Jesus Christ. Every discussion board I visit, I see people debating the merits of nationalized health care vs. a free market system. As always, the price argument comes up. And yet no one ever brings up the fact that the care itself is priced at least 200-300% above the level it should be at.
(directed at no one on this particular forum) IF HOSPITALS COULDN'T CHARGE $50 FOR AN ASPIRIN AND DOCTORS COULDN'T BILL THEIR TIME AT $500/HR, AND AN X-RAY WHICH IS BASICALLY TURNING ON A MACHINE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND HAVING A SPECIALIST EXAMINE A CHART FOR FIVE MINUTES COULDN'T BE BILLED AT $1000+, IT WOULDN'T COST $20,000 A YEAR TO PRIVATELY INSURE A FAMILY OF THREE, YOU IDIOT FUCKS!
/rant.
Forcibly driving down costs needs to be the FIRST thing that happens.
med school bills are also part of the reason doctors need such high salaries. medical school is a lot cheaper in europe so if you want to get it to a socialized system like there, you really have to overhaul the whole field of medicine.
What people tend not to get when looking at average debt after 4 years of med school (which averages about $140,000 for the 2007 class, for the 2012 class it will be significantly higher), is that during residency you get paid jack-shit. But remember, that interest is accruing all the time. Try owing $140,000 + collateralized interest over the terms of residency, plus any residual debt from your undergrad education. Average residency of an anaesthetist is 3 years; for a general surgeon it's 8 years. You want to further specialize, you're looking at another 2 - 3 years on average. All the while, that debt is increasing 'cause realistically it's difficult to pay anything meaningful towards it.
But then those greedy doctors get paid
sooooo much. At any rate, most American doctors (something like 70% when polled; I think it was Pew) believe a single-payer system is the way to go even though it would definitely decrease salary over time. Dealing with the medical insurance bureaucracy is enough to drive most doctors to insanity with the back-and-forth arguing over payment, level of care authorized, etc. What Shinobi wants could most effectively be dealt with by moving to a system similar to the VA (hurrr). The VA is one of the most cost-effective and efficient health systems in the US, notwithstanding some of the bullshit at Walter Reed and problems of rural care for mentally-ill veterans. Kaiser Permanente is another good example. Neither is perfect, but a massive leap better than the patchwork we have now. Or the movement towards fee-for-service, which for example has over time led to a brain-drain in the plastics.
But Americans hear single-payer, and are told it means "socialist" health care, long lines and waiting lists.
Total bullshit that this country wouldn't at least provide free health care to all children, regardless of economic circumstance. Fuck adults, I guess, but at least get to 'em before the ingrained habits and poor health choices begin (or diseases that drain the coffers and stability from families of affected youngsters). And I don't at all shirk from the fact that that is an argument that opens a can of worms concerning childhood nutrition, environmental factors, parental ability, education, etc.
For the kids mofos
Or we can continue down the savage path of libertarians and dunderhead repubs who would disallow single-payer and a government ability to negotiate lower medical supply and prescription fees. Thanks AARP! Ya old fucks.
