How do you think Healthcare should be run in the US or world?

[Tradewind]

During my recent hospital stay, it was $30 to have two advil brought to me by a nurse. And that was one of the least ridiculous price gouges.

That sucks, not even the good drugs?!

[Mihalik]

Current US military spending (not counting many defense related expenses that go into other categories, such as Security contractors) is 39% of the GLOBAL MILITARY SPENDING.

If you reduce that to 25% of the global total, I would still be curious who would consider attacking the US or its interests. Those 14% you just saved, can be converted into Tax cuts, or into a reduction of the national debt (so people can afford better healthcare by having access to more cash), or infrastructure projects (that would generate jobs, so people could help themselves and not need the government to aid them).

There Military spending cuts that use Free Market Solutions for balancing the budget, and possibly improving the age old falling apart infrastructure of the US, while raising the access to healthcare and improving quality of life.

The current levels of US military spending aren't sustainable and are spiraling out of control. It needs to stop, before the damage becomes a cancer. The "War on Terror", the "War on Drugs", the NSA surveillance of the entire fucking planet these are monstrosities. They are fictitious and overblown "Cold Wars", created for political and financial gain. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I would like to meet a Defense Contractor who thinks he sold enough Space Lazors, and maybe he should stop making more of them, or a Politician who won't tell you that without him, the scary monster communists/islamists/mexican cartels won't kill you in your sleep. You must be afraid and vote for him for protection, so then he can go and pour taxpayer money on his campaign sponsor, who happens to be the defense contractor.

[Grizzly Willy]

Paying me to do nothing would be more effective in some cases.

We should pay everybody to do nothing! Shit, we can solve unemployment!

[Tradewind]

We should pay everybody to do nothing! Shit, we can solve unemployment!

Open DMV's everywhere, or hire more TSA. At least then they get a job title other than "Nothing Do'er" though the job description is basically the same.

[StormFX]

Care to explain why? It certainly didn't cost the federal government $4,000 to pay for my ENT/Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, the bed and the percocets they sent me home with after my deviated septum surgery. But that's what a hospital is typically going to bill your private insurance or you personally in the US.

And how, exactly, is that the fault of the free market? The hospital is bypassing it altogether by billing the insurance company for "additional costs". Why? Because they can and the insurance company will pay it. Nothing to do with the free market.

[Cthulhu 2020]

This just sounds like an excuse for big government. We aren't squandering money because we're employing people. We're actually throwing money away with all of these things we don't need, but we're employing people, so it's fine. Why not just increase the military even more as to employ more people?

The US has this weird indoctrination that military service carries with it omg so much pride honor and we should always respect our vets for their sacrifice and this country would be so much better with more service members.

Meanwhile other government employees are shat upon, insulted, disrespected, etc. for taking care of us here at home.

It's as if sitting in a military base overseas playing WoW (pretty much what half the people I know who are in the military do) is valued much higher than domestic care.

Most of our out of control military budget is congress throwing money at contractors (Lockheed etc) to make more equipment we simply don't need, so if we could cut that away that would be great for our budget. But not only that, we have a ton of things that just need doing back home that we "Don't have funding for" because taking care of our own goddamn country isn't as important as acting intimidating overseas.

We'd do a lot better to fund some more domestic government jobs over the excessively large military. Infrastructure repair, research and development, commerce, etc.

[Orbitus]

And how, exactly, is that the fault of the free market? The hospital is bypassing it altogether by billing the insurance company for "additional costs". Why? Because they can and the insurance company will pay it. Nothing to do with the free market.

You get rid of the 'for-profit' hospitals along witht he free market insurance companies that cut benefits when you reach lifetime caps or deny you when you have a pre-existing condition and I guarantee the prices of most of the bullshit goes down dramatically. Just look at other countries.

[Cthulhu 2020]

That sucks, not even the good drugs?!

They eventually brought me lortab after 4 hours of me being in obviously excruciating pain. I guess they must get a lot of addicts.

[Tradewind]

And how, exactly, is that the fault of the free market? The hospital is bypassing it altogether by billing the insurance company for "additional costs". Why? Because they can and the insurance company will pay it. Nothing to do with the free market.

It's not "additional costs," they're just jacking up their margins on everything they do. The lack of regulation as a result of a free market is what lets them continue doing so. In addition to the hospitals and insurance companies practically being in bed with one another, or often the same entity to begin with. Then they fund it by raising premiums on their customers. People pay it because they have no choice, without it their care would be even more expensive. It's practically racketeering.

[StormFX]

This just sounds like an excuse for big government. We aren't squandering money because we're employing people. We're actually throwing money away with all of these things we don't need, but we're employing people, so it's fine. Why not just increase the military even more as to employ more people?

No, it's not. Just pointing out that it'd cost MORE to pay their pension/unemployment/assistance for them being out of a job.

During my recent hospital stay, it was $30 to have two advil brought to me by a nurse. And that was one of the least ridiculous price gouges.

And if you told them you didn't have insurance and that you were paying cash, it probably would've been $5.

[Theinquisition]

The US has this weird indoctrination that military service carries with it omg so much pride honor and we should always respect our vets for their sacrifice and this country would be so much better with more service members.

Meanwhile other government employees are shat upon, insulted, disrespected, etc. for taking care of us here at home.

It's as if sitting in a military base overseas playing WoW (pretty much what half the people I know who are in the military do) is valued much higher than domestic care.

Most of our out of control military budget is congress throwing money at contractors (Lockheed etc) to make more equipment we simply don't need, so if we could cut that away that would be great for our budget. But not only that, we have a ton of things that just need doing back home that we "Don't have funding for" because taking care of our own goddamn country isn't as important as acting intimidating overseas.

We'd do a lot better to fund some more domestic government jobs over the excessively large military. Infrastructure repair, research and development, commerce, etc.

Sooo......off duty military are not allowed to play wow?

Not that I disagree with a lot of your budgetary arguments ( Gov't overspending in the DoD is extensive), your obvious ignorance of military members and what we do is staggering.

[Cthulhu 2020]

It's not "additional costs," they're just jacking up their margins on everything they do. The lack of regulation as a result of a free market is what lets them continue doing so. In addition to the hospitals and insurance companies practically being in bed with one another, or often the same entity to begin with. Then they fund it by raising premiums on their customers. People pay it because they have no choice, without it their care would be even more expensive. It's practically racketeering.

Which is pretty much why we need to transition to single payer asap and get rid of this insurance model permanently.

[Theinquisition]

Which is pretty much why we need to transition to single payer asap and get rid of this insurance model permanently.

A single payer healthcare system in this country would break the bank.

Look how much money gets pumped into the VA, and it serves less than 1% of the overall population, there has got to be a more efficient way of providing healthcare.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Sooo......off duty military are not allowed to play wow?

Not that I disagree with a lot of your budgetary arguments ( Gov't overspending in the DoD is extensive), your obvious ignorance of military members and what we do is staggering.

Have lots of family and friends in the military. Depending on their job, where they're stationed, and what they're doing they do either a little or a lot. I know many active duty service members that their job is to basically sit and monitor equipment so they have a laptop on the side to farm ore and herbs with.

Although I suppose because your job might not be so laid back, you feel it necessary to correct my egregious error that not ALL service members have it so easy, which I can't really seem to find where I said that.

[StormFX]

It's not "additional costs," they're just jacking up their margins on everything they do. The lack of regulation as a result of a free market is what lets them continue doing so. In addition to the hospitals and insurance companies practically being in bed with one another, or often the same entity to begin with. Then they fund it by raising premiums on their customers. People pay it because they have no choice, without it their care would be even more expensive. It's practically racketeering.

They're jacking the prices partially because of overhead, malpractice and non-payment. But yeah, it's a shady deal and borderline racketeering. Still, it's the hospitals and insurance companies that are to blame for being shady in the first place.

[Cthulhu 2020]

A single payer healthcare system in this country would break the bank.

Look how much money gets pumped into the VA, and it serves less than 1% of the overall population, there has got to be a more efficient way of providing healthcare.

Among many other things, I know military gets extremely nice insurance provided at no additional cost. Must be nice to speculate about how switching off an insurance model would, in your opinion, break the bank. You know, despite it working wonders for most countries that use it.

[Tradewind]

A single payer healthcare system in this country would break the bank.

Look how much money gets pumped into the VA, and it serves less than 1% of the overall population, there has got to be a more efficient way of providing healthcare.

Which is a good point and probably why this argument will never be resolved. Public healthcare in the US is going to cost an arm and a leg, because it's too damn late. Without dismantling the whole system as it stands and costing jobs and billions of dollars to private owners, it'll have to be brought in at a similar if not equal level. It's just another case of it being 50 years too late. It worked in Canada because we were small, it worked in the UK because most of it was bombed to shit by the Germans. Doesn't mean it's still not a good thing to do.

At the same time though, how many more mansions and italian sports cars do these pharma and insurance CEO's need.

[belfpala]

I feel like I've done enough damage in this thread. But I'm kind of reckless... so, yes, cut half the military budget (throw in all of medicare too, if you want), and go single payer. Every US citizen has healthcare. There. Fueling the fire.

[Danifilth]

Hospital equipment should not cost millions of dollars for 1 purpose like monitoring how much saliva you have left and thats it if you know what i mean.

[StormFX]

A single payer healthcare system in this country would break the bank.

There'd be a lot more going out than coming in. We simply can't afford it. :/