Watch out.Socialized Medicine on the way.

[Terminal23]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/po...partner=GOOGLE
I think it's inevitable.How bout you?

[Prexaspes]

43.6 million without healthcare coverage.

They have to do something.

[novadragoon]

Communism is your friend,

there is no such thing as the "Red Menace" anymore

[Knothead]

I admit, I'm not the most informed guy on some political trends, but man, something has to be done about these greed-head doctors.

A few years back, I knew a doc, his specialty was Angioplasty. He would inflate balloons in people's juice lines...and charge the insurance company $40,000 For two hour's work....

Then he'd complain that he actually GOT "only$10,000"....

Something has got to be done about these guys....when a group can control the very HEALTH of a society, and hold it hostage to insane amounts of money....

It's time for us to give these greedy creeps the smackdown!

Communism? Nah. Try just desserts, hmm?

[joker_927]

I hate being influenced to buy certain pills while in the doctors office, and I know he gets commision fr every Rx I buy. Is he being truthful, or need some extra $$?

When dealing with lives, profit and money just shouldn;t be a concern.

My question is. (I didn't read the article and I don't know Socialised medicine works) but what about people paying money and it goes to soemthing they don't belive in like abortions?

[Mickwish]

Communism? I somehow think that is a poor way to describe free access to basic health care.



Solicialism, maybe. But check out Canada and Australia's health care systems, with the mix of public and private funded health care, and a basic health infrastructure that is available to all citizens. There are still issues of cost and access at various levels, but there is little doubt in my mind that basic health care provision is much better for the average citizen in these countries compared to the US.

IMO, if the US can afford to fund large scale military actions to free peoples in other countries, it should be able to afford to fund a working health care system that provides for the needs of its citizens.

Yes, Knothead, the costs of healthcare need to be contained, but not at the expense of provision of services. If you don't make sure you pay health professionals equitably, they will either leave the professions or leave the country. $40 000 for an angio procedure? How much of this goes to the doctor, I wonder? catheters (which are single us, disposable) cost anywhere bewteen $1000 and $10000 for the procedure, depending on what is done. Angio lab time is very expensive, the equipment is multi-million dollar stuff. And there are wages for nurses, X-ray technicians, etc. So I wonder how much the doctor actually ended up with per procedure, after 7 or ten years training? And he has to pay malpractice insurance on top of that, plus medical board fees, etc, etc. Our obsetricians are paying up to AUD$100k per year just for malpractice insurance, due to escalated claims.

Seems the lawyers always win.

Ok, I'm done now.

Cheers
Mick

[nunyadam]

insurance companies make deals to pay to pay pennies on the dollar, medicare/medicade do the same. Hospitals and Drs inflate there rates to make up the difference.

I can give you an example.
we have what is called a "rooke boot" which is basicly a sheepskin (imatation) boot with velcro closures. hospital cost $85, patient cost $400.

what wrong with that picture? sure it cost money to have it and pay staff to deliver it, but i think thats just a might bit steep.

then theres the matter of insurance companies paying 80% of covered procedures and not covering things they should. which leaves the consumer holding the bag on way more than 20%.(if there even that lucky to have coverage.)

[ben-the-slacker]

I see nothing wrong with it. Better than having to pay a doctor an arm and leg for basic healthcare.

[ClubMed]

Healthcare can only work if it's resting on two of the three pillars (government, employers and employees). In other words, while either the government or the employer insures you, you have to have your own insurance plan on the side.

This is going to become apparent to many governments over the next couple of years, especially those nations with aging populations and low birth rates (below 2.5).

In Austria and many other European countries the birth rate is at 1.2 while the populations are aging. So the tax paying workforce can no longer generate the funds needed no matter how hard or long they work.

While I'm insured by my government plans I have my own private insurance on the side, I can cope very well using both. This will probably become the trend.

However in countries where the government or employers don't provide the workforce with any coverage the outlook is bleak at best.

Blaming these trends on socialism and communism seems irrelevant to me.