As for rationing, look at the other examples. Even countries that have healthcare rationing have a better standard of care than we do.
I've seen lots of conflicting evidence about this, studies that have talked about quality of care, long wait times for even simple treatments, etc, and honestly I'm not sure what to believe. I think that sometimes Democrats romanticize the European, Japanese, and Canadian health care systems while the Republicans overly demonize them.
I was reading an article in the Economist about Japan's universal health care system, and while Japan thought it was fantastic, 50% of their hospitals are on the verge of bankruptcy. I also worry that places like the Mayo Clinic will become inaccessible to average middle class Americans because some government bureaucrat decides that it's not worth the cost. And every single doctor, nurse and health care provider I've ever talked to, regardless of their own personal political beliefs, thinks that universal, government provided health care is a bad, bad idea. I can't tell if they're just looking out for their own best financial interests or if they know something the rest of us don't.
So I guess I don't know. I find the health care problem in this country totally confusing, and I can't really claim to understand how it works or what should be done. However, I have seen how the government wastes money elsewhere. I also know that if we do create an entitlement of state sponsored, universal health care and it turns out to be worse than what we have now, there's absolutely zero chance of it ever getting dismantled.
I'm extremely wary of creating another government entitlement program while the two we already have haven't been fixed and are hurdling towards financial implosion. Maybe if the government could get their shit together when it comes to Social Security, and prove that it can actually handle our tax dollars effectively, I'd be more inclined to give it a chance.
At any rate, the people in power disagree with me, so really, what I think is pretty irrelevant. I expect that within the next year or so, we're going to have a universal health care entitlement whether we like it or not.
no subject
I've seen lots of conflicting evidence about this, studies that have talked about quality of care, long wait times for even simple treatments, etc, and honestly I'm not sure what to believe. I think that sometimes Democrats romanticize the European, Japanese, and Canadian health care systems while the Republicans overly demonize them.
I was reading an article in the Economist about Japan's universal health care system, and while Japan thought it was fantastic, 50% of their hospitals are on the verge of bankruptcy. I also worry that places like the Mayo Clinic will become inaccessible to average middle class Americans because some government bureaucrat decides that it's not worth the cost. And every single doctor, nurse and health care provider I've ever talked to, regardless of their own personal political beliefs, thinks that universal, government provided health care is a bad, bad idea. I can't tell if they're just looking out for their own best financial interests or if they know something the rest of us don't.
So I guess I don't know. I find the health care problem in this country totally confusing, and I can't really claim to understand how it works or what should be done. However, I have seen how the government wastes money elsewhere. I also know that if we do create an entitlement of state sponsored, universal health care and it turns out to be worse than what we have now, there's absolutely zero chance of it ever getting dismantled.
I'm extremely wary of creating another government entitlement program while the two we already have haven't been fixed and are hurdling towards financial implosion. Maybe if the government could get their shit together when it comes to Social Security, and prove that it can actually handle our tax dollars effectively, I'd be more inclined to give it a chance.
At any rate, the people in power disagree with me, so really, what I think is pretty irrelevant. I expect that within the next year or so, we're going to have a universal health care entitlement whether we like it or not.