Health care mess


Some observations
Well, there is no getting around it. Let's talk about this mess that the government is making of health care.

Let's forget which industry groups are supporting "reform" in exchange for favors.

Let's forget that continued government "intervention" keeps pushing prices higher and higher.

Let's forget that our politicos have told the population that they can get something for nothing.

Roughly speaking, most medical care falls under four categories.

Let's call the first category WANT. These are the things that modern medicine makes possible, but aren't necessary. Non-reconstructive plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery. Lasik surgery. Birth control pills. Viagra. Tooth whitening.

Let's call the second category NEED. This helps people deal with the daily falls and encounters of everyday life. Flu shots. Setting broken bones. Removing tonsils or an appendix. Treating gashes or burns.

We can call the third category EMERGENCY. This is medical treatment to treat a life threatening condition that the patient can recover from. Treating heart attacks. Treating massive injury.

Our fourth category can be called PERMANENT. Anyone with a permanent condition will never get "heal", but the care prolongs their life. This includes treating diabetes, treating Alzheimer's, nursing homes

Obviously people will disagree with me over the categories and what each includes.

But that is only part of the point I want to make,

Universal health care HAS to cover each of these categories. Suddenly cancer gets the same priority as a yeast infection. At least to the patient, THEY don't have to pay for it.

I shouldn't have to pay for your tummy tuck with my taxes, and you shouldn't have to pay for where I sat in the cactus.

Here's the second point.

Different people will need different levels of each category.

My stepfather needs round the clock care, but he doesn't need to be put on an artificial kidney machine.

Here's the third point.

Without individual people choosing where to spend their money, there is no competition to drive prices down and availability up. At that point, the only way to contain costs is to ration who gets what.

Here's the fourth point.

Each category needs a different type of funding. Standard insurance already covers NEED and EMERGENCY pretty well. WANT and PERMANENT would just drive up insurance costs without delivering benefits to most people. A Health Savings Account could work for PERMANENT.

Here's the fifth point.

IT'S NOT ABOUT HEALTHCARE! It never was. It's about controlling your life. That's why there are things like mandating parental training and phasing out private insurance.

It's why you aren't allowed to choose once the plan kicks in.

That's why your medical care can be rationed if you engage in risky behavior.

That's why certain groups with political pull get favorable treatment.

Get the picture?

To save you, they will control you.

They will make you less than human.

Do you trust the politicos now?

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - August 12, 2009 at 07:21 AM  Tag


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