Comments on: Voodoo Cost Savings

By: Suat

Suat — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:52 +0000

Don’t be too flattered, I am sure you are not the only Russ in the world

By: Yakkis

Yakkis — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:27:32 +0000

People who do not make a lot of money are just lazy.

Especially the ones working 60+ hours a week at three jobs to make just enough to get by.

By: Surtt

Surtt — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:38:52 +0000

“You mean people would actually have to pay for their own health care?”

They are already paying for their health care, out of pocket.
What you would be doing is force people to send 13% of their income to insurance companies. People would continue to pay out of pocket because of the high deductibles.

“I won’t live in a world where able-bodied adults are expected to pull their own weight!”

People who do not make a lot of money are just lazy.

By: Yakkis

Yakkis — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:29:24 +0000

I won’t live in one where sick and disabled ones are expected to pull their own weight!

By: Brandon Berg

Brandon Berg — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:14:40 +0000

“Relative to the House bill, then, the Baucus bill costs the government $140 billion less; but it costs middle-income people exactly $140 billion more, since they have to buy health insurance.”

You mean people would actually have to pay for their own health care? That’s outrageous! I won’t live in a world where able-bodied adults are expected to pull their own weight!

By: tippygolden

tippygolden — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:22:25 +0000

Here’s the link: http://fora.tv/2009/09/14/TR_Reid_The_Healing_of_America

By: tippygolden

tippygolden — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:21:30 +0000

Here is T.R. Reid on Fora-TV talking about his new book The Healing of America. He makes some very good points including the need for leadership on a national conversation on universal coverage as a moral issue.

By: Serge

Serge — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:03:49 +0000

Apparently, you're not familiar with most Americans' [lack of] understanding of history.

By: Min

Min — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:17:22 +0000

Somehow the title made me imagine the use of voodoo practitioners as alternative medicine. I’m sure that that would save money. And as far as end of life care goes (the last 6 months), that is where a large part of our health care costs lie. With voodoo care, it is hard to see how the outcomes could be worse, and the quality of the life remaining might even be better.

By: pebird

pebird — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:32:18 +0000

Just to start at a summary level – we are currently spending around $7.2K per capital for health care (16% GDP). That is employer, private, individual, fed, state and local government. Around $2.15 trillion every year (give or take a $100 billion or so).

If everyone (young, old, currently insured, uninsured) in the country had a individual policy that cost $300/month, that would total around $1.2 trillion, leaving about $1 trillion for other associated subsidies. That is annual expense – every year. You don’t need huge percentage savings to make a real positive impact on the economy.

This is not insignificant – not just in terms of health care, but the entire economy.

No one in the right mind can say there isn’t enough in current spending to cover everyone and then some – other countries do it for much less as a percentage of GDP.

This is not a question of resource availability but allocation.

By: b.

b. — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:28:51 +0000

“That’ s not only stupid policy; it’s stupid politics.”

The decade in a nutshell.

By: Yakkis

Yakkis — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:15:18 +0000

Daryl, single payer SAVES money. Whole percentages of GDP worth.

That’s money the U.S. would have to bomb other countries! Think of the the cluster bombs!

From a cost perspective, it’s a no brainer.

By: Silke

Silke — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:06:57 +0000

Russ
it is quite simple “I’ll go it alone” as long as the going is good and hat-in-hand-humble-me willing to prostrate myself when things go wrong

the bankers very recently showed examplary how-to-do-it

you should have heard our Deutsche Bank spokesman’s*) almost uncontrollably trembling voice during the height of the crash with his “we must be all in this together” and his uppity I have warned about the dangers as a highly responsible banker all along after his job was saved

the only explanation I have is that these people are not only viewing the world as peopled by monads they are also deluding themselves in almost incomprehensible ways.

*) (Chef-Volkswirt Norbert Walter)

By: Russ

Russ — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:54:14 +0000

So we should have astronomically expensive health care, where if the “middle class” still exists at all, it will have the choice between bankrupting itself for this “care” or dropping dead.

And this would be better than having much less expensive, much better care for everyone, for which everyone pays, but pays much less.

I see.

(I still don’t get what’s the point of having “society” at all under those Social Darwinist circumstances. Since no one answers that question, I’ll assume there is no answer other than “I’ve got mine, now I want the status quo entrenched forever, and the point of society is to entrench that status quo.”)

By: Silke

Silke — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:31:29 +0000

“With better care, more people will make it to old age.

This must be stopped!”

Yakkis, stop it, you’ll ruin the last booming portion of our labour market …