summed up:
Originally posted by Starhawk
Then how come it works in so many other countries?
the answer is that it doesn't
in many ways, the american health care system is the envy of the world, especially for people with the money to afford it.
At the high end, America has the best doctors, equipment, facilities and all of those things. It is a day wait for a procedure that would be a month's wait in a public system.
If we look at it as necessarily being public OR private, it becomes a trade off of certain advantages for certain disadvantages.
I think ideology is brought into this discussion too often, with leftists being staunch in their demand for state controlled health, where as those who support private care do so as fervently. A real solution to both is probably somewhere in between, and will probably result in some health care being paid for by people who can afford it.
But the notion that the debate between public and private health care systems has been decided in favor of public is fallacious. There are many valid arguments on both sides.
Originally posted by inimalist
the answer is that it doesn'tin many ways, the american health care system is the envy of the world, especially for people with the money to afford it.
At the high end, America has the best doctors, equipment, facilities and all of those things. It is a day wait for a procedure that would be a month's wait in a public system.
If we look at it as necessarily being public OR private, it becomes a trade off of certain advantages for certain disadvantages.
I think ideology is brought into this discussion too often, with leftists being staunch in their demand for state controlled health, where as those who support private care do so as fervently. A real solution to both is probably somewhere in between, and will probably result in some health care being paid for by people who can afford it.
But the notion that the debate between public and private health care systems has been decided in favor of public is fallacious. There are many valid arguments on both sides.
Actually your pretty low on the list as far as best health care int he world. Canada isn't much better, Europe kicks both our asses according to the UN.
Originally posted by Starhawk
Actually your pretty low on the list as far as best health care int he world. Canada isn't much better, Europe kicks both our asses according to the UN.
I'm pretty low on the list? What health care do I offer?
And regardless of the UN, the issues regarding public health do not disappear crossing the Atlantic.
America scores lower because of the cost for poor individuals. Where in the world do they have a better hospital than the Mayo clinic? Where is there technology better?
In the past 10 years, the winners of the nobel prize in medicine have been distributed like this: Sweden - 1, Australia - 2, UK - 5, America - 14.
High end stuff, America is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world.
Originally posted by Starhawk
So? what wrong with paying taxes into healthcare?
Nothing if thats how you feel. In fact I personally would support some type of a public/private partnership that enabled the poor to have full access without stifling the ability of the rich to afford better and more prompt care. There are lots of nitty gritty details that this thread probably isn't set up for discussing, but make a new one and I'm in.
The whole thing is, higher taxes would be a drawback of a public system. In a system where health care is public, we all have to pay for the stupid choices of others, be it drinking and driving, skydiving, smoking, fatty foods.
Originally posted by inimalist
Nothing if thats how you feel. In fact I personally would support some type of a public/private partnership that enabled the poor to have full access without stifling the ability of the rich to afford better and more prompt care. There are lots of nitty gritty details that this thread probably isn't set up for discussing, but make a new one and I'm in.The whole thing is, higher taxes would be a drawback of a public system. In a system where health care is public, we all have to pay for the stupid choices of others, be it drinking and driving, skydiving, smoking, fatty foods.
Yes but part of living in a society is accepting that you pay for everyone, not just yourself.