted doctors to save 20 dollars a month tho.
And Scalpel aside from writing about a drive thru vicodin clinic LOL!.. commented he no longer takes MDCR. (He opened something of his own up)
I just know I get scared when I think of tHIS administration changing the medical system. I really do.
Someone on radio this morning stated it should be mandatory for everyone to purchase health insurance like they have to have auto insurance because a lot of younger people opt not to get it because they usually don't need it.
Also said this way they could shop for insurance and also keep insurance even if leave their jobs.
It is all so complicated!
Throckmorton said: "The same applies to employer paid healthcare and government healthcare. You dont feel the money coming out of your pocket so you dont care how much is spent."
This is exactly right. People don't understand that their salaries would go up in the amount of their "free" healthcare benefit if the government made all healthcare purchases tax-free.
Company Paid Health Insurance is Part of Your Salary
You deserve to control it
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Employer provided health insurance is not a free benefit. Why do I say that the employee is paying for all of his insurance benefits? Because, the company (rightly) sees the cost of providing health insurance as part of what is paid to the employee.
Companies compete to pay employees for their productivity. If the cost of health insurance disappeared for the company, salaries paid would rise by the same amount that companies currently pay to provide insurance. Then, you could personally buy insurance of the same quality, that would stay with you, and not depend on your employer. Your remaining salary would be the same as it is now, except for taxes.
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