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Originally Posted by ranxer
preechr.. is the
1. litigious society problem the biggest drain on healthcare? sure that's one of them, but theres a long list.. if that's the biggest problem id say..
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It's the trunk of the tree. My first comments addressed the root system: The government wants to control the significant chunk of our GDP that is Healthcare. It has allowed free-reign of lawyers on the system to that end, hoping to destabilize the structure until public perception shifts to how you guys are seeing it and government is called in to fix it all up real nice...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranxer
2. corporate markups is the second largest, sheesh we pay tax dollars to help these drug companies develop drugs often in college labs then they turn around and markup 1000's of % and sell them back to the folks that helped them develop the damn drugs.
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And all those folks buy boats, right? I'm not going to argue that drug prices are rediculous, but I will say that is a product of prices being so hidden from consumers, mostly. There are some truly amazing drugs out there, and we should expect to pay the price for the research that produces innovation imbedded into the cost of the drugs we need. I personally feel that we take much more drugs than necessary.
A Doctor that prescribes a drug instead of actually treating the patient is only ever passing the liability off on the drug maker. Chances are, in most cases, she was just not willing to tell the patient that they need to quit whining and straighten out their life. Doctors are truly making their living against all odds generally, and they have developed a very belligerent attitude about their business and customers. You can hardly blame them. You will not leave a Doctor's office without treatment of some kind. It's a business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranxer
3. then we have ad campaigns.. drug companies spend billions on marketing. capitalist competition for the most profits might rival the other two problems in total cost. the drug companies are the single largest return on investment business in the country.. is this health care or wealthcare?
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*resists urge to capitalize, edit and puntuate for you*
Nobody is watching the back door, and all the horses are getting out. I agree that it's a racket. I'm pissed that the government is taking the stand that they will not help fix the problem at all until we reliquish all control of the entire industry to it completely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranxer
so, government should be able to fix all three. and with the money saved we should be able to cover everybody with the basics especially if we work hard on prevention.
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We could work on prevention now, but we aren't. The government could be making us more health conscious and doing what it can to stem rising Healthcare costs, but it isn't. I fail to see how removing competition will lower prices. I fail to see how rewarding government for destroying a perfectly good Healthcare system and endangering God knows how many people is appropriate.
Where do you guys get your trust for politicians? How have government employees and beaurocrats earned your respect?
When it comes right down to it, I want to live in a world where people get fired for doing a shitty job, especially when lives are at stake. Socializing Healthcare would eliminate that from the system, and we would suffer for it.
This board is constantly reminding me of that "Simpsons" where Homer ran for office under the premise of "Can't Somebody ELSE Do It?!"
I know the mess that is American Life seems awfully complex sometimes. That is no excuse to throw the baby out with the bath-water. Instead of throwing up your collective arms and calling what has been built over the last couple hundred years a complete waste of time and then heading back to the drawing board, why don't you look for the easy answers?
Sure, if you build the system from the ground up you will all of a sudden understand it... but just because you don't understand the system we have now doesn't mean you have the right to destroy it and replace it with something you patched together freestyle on a message board...
Sure, what we have now looks from the outside to be wholesale profiteering with no concern for patients. How would you feel, having devoted 8 years to a Doctorate and your entire financial future to a system that could ruin you at the random whim of some jerk looking to sue anybody he can to avoid working for a living, only to find out that it's a near certainty that in a matter of years you'll probably be out of a job, or, at best, you'll be a government employee.
Keep in mind... their ain't no Doctor's Union. It's illegal. I'd rather be an underwater welder, personally...