Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 18:28:14 -0400
From: mark <whitroth at 5-cent.us>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: A point of information about the government shutdown
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

On 10/07/13 17:11, Mike B. wrote:
> On 10/5/2013 9:57 AM, Walter Miles wrote:
>
>> Healthcare reform *could* have been the key to U.S. budget stability,
>> and plus I managed to spend a moderate of money on it (kidney stone)
>> when I could least afford it.  It's really worth name-calling.  Bad
>> names.
>
> One of the points we agree on.  Healthcare is one of the more likely
> things leading to bankruptcy for the country.  The problem is that
> demanding that everyone get health insurance isn't the right starting
> point.  The right starting point is figuring out why health care costs
> so much here (and I think that health insurance is a prime suspect).
> Second step is reducing the costs of health care once you know what's
> causing them to be high.  THIRD step might be to get everyone health
> insurance...maybe, if it's still needed.

That' quite simple to understand. The UK, and EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY in
Europe, has some variety of national healthcare system (oh, and Canada. And
Australia), and in every one, it's far less than we pay. Let's see, off the
top of my head,
    1) the entire bureaucracy that every company has, instead of one
       federal one, whose employees are on on civil service salary.
    2) ROI for investors.
    3) Monstrous salaries and bonuses for the chief officers and execs,
       *far* more than that of the President of the US.
    4) A million ways to refuse to pay.
    5) Check out the recent series in the media about the "standard charges"
       that folks without insurance get slammed with - hell, look at
       your benefits statement from your medical insurance co, and see
       how much their "negotiated" rates are a fraction of the "official"
       rate.
    6) Competition and advertising dollars for every company.
    7) See 2.
    8) See 3.
<snip>
mark

--
  There are no winners in life, only survivors. - from the fortune program