Interesting article in the NYT about the rising costs of health care, even for people who are insured. (co-pays, deductibles, etc)
Another hand wringing article about health care with no solutions, that passes for interesting journalism? With 'someone else' paying most of the costs, it's no wonder costs have skyrocketed (and forced millions into the uninsured category) in the US relative to most other life expenses. Strikes me more as another useless 'this just isn't fair' piece inferring we're entitled to unlimited cheap health care and 'somebody (not me)' should do something! Not news. Same writer is working on an interesting article about unfair gas price increases blaming oil companies for next week...
Don't get me wrong, health care is clearly a serious issue for the US. But it's not rocket science what's wrong, we just don't like the solutions and there are powerful, entrenched groups acting to maintain the profitable status quo. And we put our politicians in the 'we want more for less' box so they're reduced to promising the world to get elected with little chance of accomplishing anything in the end - and they know it. I'm a lifelong conservative but I think it's inevitable we'll have UHC, just a matter of when. If you look at existing UHC in the many developed countries that have it,
- providers (doctors, pharma companies, med equip providers, etc.) and especially administrators are paid less,
- consumers use less (take better care of themselves)
for preventable issues, more significant in the US than most of us know or will admit,
- waits are a little or a lot longer for elective and non-emergency care,
- malpractice is regulated so it's not such a big factor,
- preventive care is better in many countries,
- expensive medical technologies may be less frequently used, and
- many of them have higher longevity and lower infant mortality rates than the US.
And surprise, surprise - they get effective care at lower per capita costs. Those that still argue US health care is the best
for all seem to contradict the facts IMO. However, other developed countries show lower per capita costs for health care with higher tax rates --- not sure how to reconcile that.
We get what we deserve...we'll do better when we stop looking for a silver bullet that doesn't exist.