Michael Moore and socialized medicine

[tehox]

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Socialized health care becomes a disaster if you think of the web of incentives it would create. I shouldn't have to care if someone smokes or overeats, but as soon as I have to pay everyone else's medical bills, I'm going to start caring about their personal life. I can see even more smoking bans and food bans on the horizon if we change to an institution where everyone has to worry about each other's behavior. Next thing you know there'll be a law requiring everyone to brush their teeth.

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Good point

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I think it's important to note how people have been calling it "free", since that's exactly how regular people will treat it too. Socialized health care is a dream for hypochondriacs. Got a cramp, or a broken fingernail, or maybe don't have friends who pay attention to your concerns? Call your doctor.

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This is not really different now from those who now have health insurance. And I personally don't think this argument holds water though. Seeking medical treatment takes up time and is not fun. I think that is incentive enough for people to be judicious with the care they seek.

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To be blunt, terminally ill people will waste enormous amounts of resources too. Over 50% of medical bills currently come from people's last 6 months of life. That is only possible because other people are already footing part of the bill. When the cost is effectively zero to use, people will obviously take maximum advantage.

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I agree, but they alreay do cost a lot of money. I think that if we are going to try to minimize the cost of health care, this is really a national debate that is going to need to take place.

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As for Canada, up there animals get faster and better health care than humans. An example was when one Canadian had a horse that needed gall bladder treatment. Called the vet, he was over the next day, problem solved. Coincidentally, the fellow had the problem himself. He had to wait upwards of 14 weeks. Why? Because veterinary services aren't strangled by regulations, which allows them to avoid enormous waiting lists.

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LOL you by chance hear about that in an email someone forwarded to you?

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Wouldn't you say Ph D biologists probably have the same intellectual abilities as medical doctors or thereabouts? Yet strangely, biologists on average get 1/3 the salary. That should clue everyone in that something fishy is going on... Why aren't more biologists simply becoming doctors? The reasons lie in the barriers to entry in the U.S., especially from the AMA union, which has enormous influence. They love regulations that artificially create shortages in health care, therefore raising their own salaries. Want to open a new medical school, or even allow more students to go through one that is already open? Have to go ask them for permission. Want to practice medicine in the US, but you aren't a citizen? Too bad. Want to take a test and get certified, but can't speak English? Too bad.

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I think you do have a point here. I think that there need to be regulations about who and how people can become doctors, but it is kind strange that the # of doctors are so limited in the U.S.

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As in so many different industries, the best advice for health care is to lift the burden of regulations and allow capitalism to do its thing. We trust greedy grocery store owners to provide us with food, and that's even more important to survival. Hopefully people realize our trust in them isn't because they're just a nicer group of guys than doctors are.

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I think this is the main point where people disagree. I think most people agree that capitalism and the free market works very well. However, if you think that everyones life is equally important, and everyone deserves equal health care, then capitalism is obv not going to get it done.