Healthcare isn't a business, it's peoples lives

[The_vagabond7]

TheRealMafoo said:

Slimebeast said:

Oh yeah, that's a big factor too. The lack of consumer interest in how much stuff cost. The consequence of an insurance based system.

How can it be changed?

 

I know how I would do it.

Get rid of health insurance all together. If you need healthcare, you pay for it. I am not against the government giving out extremely low interest guaranteed loans to pay for these services.

If you look at the healthcare industry where insurance is not a factor, like elective eye surgery, or plastic surgery, the services over the last 10 years have gotten so much better, and are drastically cheaper. You are also treated very well by the doctors and nurses. They are competing for your business, so they have to make sure they provide a better service at a better cost then the next guy.

Right now it’s crazy to ask someone to pay 50k for a bypass surgery. But if there was no insurance, that operation would probably cost around 3k, and be done with so much more comfort and efficiency. If you can’t afford it, take out a loan with the government, and pay it back though tax return deductions, or with a payment plan.

With this plan, everyone still gets healthcare, but the consumer now cares what things cost. It drives competition, and competition breeds excellence.

 

I'm all for free market, but that isn't a solution to this problem. One: I think you grossly underestimate how much these services would cost (3k for bypass surgery? Really?), and two: something like ongoing cancer or recurring health problems would simply leave a person bankrupt for life. A child born with a debilitating disability? Say goodbye to your future. This is a solutions that still only benefits the rich and very rich and leaves somebody making 30k a year praying that they don't contract anything serious. Even if it's easy to get a loan, how many loans can you get? What happens when after battling your child's lukemia you're half a million in the hole, asking for more money, you're making 35k a year, the kid clearly isn't going to be picking up the bill, and there is no likely hood that you will ever be able to pay it back in your lifetime? Will they still be handing out loans? If you're in a severe car accident you'll get the bill first, and then have to hope that you can get a loan to pay for it? Essentially this makes any serious, illness or accident a death sentence for people who aren't rich.

Our current healthcare system is broken, universal healthcare isn't a great or even good solution for the US (and would never happen due to powerful lobbying groups), but simply saying "the free market will sort it out! It can sort anything out!" is somewhat overvaluing the ability of the free market to benefit all of society, and not just the ones with fat wallets. The free market is a great thing, but it has it's limits. I think you've read one too many ayn rand books.