Comments on: Health care: High cost does not bring high quality

By: griff

griff — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The realization of the need for change doesn’t necessarily mean that we should automatically support whatever is thrown on the table. Merely accepting change for change’s sake is what I would deem ignorant and stupid.

Have you seen the bill? All 1990 pages of it? Please tell us what you like about it.

Yeah our medical system sucks. That’s why I take no part in it. I have insurance for the classical reason…for unforeseen circumstances, not routine care or outlandish and dangerous prescription drugs. I know how to take care of myself and haven’t been to a doctor in over ten years.

And that is the gist of the problem, in my view. We pollute ourselves for a lifetime and then expect to be magically cured of all our ills by the wonders of modern science. Better living through chemistry? Hardly.

Our system isn’t designed to cure people but to “manage illness.” Make us all lifelong slaves to the medical-industrial complex. When’s the last time you heard of any one being cured of anything? When have you ever heard of some one getting off a medication once they were cured? Never, but you see every day where medications actually lead to more illness, which in turn leads to more medication.

This pathetic bill will not only perpetuate this already out-of-control system, but it will give the government more power and control over it and in fact, us. In fact, the leading cause of death in this country is doctors.

By: Concerned Citizen

Concerned Citizen — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What’s clear is that so called “free-market” medical industry policies (written by insurance and hospital campaign contributors) do not serve the American public. “Extending coverage” by pumping billions of dollars into an already bloated insurance industry is a short term band aid. It does not solve the underlying problems of inefficient distribution of services, high costs, and a profit driven industry dominated by entrepreneurs and middlemen. What’s unfortunate is that high quality non-profit clinic models successfully operating today are all but ignored. BOTTOM LINE: the U.S. healthcare profession must refocus to exclusively deliver high quality medical and dental services at a reasonable cost, no longer just to enrich “provider” corporations (insurers, doctors and hospitals). Unless present bills in Congress remove the profit motive and improve underlying management fundamentals, once the smoke clears we will continue to rank 37th in efficiency, and No. 1 in cost.

By: MightyMo

MightyMo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What’s so new about this? This is exactly the sort of news Republicans love to deny happens in America, simply turn a blind eye towards it and then lie through their teeth. This has been a problem for years, it’s certainly not Rocket Science, and shouldn’t be new to any American. Strangely, when someone like Micheal Moore highlights the problem, conservatives are up in arms about it being untruthful. Our medical system sucks, plain and simple. We pay a fortune for it and get nothing in return. Like all things American, this is a business that is based on nothing more than dollars, peoples lives are only a necessary burden. What surprises me isn’t that so many people are willing to make money off of their fellow citizens, or that so many are willing to stand up and cover it up in order to keep making more money, but that so many of us who are paying the price for this failed healthcare system are too stupid to want to change it. I guess fear and ignorance are awfully strong emotions.

By: almandine

almandine — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Why would ANYONE go into business with NO profit motive?

By: almandine

almandine — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Get nothing in return? Failed healthcare?

You sound like you’re in Zimbabwe… or the Sudan.

By: MightyMo

MightyMo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I didn’t waste my time looking, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Zimbabwe or the Sudan could actually have numbers that are better than ours in key areas. But realistically I don’t actually believe that. What I do beleive though is that you chose those two countries because you know as well as I do that you couldn’t use a half way decent country to compare to because they would have better numbers in many areas. It’s kind of like saying you should be proud to live in New Orleans, it’s much safer than Port-au-Prince (It is isn’t it??).

By: almandine

almandine — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My point was your rhetoric… which, as I noted, was blatantly absurd. Unless, of course, you’ve never found it necessary to access US health care.

Just a mouth going yada, yada, yada…

By: woody188

woody188 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Not for profit does not mean no one gets paid. Some non-profit CEO’s make fairly decent six figure salaries.

Not everything is about money either. There are some genuine people still around.

By: woody188

woody188 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

duplicate

By: logtroll

logtroll — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My fact sheet:

Health insurance and healthcare are two entirely different things. Both need to be reformed, separately.

I don’t like the reforms being proposed, especially where they include propping up corrupt insurance companies.

I don’t think the government operates efficiently, but if it managed paying for healthcare, at least there would be no “profit motive” on managing the flow of money for healthcare.

I don’t think insurance companies operate efficiently. I think (as the article mentioned) that their “profit motive” adds immensely to the cost of healthcare through the ever-present and costly battle to get paid (healthcare providers) vs not-paying (insurance companies seeking profit, which is their motive, after all).

Anyone who who plays the socialism card regarding universal healthcare has their head up their ass a measurable distance (procedure not covered by any insurance plan).

Anyone care to compare fact sheets?