monocle_layton said:
How do countries like Switzerland and Canada have effective healthcare systems and we are stuck in such a mess? It's not like it is impossible.
Only hypothesis I have is that the capitalistic management of the healthcare in the US is destroying us. I recall seeing a company raise the price of a pill from $13 to $700 for no significant reason |
Universal health care that guarantees a certain basic level of health care access is the most cost effective system. it doesn't guarantee gold plated health care for all, but it does guarantee a minimum level of health care. Once that universal guaranteee is in place then you can let the free market run rampant on those who want to buy better healthcare, while leaving alone those who are willing to settle for the minimum. Having a minimum guaratneed tax payer funded health system keeps insurance premiums down because 1) insurers can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions without being labelled as murderers, because the "free" system still provides healthcare, this reduces pay out risk for insurers which means premiums can be kept down; and 2) insurers are not only competing among themselves they are competing with the "free" option. So they have to provide better value for money than what the "free" option provides. Thus full cover insurance premiums for healthy people in many countries with UHC are much lower than insurance premiums for healthy people in the USA.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix
