This is a great article for all to read - I think we could all have a lot more heat than smoke generated if everyone started here. This was published in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall. Everyone can probably find it by googling.
Anways, here are the three inconvenient truths.
1. Over the past 30 years, U.S. health care expenditures have grown 2.8% per annum faster, on average, than the rest of the economy. If this differential continues for another 30 years, health care expenditures will absorb 30% of the gross domestic product1 — a proportion that exceeds that of current government spending for all purposes combined.
2. Advances in medicine are the main reason why health care spending has grown 2.8% per annum faster than the rest of the economy.3
(Not waste, fraud, etc. - this is the price we pay to make ourselves healthier and to live longer and happy. - my comments)
3. Universal coverage requires subsidies for the poor and those too sick to afford insurance at an actuarially appropriate premium; it also requires compulsion for those who don't want to help pay for the subsidies or who want a "free ride," expecting that they will get care if they need it.
(IE, under universal health coverage, the wealthy and healthy must subsidize the poor and sick - and the former group must be compelled to pay and the latter group must be compelled to recieve - my comment)
Personally, I think that if the powers to be cannot agree upon the above three facts, nothing can be accomplished. And if we do not accomplish anything now, we will all be paying for this later. Or maybe we will be dead, and the burden (like many others) will fall upon our children, grandchildren and other descendents yet to be born.
On the hopeful side - perhaps some small changes to our healthcare web may lead to major cost reductions in the long run.
Anways, here are the three inconvenient truths.
1. Over the past 30 years, U.S. health care expenditures have grown 2.8% per annum faster, on average, than the rest of the economy. If this differential continues for another 30 years, health care expenditures will absorb 30% of the gross domestic product1 — a proportion that exceeds that of current government spending for all purposes combined.
2. Advances in medicine are the main reason why health care spending has grown 2.8% per annum faster than the rest of the economy.3
(Not waste, fraud, etc. - this is the price we pay to make ourselves healthier and to live longer and happy. - my comments)
3. Universal coverage requires subsidies for the poor and those too sick to afford insurance at an actuarially appropriate premium; it also requires compulsion for those who don't want to help pay for the subsidies or who want a "free ride," expecting that they will get care if they need it.
(IE, under universal health coverage, the wealthy and healthy must subsidize the poor and sick - and the former group must be compelled to pay and the latter group must be compelled to recieve - my comment)
Personally, I think that if the powers to be cannot agree upon the above three facts, nothing can be accomplished. And if we do not accomplish anything now, we will all be paying for this later. Or maybe we will be dead, and the burden (like many others) will fall upon our children, grandchildren and other descendents yet to be born.
On the hopeful side - perhaps some small changes to our healthcare web may lead to major cost reductions in the long run.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+2]Three "Inconvenient Truths" about Health Care[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=+1]Victor R. Fuchs, Ph.D. [/SIZE]