Re: CPI Composition
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If shes a med student I dont think she'll have trouble understanding that CPI represents changes in the cost of a market basket of expenditures most commonly consumed. Health care's weight is just the perecentage of the total expenditures.
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She has only been in Med School for a week and a half. She doesn't really understand this stuff at all. She's very smart, but not with economic knowledge. Could I say that Medical Care is 6% of the total CPI, which is a basket of goods that people spend their money on? Therefore, people spend 6% of their money on medical care out of all consumer goods.
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As far as people saying they cant afford health insurance, I think the majority of that is political rhetoric, not what "people" are saying about their own situation. For those who do complain about it, I would attribute it to their priorities. Eg $3000 a year for comprehensive coverage to someone who believes they are healthy seems expensive compared to the latest 1080p HDTV, so they "can't afford" it.
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You are right. People who say they don't have enough money usually just have their priorities wrong. I try telling people that they need to save for things rationally. I wonder if there are statistics on incomes of people who have health insurance/seek medical care. Would you think that there is a particular income group (low) who are saying they can't afford medical care? I think this really pulls on demographics.
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