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JRPGfan on 14 April 2020
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NightlyPoe said:

Weird figures today.  New cases is still dropping, but the deaths have gone back up.  If anything, I figured we'd see the opposite as weekend backlogs of tests got cleared.

SpokenTruth said:

You implied as such with your statement, "One can imagine the patchwork of interest-protected bloat and shameful deficiencies that would work its way into the system in short order."

It's just a payment system. Deficiency in what?  Bloat in what?  It's not a health management system.

But tell us about how efficient and unbloated our current private health insurance system is. 

Rent-seeking finds a way.

JRPGfan said:

I thought on avg you guys spent like 2-3 times as much on health care (money wise) as the rest of the world?
(and amounts large enough to already pay for universal health care, if you ran systems the same way the rest of the world did)

Its hard to argue that the US healthcare system isnt already bloated, and grossly profit oriented (when things cost 2-3 times as much).

*edit:
A while back, I linked to a article about a insurance company that actually offered to pay a plane ticket to people, if they were willing to fly to mexico and pickup their own drugs there. Apparently the same medicin in mexico, costs so much less than in america, that if you buy enough, insurace companies can cover your flight tickets + give you 500$, and still come off better (save money).

That's the theory we're talking about.  I don't believe it will end up as cost-effective as advertised.

And, for what it's worth, prescription drugs are a bit of a different topic.  Without the United States essentially subsidizing breakthroughs for the world, I worry that the pharmaceutical industry will stop producing new medications at the clip they are.  Call me selfish, but I like them being profitable because they'll push forward and invent a drug that will save my life someday.

If anything, the rest of the world is piggybacking on the United States on this one.

1) "Weird figures today.  New cases is still dropping, but the deaths have gone back up."

Because 2 weeks ago, the US (new york state) had yet to reach the peak in terms of active cases hospitalised.
Peak for deaths pr day, isnt until a two weeks+ or so after the peak hospitalised.


2) "That's the theory we're talking about.  I don't believe it will end up as cost-effective as advertised."

If it works everywhere else in the world, why wouldnt it work in the US? theres no reason it wouldnt.


3) "And, for what it's worth, prescription drugs are a bit of a different topic.  Without the United States essentially subsidizing breakthroughs for the world, I worry that the pharmaceutical industry will stop producing new medications at the clip they are."

US National Library of Medicine, claims the US is responcible for 33% of patents for new drugs if you look at the distribution of the entire world.
Now, thats alot, but the US is a big country.   If you add up the most of the countries in the EU, that number is around 31% (w the UK included).

So I dont think theres any reason to believe things would change (speed of research), if you changed your system.

4)  "If anything, the rest of the world is piggybacking on the United States on this one."

According to the US National Library of Medicine, if the US accounts for ~33% of these pantents on new drugs....
that means the remaining ~67% is someone done by others.  How is that in any way the US piggyback carrying others? The US is just doing their part (equal to their size), also this isnt out of the goodness of their pure hearts, its so they can make insane profits.