How do you solve the Health Care problem in the U.S.?

[Jorge10]

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Jorge, I've been trying to figure this out for a while myself. I eventually concluded that it's basically impossible to find a reliable, unbiased explanation. And at least for me, it's too technical of a field to filter the truth from the BS. So I recommend giving up and hoping that your employer has a good health plan. Just be aware that at some point in the future there may or may not be some vaguely defined catastrophe.

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I am going to be a math teacher so I am sure they got a badass plan and I have dual citizenship so I can always drive 20 minutes to Mexico and get free drugs if I have a serious illness, but I always try to be informed about important issues. I consider myself an American and I would really be ashamed to drive to Mexico to get free drugs. Not ashamed enough to actually pay for them in the U.S., LOL, but still kind of sad about it. I just want this country to be the best at everything and when I hear all these people getting screwed by the health care system it really pisses me off.

Great replies from everyone. I am going to read all those links. I started to watch Sicko to see if it was informative and was disappointed. Its just a collection of stories of people getting screwed by the system. I guess if you want to see some depressing stuff then its the movie for you, but I want information not sad stories.

[ojc02]

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I am trying to understand this whole situation and I keep reading the threads, but most of them just talk about either

a) How much a certain poster hates michael moore.

or

b) How crappy the Health Care system is.

I just want to know what the problem is and how to solve it. I know people are getting screwed by the system, but I want to know why and how to fix it.

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A big part of the problem is state intervention in health care. Two thirds of all health care payments are made by the state.

And now, with all the incentives in the wrong places, the market is being blamed for all the problems and people are suggesting the "one payer" system (One guess who that one payer is).

For what it's worth, one GIGANTIC problem is that health care IT is in a shambles but it's being worked on. Once those significant issues get solved the system will get more efficient despite the gigantic anchor of the state latched onto it's ankle.

(Incidently, I'm happy to report that a lot of progress in health care IT is actually being done in the private sector where it belongs eg Beth Israel Deaconess and Blue Cross Blue shield getting together on EMRs)

[iron81]

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I am going to read all those links.

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I think you made Nielsio's night.

[oldbookguy]

In many respects we have a national system.
Trouble is there are too many restrictions (age) and many simply do not apply who qualify.

It is called Medicade / Medicare.

Allow a greater participation, REMOVE the age requirements and walla, it can be done with no great effort or cost.

It is reasonable (about 120 per month with drug coverage).

Raise that price if you want a bit based on income......

OK, thoughts????????

but, then again I really do not think congress is REALLY interested in solving ANY problems, by TALKING it to death (nothing ever actually gets done) they look busy and get to keep their cushy job.

obg

[adios]

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Someone asked a very similar question about what the problem is. As for doing what works, the best health care systems are the socialized systems in Western Europe where doctors are civil servants. But since that is too drastic, our best bet is something like Canada with a private system with a single payer.

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Your evaluation criteria for determining the best?

[adios]

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I'm not an american so excuse me if I'm wrong here but isn't poverty the real problem over there, not the actual health care system? Therefore you fix the problem by reducing poverty. Public health care just makes everyone poorer.

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Poor people who are uninsured have ready access to health care in the Unitied States. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act makes it a law that all people who report to an emergency room for treatment must be treated irregardless of their ability to pay. The government spends billions on Medicaid, it's a complete myth that people who can't afford health insurance go without health care in the United States.

[CharlieDontSurf]

The system in Logan's Run would fix things

[adios]

Maybe a gambling type model would be better. Something like the UK where they have lotteries for who gets treatment:

Thousands losing sight in NHS postcode lottery

Thousands of elderly people are losing their sight because of the postcode lottery for drugs to treat the leading cause of blindness.

A survey of eye specialists found less than half are able to obtain treatments which have been shown to either stabilise or improve the eyesight of nine out of 10 patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

Even those doctors who can get the drugs, sold as Lucentis and Macugen, are only able to obtain them in certain circumstances.

Only around one in five of the 19,000 patients who may benefit are getting the drugs - leaving around 15,000 unable to get them because of where they live.

[NeBlis]

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The system in Logan's Run would fix things

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YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS finaly a workable solution!!!

[Borodog]

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. . . the best health care systems are the socialized systems in Western Europe where doctors are civil servants.

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Oh, yes, absolutely. Let's run the health care industry for 300 million people like the [censored] post office and DMV.

OMFG. What world do you live in?

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