So why in the world do those crazy Canadians keep coming here for
BTW, looking at historical costs of medical care and the level of government involvement, it is safe to say that the US has too much socialism in our medical system right now, and that it what's making the best system (ours) so expensive when it would not be otherwise.
I wouldn't be so proud of the US health care system; the actual quality of care is really pretty awful, even with insurance. Even though the NAtional Health Service in the uK is woefully underfunded, I've always had much better treatment than I have from HMOs here; even seeing a specialist privately, at home, with no insurance, is cheaper than getting an X-Ray looked at by someone who once met a radiologist a cocktail party. The UK split the provision of services from the purchasing, so that hospitals have to compete for business, and a HMO like funding model for primary care physicians - fixed capitation rates, so the more a doctor spends, the less money he/she makes). It may be that the most efficient solution for health-care is a hybrid scheme along these lines. There are ideological reasons that argue for rejecting such compulsory schemes based on that element of coercion; it's hard to make the case against purely on efficiency grounds. Simon --- Cause maybe (maybe) | In my mind I'm going to Carolina you're gonna be the one that saves me | - back in Chapel Hill May 16th. And after all | Email address remains unchanged You're my firewall - | ........First in Usenet.........