On 03/01/2017 10:43 PM, Shawn K. Quinn wrote:
Ann Coulter: How to Provide Universal Health Care Using This One Easy Trick http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/01/ann-coulter-provide-unive... The "free market" is what is wrong with "health care" in the US. For-profit hospitals have to make money, so they charge outrageous
On 03/02/2017 12:17 AM, #$%&#$ %&#$%&#$ wrote: prices. For-profit "health insurance" companies want to make money, so they negotiate the best deals with hospitals. If you don't have health insurance, you don't get the rate charged to the insurance companies, you get a much higher rate. There is no limit to what a for-profit hospital can charge, especially for ER (what we call A&E) visits.
I am not the first to say this: the US has among the best medical care in the world, if you can afford it. And the last five words in that statement are the problem.
I take issue 'pre-comma' in the first sentence. No. Not really... See below. We seek A LOT of 'medical attention' (neurotic narcissists who need 'hand-holding'). Americans are the most "pained" (as in feeling of pain) people on the planet <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-02/more-than-half-of-americans-are-in-so-much-pain-they-can-t-sleep>, but you DON'T GET 'medical care'. You get machines that diagnose and medications that are typically symptom suppression, not curatives. This medical device cost $113.20 to make. http://auntieimperial.tumblr.com/post/58159127876 Camera & assembly $9 Screen $12 Connecting wire $1 Probe $2 (x24, # of probes in a package) Battery $8 Housing $10 Stand $17.20 Total Part $105.20 Assembly/packaging $8 Total: $113.20 It 'retails' for $9,825.00 The REALLY funny thing though? We spend more time with devices and less time with doctors than anyone else on the planet and we aren't one bit healthier for it. As a matter of fact it looks like this way of proscribed 'medical care' actually shortens our lifespans.
The ACA (Obamacare) wasn't perfect, but it was the first step towards fixing a broken system: 80% of premiums had to go towards paying for care, and pre-existing condition exclusions were no longer allowed (since if you look hard enough, almost everyone has a pre-existing condition somewhere). If Mitt Romney was elected and they called it Romneycare, the Republicans would praise it and praise Mittens like he was the greatest president since George Washington. Is it any coincidence that they didn't? (Hint: look at pictures of Mittens and Obama.)
