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Why Big Government Doesn’t Work: Health Care

Submitted by Conn Carroll on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 17:53
in

[Promoted - Conn Carroll shows just how wasteful and perverse goverment health care spending is; the eventual fiscal crisis from this will dwarf anything we've seen before - Jon Henke]

The exploding costs of Medicare are already killing the future of this country. If current trends continue, Social Security and Medicare spending will jump from 7.5% of GDP today to 13% by 2030. The Democrats solution to this problem: Medicare for all. The left actually believes they can control sky rocketing medical costs through government control of the health care industry. They are truly blinded by their love for big government.

Just look at the battle on Capitol Hill this week over Medicare. In 2003, conservatives passed a law requiring HHS to use completive bidding when purchasing medical equipment instead of using the price controlled fee schedule they do now. Under the current system, in some parts of the country taxpayers are paying $1,825 for a hospital bed anyone else can buy online for $754. If HHS went to competitive bidding they could save $1 billion a year annually.

So who could be against such a common sense move? Democrats. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced a bill that would delay the implementation of competitive bidding for another 18 months. The reason? He doesn't want to hurt the businesses that currently make profits by overcharging US taxpayers.

And that is why government will never be able to reduce health care costs. Politicians are incapable of turning off the federal spending spigot when their constituents could be harmed. The better solution for controlling health care costs is a conservative pro-market  approach like consumer-driven health care.

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Comments

Great point Conn...

Submitted by craig.kirchoff on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 19:28.

Those stats are incredible. 

I’ve always felt there are probably effective messages that aren't being conveyed in this debate.

I'd like to think that conservatives could drive home the pork angle here and reinforce our argument with a few comparisons.  Something like, "Government health care.  Brought to you by the same people who gave you the efficiency of the DMV, The Simplicity of the Tax Code, and the fiscal responsibility of The Bridge to Nowhere."

 

I am trying to understand this better

Submitted by davidfarrar on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 22:00.

But even patients using Medicaid and Medicare, use private health care providers, don't they?

ex animo

davidfarrar

What's wrong with Health Care

Submitted by 4speed on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 22:07.

Hey, I can speak to this...boy, can I....

Having Received Treatement recently of a MAJOR Health Issues...like Cancer, and benefitted from Health Care.... My treatment only Cost $ 200,000. 

Doctor was NOT that Expensive, Nurses were NOT that Expensive, it was the Hospital Room itself, not to mention the Intensive Care room, Operating Room, Building, Testing procedures,  etc.....I got more Testing done than ...than...a person ought to endure...heck, they went Nuclear (radiation) on me.....

Government Regulations Abounded during the whole Process, I'm sure.  

(by the way, I survived, I'm Cancer Free).  

I also had Insurance, (I survived that also).  But  $200,000 for 7 Days Stay in a Hospital, is a pretty awesome Bill.  WHAT WAS I paying for ?  wHAT was my Insurance paying for ?  All the Un-Insured People who didn't pay before me ?

Let me Qualify that with...I DID NOT have Medical Insurance for 20 years before this...I actually decided to Get it A YEAR BEFORE, as I was getting OLDER, and did not feel "Immune" anymore, like when I was younger.  I had previously thought $500 a month for Insurance was too expensive.....

Forget ALL ARGUMENTS for Medical Insurance...FOCUS on the REAL ISSUE....

How Come it Cost me 20,000 $$$$'s a Day, to be Hospitilazed ? ?  

Answer that Question, Deal with the Reasons, and you CAN reduce the COST of Health Care.

LET ME GIVE YOU A HINT>....Somewhere in the Research, MAL PRACTICE INSURANCE has to Surface....which drives a lot of the Care Options forced upon you by the hospital, because it was FORCED upon them by Regulations, I signed a LOT of Forms....warning me of a Lot of things...to protect the Doctor I'm sure...as it did NOT protect me.  

Why isn't the left pro-choice about health care?

Submitted by Terri K on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 23:08.

I could write a book about all I think is wrong with our health care system having had cancer myself, a husband with cancer and a year of chemo and a daughter who nearly died from a misdiagnosed perforated appendix (and those are just the major issues...), but when I analyze it, he whole problem boils down to Big Government intervention.  And that includes excess regulations, the Big Pharma and Big Insurance lobby, and an out of control legal system.  Who in their right mind would tie health care to employers in the first place, which initiated a plethora of problems that even the right seems to attempt to "solve" with more government "solutions".

I would venture a guess that even gay marriage would not be nearly the issue it is today were it not for employers covering health care for family members but not for partners. 

We don't need more government solutions; we don't need more tax credits, more government revised regulations and more controls on how we pick and choose our doctors or our treatment.  We certainly don't need more non-medically trained people making our health care decisions for us.  Indeed, we need the government to get the hell out of our health care altogether and give us all the freedom of CHOICE. 

A routine office visit would be affordable as an out of pocket expense without health insurance were it not for the outrageous overhead that doctors have to charge to pay the staff required to cover  all the regulations and insurance paperwork.   I am currently uninsured; I asked my doc about this; my visit was $120 that day but she said without all the overhead, she could do a routine office visit for, get this: $40!!  The fact that many docs are turning away medicare patients ought to send a very loud and clear message.

Insurance should be for catastrophic major medical events only and even then, individuals should have a menu from which to select.   Just as we don't have auto insurance for routine oil changes, we shouldn't have insurance for routine medical care.  That alone would reduce costs tremendously.  Hospitals and doctors in the past took care of those in need through charity work. 

I'm old enough to remember the days of free-market health care and it was excellent, beginning with the fact that our docs actually got to know us and our health.  My parents often bartered with our pediatrician to pay for health care for 8 kids.  Docs actually made diagnoses, without fear of a lawsuit at every turn. 

Here's Reagan on socialized medicine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLp...eature=related

 

 

I've read an.......

Submitted by JaniceK on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 21:18.

I’ve read an article a while ago which entitled “We Need To Get Serious About Health Care—Now” and it was an interesting article. Based from its title, you will really become interested in reading its content. On the other hand, I agree to its title that we should get serious about the health care; we are not just facing a simple burden regarding it, what we need in order to fix our broken health care system is a comprehensive plan. In addition, the national health care reform should put into action now since its primary mission is to increased accessibility and affordability as well as quality health care for the entire Americans. If it will not put into action now, when it will be implemented by the government officials? When its already too late?; or when someone already died because they can't afford the medical treatment to their illnesses?  We should not wait for that kind of situation to happen before they make an action. High cost of health care adds burden for many and some of them set aside the idea of consulting to the physician whenever they get sick because of financial predicament. Luckily, Walgreens, the prescription megastore, is offering free healthcare to those who qualify for a while.  It seems likely that it will last the rest of 2009, so those who can't get payday loans to throw money away on a doctor, can head to their nearest Walgreens that has one of the Take Care clinics that they installed in certain store locations.  Proof of unemployment must be furnished, or you'll be turned away.  The Take Care Clinics were started back in 2007, to provide quality healthcare to those who couldn't afford it as easily as regular care, which is a very charitable thing for Walgreens to do. Read more at

http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/03/31/walgreens-take-care-clinics/

 

If you are not familiar with

Submitted by Benjamin Y (not verified) on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 05:06.

If you are not familiar with Venezuelan equine encephalitis, it is a viral infection in horses that spreads to people via mosquitoes.  The virus causes encephalitis which is swelling of the brain and it can be fatal.  Treatment is expensive, requiring cash advance loans and a hospital stay.  This is why it's not amusing that the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases misplaced a few vials of the treatment.  It's still a dangerous disease, fatal in infants and the elderly, but it is better than an outbreak of Ebola or Anthrax.  Still, they better get some installment loans and figure out where the Venezuelan equine encephalitis samples went.

"And that is why government

Submitted by Jill W. on Sat, 09/12/2009 - 02:44.

"And that is why government will never be able to reduce health care costs..."  This is just a matter of strong political will. The saying, "If there's a will, there's a way", applies in this scenario. Nothing is hard if all minds are focus in this issue with one vision: affordable and quality health care to all. Sometimes, sick people are reluctant to seek medical help especially if they need advice especially in relation to incontinence. If only this health care benefit has been afforded at an early phase, the less priviledge will never hesitate to go and see a doctor for remedy. incontinence products