I read that the health service in USA was considered at a low level by the world health org., worse than in Costa Rica, even if the USA medical research is at the top. Maybe because in USA health is considered a private business and not a human right and a public service, like, e.g., in Europe. What do you think of it? Do you think that things are going to change or the private interest of ensurance companies will still prevail in the USA government politics?
Health: a private business or a human right?
It won't change. It's awful I think because this is a service that every person during there life will need. That's why they charge so much because you can't live without it. So you have to pay all those expensive bill's. The rich just get richer....and that's all the Republicans really care about.
Health: a private business or a human right?
Much more successful as a private business
it OUGHT to be a human right! why should politicians get it for free? it can easily be paid for through jacking up taxes on booze, cigarettes, CIGARS and legalizing weed and prostitution.
PS then again the oil companies, banks, casinos and insurance companies can also fund it.
There is no such thing as a right to health care. The reason the US makes most of the advances in the medical industry is because we are free to pursue the research that is most valuable in the marketplace. And all of the socialized nations just rip off our research and then scream about the 'injustice' of a private medical system.
Health care is a private business. Those doctors are paying their med school bills, not you or the government. People can purchase a health plan or get a job with a company that will offer a health plan. If that is not acceptable, there is welfare or whatever the state program is called these days. Humans are only entitled to what they earn. There is no free lunch here.
That's a tough call, for several reasons.
First, private industry, if there is competition and proper oversight and regulation, always does better than anything the government can do. Bureaucracies just can't or won't react to demands like the private sector can. To me, that's a strong reason to stay private.
Next, where do you draw the line defining what's necessary, and what's frivolous. Do you want your health tax dollars to play for breast implants, hair transplants, or face lifts? What about erectile disfunction drugs for guys over 50, for example? What about women who want to be mothers when they're in their 50's or even 60's? Do you want it to go for childbirth in families that already have 4, 6, or 8 kids? Should it pay for abortions? What about long term care for people who smoke 3 packs a day, or don't bother to exercise, or take care of themselves?
A lot of the costs in health care today goes towards malpractice insurance. Twenty years ago, my dentist paid about $1000 for malpractice insurance. Five years later, it was up to $5000, I think. I don't even want to know what it is today. This is because people want to sue for things that they blame on the doctor, because the doctor and the hospital have loads of money, they think. Guess what - YOU are paying those suits, in the form of higher health costs. Remember that the next time you hear about someone who gets a multi million dollar settlement because they had something go wrong.
Personally, I'd like to see some sort of tiered system, where healthy behavior gets rewarded by lower premiums. If you lose weight, you get a reduction in your premiums, or maybe a rebate. Keep it off for a year or three, and get another rebate. Quit smoking, ditto.
But if you get caught smoking, then you owe that rebate money back, or you lose the part of your coverage that insures you for lung disease, say. And if you have an accident when you weren't wearing your seatbelt, then you're not covered, or your deductible goes to $10-20,000.
