Comments on: We’ve Got Socialized Capitalism, Why Not Socialized Health Care?

By: Stock Market News: Government Could Buy Unwanted Assets - Money & Investing - Banks.com

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:35:13 +0000

[...] that is threatening to take down the entire financial sector. (Anyone else notice that this sort of socialized capitalism is coming toward the end of another eight years of deregulation and “free markets” [...]

By: miranda

miranda — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:21:22 +0000

Thank you for weighing in, Paul. You make interesting points that the insurance companies have, in large measure, a good portion of the control. Indeed, I have heard some argue that with the way “groups” are set up to set premiums for everyone in that category, and the way that insurance companies set terms, we already have socialized health care. It’s just that the insurance companies are in charge, rather than the government, and we have to pay for it.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:53:30 +0000

There already is a case for socialism in health care. The markets are not free despite the current mythology; patients are not able to choose their providers, reimbursements are fixed, defined by the government based on the concept of relative value. Reimbursement to hospitals is fixed based on DRG which are not related to costs. Therefore, even thought the expenditures for health care is increasing we do not know that the “costs” are increasing. Physician reimbursement is also fixed and dictated by the government, even if the services provided by some physicians are better, more complete, and providing patients with more options and education. We all witness this as the time spent by physicians is declining even when the complexity of treatments is increasing, there is less education and more testing resulting in increasing charges. Therefore it is critical, whenever discussing health care, to please distinguish costs versus charges. This is often overlooked. The cost of tylenol might be 2 cents while the charge is $10.00. At the very least, everyone should pay the same cost whether they have insurance or not. Currently, pharmaceuticals charge what ever they want and such charges are not related to costs at all. Rather the charge is related to the profits.

By: dad dude

dad dude — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:44:18 +0000

To Dude….You’re reasoning is simplistic and imature. (You’ve obviously had no-one who is ‘close-to-you’ ..in a life threatening situation. )
As a Country with (omg) ‘the government involved…. we’ve eradicated ‘polio’ ’small pox’ ‘mumps’ and almost completely eliminated diseases that people used to die from regularly, like ‘measles’ ‘malaria’ ‘influenza’ and Several others.
I agree with you that, we don’t need ‘insurance companies. But we can do more if we pool our money for research than a ’single company’ could ever do on their own. We never would have gone to the moon if it was a ‘free market’ because there was NO profit in it. ( till decades later, and those were companies contracted by the Government ) We’d never have had the ‘Pony Express/Post Office’.. ‘RailRoad/shipping industries’ … education….libraries….highways … airlines ….etc. The start-up costs we’re astronomical and the return wouldn’t be realized for decades…. not exactly a good business model,…even today. But those things were ‘KEY’ to everything we now call the United States of America.
I say screw the free market …What has it really done for us.? All ‘great’ USA achievements were accomplished as a ‘NATION’ and not as an independent corporation in the ‘free market’. ( unless you think of Coca-Cola as a great accomplishment of our Country ) Altough I really think ‘Levi’ may be the exception. The ‘FREE MARKET’ only works locally, not globally.

By: miranda

miranda — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:51:10 +0000

Good point, Miki! It’s all about convincing us that we really are happy to pay more for less…

By: Miki

Miki — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:15:53 +0000

What else would you expect? The healthcare mess is a war, so whyever would you expect the propaganda, er, news, to be any truer for tit as for the other war?

Heh, universal health care = WMD:)

By: miranda

miranda — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:33:49 +0000

In Britain, maybe, but here in the US, we’re told that people in countries with universal healthcare dislike their system. The mantra here in the US (and maybe I should have been clearer in my comment), especially from those at the top, is that America has the best healthcare system in the world, and that people in other countries want our system. We’re constantly being treated to stories about how much Canadians dislike their socialized healthcare and how Britons wish their system was efficient like ours.

By: britbod

britbod — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:50:27 +0000

miranda
May 15, 2008 at 4:08 pm
“… the mantra from those at the top that people in other countries hate their socialized healthcare…”

what mantra? criticising the NHS in Britain is like saying you hate ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and torture puppies for fun on the weekend. most people view any attack on it in the same vein as if you mugged their granny.

By: miranda

miranda — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:08:49 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Pamela. It’s always good to hear from someone who as actually experienced universal healthcare, rather than always hearing the mantra from those at the top that people in other countries hate their socialized healthcare.

Yes, the government already spends big time on healthcare. So it wouldn’t be THAT expensive to re-do the system and get everyone else on it.

By: pamela ruth munro

pamela ruth munro — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:48:45 +0000

My experience with Nat’l Health in Britain was very positive. The basic facilities were sturdy & not modern – but who cares about that? I didn’t have to SUE anyone to get an xray on my leg for a slip & fall in a supermkt! And then I had years of the HMO Kaiser – it’s no frills but mostly adequate – I thought it had problems until because of my husband’s job we switched to Blue Cross – even sketchier – no central records – it’s anonymous clinic care – worse than Kaiser!! At least Kaiser has its own lab & xray facilities and you don’t have to wait HOURS on line to get served! Actually, the care I got at the Hollywood Sunset Free CLINIC was more personal that I got at KAISER & they could get me meds!

By the way, do you realize that the Feds are BIG into health care already what with MediCare and so on? More than 1/2 of the hospital billings are through government agencies. So the process has already started. The very poor are provided for, the disabled are provided for, vets are supposed provided for, the aged are provided for – so why don’t we close the gap and give at least bare bones clinical care to the middle class who presently is paying thru the nose for it, if it can get it AT ALL.