As a supporter of a socialized health care system (obviously), I still found the bill terrible.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 04/04/2012 07:54:04 PM
It did far too little at far too high a cost - even if you only look at the financial cost. The political cost was even higher. I'm really not sure it's at all possible to pull a few switches and go from the American health care system to a socialized one - even if you think the US would indeed be better off with a socialized health care system. As you note, it's an absurd percentage of GDP - how do you even start completely turning 22% of your GDP upside down without going through extremely painful and costly transitions?
The sad part, and the thing a huge amount of Americans need to get through their heads once and for all, is that their health care system is so immensely expensive that, even though most of it is paid for by private expenditure, the public expenditure as a percentage of GDP is still higher than it is in many countries with socialized health care. As in, they are actually paying more taxes for health care than all those socialists with socialized health care - and then of course they are paying fortunes in private expenditure on top of that. But just realizing that isn't going to make it go away - because like I said, this is not the kind of thing you can change easily, or perhaps even at all. The systems in Europe and Canada grew over time; building them up from scratch in a mature western economy would be something else entirely.
The sad part, and the thing a huge amount of Americans need to get through their heads once and for all, is that their health care system is so immensely expensive that, even though most of it is paid for by private expenditure, the public expenditure as a percentage of GDP is still higher than it is in many countries with socialized health care. As in, they are actually paying more taxes for health care than all those socialists with socialized health care - and then of course they are paying fortunes in private expenditure on top of that. But just realizing that isn't going to make it go away - because like I said, this is not the kind of thing you can change easily, or perhaps even at all. The systems in Europe and Canada grew over time; building them up from scratch in a mature western economy would be something else entirely.
Health care reform
04/04/2012 07:38:50 PM
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As a supporter of a socialized health care system (obviously), I still found the bill terrible.
04/04/2012 07:54:04 PM
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Overcoming the propaganda is a huge challenge in itself, one Robamacare has only exacerbated.
05/04/2012 05:08:51 PM
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While I think a movement towards public health care in the long run would be good...
04/04/2012 09:11:50 PM
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The problem with cost reduction is that you need to consider the system.
04/04/2012 09:45:24 PM
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I want to see ObamaCare ended. There are two viable options as I see them:
04/04/2012 09:52:58 PM
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coming from a veterinary viewpoint, this emphasis on even having insurance is unnecessary
05/04/2012 01:01:27 AM
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That actually was the way medicine was practiced for the longest time
05/04/2012 01:23:28 AM
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it looks to me like it was more like employers trying to manipulate the program
05/04/2012 01:30:19 AM
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Well, I can give some thoughts on the matter (Disclaimer: Long post)
05/04/2012 07:18:19 PM
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