patrick.net

indigenous says

AussieGothamite says

As I said, indigenous. I have some free kicks to the genitals to deliver. How many do you want? By your logic it should be an infinite number.

An assertion like this is, like the Laffer curve, superficially logical but not robust enough to hold up under scrutiny.

Back at ya, the logic holds up fine, unless I'm arguing with a liberal.

I'm not the one arguing that free=appealing. A kick to the genitals is not something I'm after, whether offered gratis or for a fee.

Bill deleted them, because he realized I would scold him for his specious comments on economics.

One complaint I do hear about is wait lists for hip replacement surgery, which is a growing issue with the baby boomer demographic. Low urgency cases can and do face extended waits. Here's some information about that:

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/oahks/background.htm

http://performance.health.vic.gov.au/Home/Report.aspx?ReportKey=41

Looks like the median wait time is a little over a hundred days. That might seem barbaric to an advocate of private systems.

Not that the above are in the correct order, at this point. Neither do we have the original comments to which they are a response. Will they remain this time?

Bill deleted comments I made? How is this so?

Mish

Doesn't care what we say.

In which way does Mish not care? Doesn't care about my criticism of the deletions? Or doesn't care about the direction in which the discussion is going?

I think the problem is pointed out here:

/?p=1275124

EInvestor says

ALL developed countries have single-payer system and it works at 8% of their GDPs vs 17% of GDP in USA

Yeah, but if implemented here, a single payer system would somehow manage to spend more that 17% of GDP.

indigenous says

Fair enough, but from a common sense point of view, if you make something free the demand is going to skyrocket. The only solution to this is to ration. Not that you have produced any numbers, but if they do not reflect this they are bullshit.

Ridiculous even for you. People go to the doctor because they are sick, not because it's free. It's not free in any of the public health systems anyway. There's a charge everywhere I know of. No one is getting gall bladder surgery or hip replacements they don't need just because it's free. What a stupid idea. Being libertarian rots your brain.

Maybe a little rationing might not be such a bad thing in the states. Look at how much surgery with very dubious necesity is performed. Especially on very old, very sick people who are frequently terminally ill already. Please, please do everything for grandma, she's only 98. Other places don't have that. People are allowed to die quietly in comfort with dignity. It's not considered rationing. I've lived in there and seen it. They think the US system is barbaric.

bob2356 says

Ridiculous even for you. People go to the doctor because they are sick, not because it's free. It's not free in any of the public health systems anyway. There's a charge everywhere I know of. No one is getting gall bladder surgery or hip replacements they don't need just because it's free. What a stupid idea.

Right, you can't be that ignorant. Here is an excerpt from the first story in a google search:

And that story is about a safety-net hospital bursting at the seams trying to care for people with no insurance and, often, the kinds of ailments that could be managed or treated with the kind of regular medical care none of them can afford.

http://ripr.org/post/waiting-room-system-broken-so-many-places

The other anecdotal was from a Mexican I know who did just what I said costing at that time $60,000.00.

indigenous says

And that story is about a safety-net hospital bursting at the seams trying to care for people with no insurance and, often, the kinds of ailments that could be managed or treated with the kind of regular medical care none of them can afford.

What does this have to do with the price of tea in china? They went for medical care because they were SICK. They didn't go just because the ER was free. The only place they could get treated in the states was at an ER because in the states they couldn't afford any other option. If everyone had basic medical care they would have went to a doctors office not an ER. The same number of sick people will exist and be treated no matter what. How exactly will demand skyrocket? There won't be millions more sick people if the US went single payer tommorrow. Your libertarian mind just can't grasp that rather simple concept.

indigenous says

The other anecdotal was from a Mexican I know who did just what I said costing at that time $60,000.00.

WTF does that mean? You've babbled a lot of nonsense, which part is your mythical mexican referring to?

bob2356 says

They didn't go just because the ER was free.

Sure they did, they could have gone to a low cost care place.

bob2356 says

How exactly will demand skyrocket?

Because the cost is almost zero for low income people who will then act as with any commons they will abuse it. Which will result in rationing.

bob2356 says

WTF does that mean? You've babbled a lot of nonsense, which part is your mythical mexican referring to?

Nothing mythical about it, he got 60 k worth of surgery for free.

?indigenous says

bob2356 says

They didn't go just because the ER was free.

Sure they did, they could have gone to a low cost care place.

and where is this mythical low cost place at? obviously you've never been to an immedicare center. they were still treated. someone would have treated them no matter what. there wasn't any increase in demand, never mind your skyrocket. if everyone were covered under a public health system then the demand would be exactly the same. people wouldn't nned to go to er's for routine care. thanks again for proving my point.

indigenous says

bob2356 says

How exactly will demand skyrocket?

Because the cost is almost zero for low income people who will then act as with any commons they will abuse it. Which will result in rationing.

Because they will get sick more often or just go to the doctor when they have nothing else to do that day? How does that work? I'm still waiting for an explanation. Not that I'll ever get one from you.

indigenous says

bob2356 says

WTF does that mean? You've babbled a lot of nonsense, which part is your mythical mexican referring to?

Nothing mythical about it, he got 60 k worth of surgery for free.

and how did this still mytical mexican get 60k worth of free surgery.

bob2356 says

and where is this mythical low cost place at? obviously you've never been to an immedicare center. they were still treated. someone would have treated them no matter what. there wasn't any increase in demand, never mind your skyrocket. if everyone were covered under a public health system then the demand would be exactly the same. people wouldn't nned to go to er's for routine care. thanks again for proving my point.

Not true they would have not gone to the ER for a cold if they had to pay.

I have used urgent care places plenty of times, they are quite common.

bob2356 says

Because they will get sick more often or just go to the doctor when they have nothing else to do that day? How does that work? I'm still waiting for an explanation. Not that I'll ever get one from you.

The people go because it is free. This is called the tragedy of the commons:

"The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen."

bob2356 says

and how did this still mytical mexican get 60k worth of free surgery.

He went to the ER and got diagnosed and operated on. Upon seeing my disgust he said hey "I did not make the rules."

indigenous says

bob2356 says

and how did this still mytical mexican get 60k worth of free surgery.

He went to the ER and got diagnosed and operated on. Upon seeing my disgust he said hey "I did not make the rules."

Total bullshit. Unless he was hit by a bus or was about to die from a heart attack he didn't get diagnosed and operated on in the ER He got diagnosed and referred and the operation wasn't free. Very convenient to have this "mexican" friend that shared his experiences with you. Do you have lots of imaginary friends?

Still waiting for any sort of explanation of why there would be an explosian of health care under a single payer system. Lets' say god clicked his fingers and america woke up tommorrow with the australian system for example where you just go to the doctor and pay your 20 bucks (sorry about your continuing delusion seeing a doctor is free everywhere else, perhaps a phsych consult is in order) and that's it. Go to the hospital if you need to and just get treated. No insurance premiums, deductables, paperwork, etc.,etc.

How exactly would there be this alleged explosion? Are you saying people would pack up the kids and spend the day at the doctors rather than hitting the beach? Lots more entertainment at 20 bucks a head I would think. Instead of hitting the bars for a couple drinks after work people would go to the doctors instead? After all 20 bucks is only 4 drinks. A rectal exam would be so much more fun for the money. oh right I forgot (warning delusion alert)

indigenous says

The people go because it is free.

not because they are actually sick. why didn't I think of that? After all it is only after rationally consulting their own self interest that people decide to go to the doctor.

Don't let facts interfere with it's true because I believe it should be true. The US has the second highest number of doctor visits per person in first world. http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Health/Consultation-with-doctors Going back to australia, the us has twice as many hospital admission for asthma, copd, diabeties, heart failure, and hyertension per capita. Five times as many mri's machines and 3 times as many scans. Etc. etc., etc. Yep those free health care systems sure to have an explosion of services don't they? Not at all like fee for service where doctors are never influenced (ok maybe a just a little teeny tiny bit) by what they would be paid.

No they go because it was cheaper, i.e. free, than the care facility that was cheap.

The Mexican may be bullshitting but what motive would have to do that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw

mell says

A base single-payer system with a voluntary opt-in for advanced private services and MDs may be a decent model, or a real free-market model if that can be achieved at this point (doubtful). A pure single-payer system without alternatives (i.e. prevented by law) I think is harmful.

This is a decent compromise and it in fact exists in many European countries. In some ways, it is more free-market driven than our fascistic healthcare.

gsr says

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw

This is brilliant, none of the mutts will critique it i'm sure...

indigenous says

gsr says

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw

This is brilliant, none of the mutts will critique it i'm sure...

Pretty cool. This guy just happens to have 2 canadian buds who despite being born and raised in canada don't have a doctor, are totally unaware they need to be signed up with a doctor and are totally clueless how to sign up with a doctor. I wonder if he has mexican friends also. Then it just happens that a totally random person in a parking lot just happens to be someone who claims that her mothers legs were cut off because of bad health care. Then it just happens that, oh never mind.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/07/01/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-canadian-health-care-in-one-post/ A 2011 Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of Canadians felt "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their access to health care services (in the United States, that number stood at just 25 percent).

bob2356 says

Pretty cool. This guy just happens to have 2 canadian buds who despite being born and raised in canada don't have a doctor, are totally unaware they need to be signed up with a doctor and are totally clueless how to sign up with a doctor. I wonder if he has mexican friends also. Then it just happens that a totally random person in a parking lot just happens to be someone who claims that her mothers legs were cut off because of bad health care. Then it just happens that, oh never mind.

Yet you deny that it is inevitable without price discovery for the who thing to end up in rationing, which is apparently happening in a very young Canadian system.

Get real.

indigenous says

Yet you deny that it is inevitable without price discovery for the who thing to end up in rationing, which is apparently happening in a very young Canadian system.

Waiting isn't rationing. Rationing means some get and some don't or everyone gets less. There is rationing in every health care system in the world. Especially the USA. There will always be rationing in health care. There can't be unlimited treatment no matter how slim the odds of success. Why would you think otherwise? In what ideological alternative reality do you actually believe that if we had price discovery this would be possible?

So give us an real world (as opposed to libertarian fantasy world of it will work because I say it should work) example of a working free market health care system based on price discovery. It hast to be one where you would send your kids to be treated. Third world world poverty hellholes don't count.

bob2356 says

Waiting isn't rationing.

Sure it is, in the OP article the American Dr states: "This is an amusing variant of "Rationing by Queue" which is a prevalent device in all such government programs in the developed nations."

bob2356 says

So give us an real world (as opposed to libertarian fantasy world of it will work because I say it should work) example of a working free market health care system based on price discovery.

I read where India and a few other countries do offer great services for a lot less money with great accommodations and skilled Doctors.

Also in the Video GSR posted they state it is very common for Canadians to come to the US for procedures.

sbh says

But, but, but that's the libertarian proving ground!

Even the Wogster wants to retire to Chile

indigenous says

bob2356 says

So give us an real world (as opposed to libertarian fantasy world of it will work because I say it should work) example of a working free market health care system based on price discovery.

I read where India and a few other countries do offer great services for a lot less money with great accommodations and skilled Doctors.

Yep, 70% of the population in India doesn't have access to a doctor or hospital. Makes it real cheap if you can't have it. Is this your example of medical care without rationing? Nice.

You are talking about medical tourism, not medical services. It's cheap relative to the US, not to citizens of India.

indigenous says

Also in the Video GSR posted they state it is very common for Canadians to come to the US for procedures.

Someone actually did a pretty extensive study of that and couldn't find where the mythical Canadian got their health care in the US. But of course actually doing research and presenting the numbers certainly isn't nearly as solid proof as someone said so on youtube. http://www.pnhp.org/news/2012/june/5-myths-about-canada%E2%80%99s-health-care-system Let's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

indigenous says

sbh says

But, but, but that's the libertarian proving ground!

Even the Wogster wants to retire to Chile

If you consider Chile a third world hellhole then you need to start travelling further than the state fair.

bob2356 says

Yep, 70% of the population in India doesn't have access to a doctor or hospital. Makes it real cheap if you can't have it. Is this your example of medical care without rationing? Nice.

You are talking about medical tourism, not medical services. It's cheap relative to the US, not to citizens of India.

So are we now conflating India's medical care into this as well?

bob2356 says

Someone actually did a pretty extensive study of that and couldn't find where the mythical Canadian got their health care in the US. But of course actually doing research and presenting the numbers certainly isn't nearly as solid proof as someone said so on youtube. http://www.pnhp.org/news/2012/june/5-myths-about-canada%E2%80%99s-health-care-system Let's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

Mean while back at the ranch, YES waiting is a form of rationing.

bob2356 says

If you consider Chile a third world hellhole then you need to start travelling further than the state fair.

I don't but do think it is ironic that the Wogster would consider a country that has benefited greatly from Milton Friedman and supply side economics.

bob2356 says

et's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

Shh! You're ruining a libertarian legend.

indigenous says

So are we now conflating India's medical care into this as well?

Who be we white man (see lone ranger jokes). You brought up India as an example of a working free market health care system based on price discovery. and said India had "great services for a lot less money with great accommodations and skilled Doctors.". I (actually it was forbes or the wsj I don't remember which) only pointed out that 70% of the people have no health care at all. The question still stands (and probably will forever, keep on ducking and shuffling). Is this your example of medical care without rationing or did you just throw it out randomly with no relationship to the discussion at all?

indigenous says

Mean while back at the ranch, YES waiting is a form of rationing.

Not in any non libretarian dictionary. Being a slave of ideology is certainly limiting.

thunderlips11 says

bob2356 says

et's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

Shh! You're ruining a libertarian legend.

Don't you just hate killjoys that refuse to believe it's true because it should be true. and people feel it's true. The a priori meme thing. Didn't aristotle and aquinus write something about canadians seeing doctors in america?

the cheap medical costs in shithole countries are largely artifacts of the cheap cost of living.

Doctors here charge what they charge because they can, and they need to compete with their fellow monopolists for assets, toys, and trophies.

Monopolies and "moats" are beautiful things, if you've got one.

bob2356 says

Let's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

That has nothing to do with being Libertarian or not. It shows that you can get really good and fast quality care here, but you have to pay for it, and probably only a few can afford to do so. There is nothing free about the health-care system here, so the goal is to produce the best care with best price discovery and least middle-men/fraud. A system where you go to jail for importing drugs just because they are cheaper elsewhere can hardly be called free.

mell says

A system where you go to jail for importing drugs just because they are cheaper elsewhere can hardly be called free.

Mell, would you not agree that the reason it's illegal to import those drugs is a largely free market in political donations? Money = Free Speech?

mell says

bob2356 says

Let's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

That has nothing to do with being Libertarian or not. It shows that you can get really good and fast quality care here, but you have to pay for it, and probably only a few can afford to do so.

So there are other ideologies that define .1% to be very common? Which are those?

You are saying 99.9% of canadians desire to get their health care in the US but can't afford it? Based on what? More than twice as many canadians rate their health care system satisfactory than americans do.

I always base my beliefs on one person's opinion especially when I don't know if he has a secret agenda.

thunderlips11 says

mell says

A system where you go to jail for importing drugs just because they are cheaper elsewhere can hardly be called free.

Mell, would you not agree that the reason it's illegal to import those drugs is a largely free market in political donations? Money = Free Speech?

That is likely a contributing factor, however a society does not vote and act solely on paid propaganda, or at least it shouldn't, otherwise it gets the government it deserves ;) The fact that people are voting or leaning Libertarian despite them having by far the least amount of donations shows that crony laws can be reversed. Moreover some seem to be already illegal wrt the constitution, but they don't get called out and protested against enough. The whole healthcare industry, not just the insurances, operates more like a criminal racket, similar to the housing industry. The question is always whether it is worth reducing freedom and to what extend for perceived equality, but campaign contributions and donations are definitely a topic worth discussing, no matter what political stance.

bob2356 says

mell says

bob2356 says

Let's see, 20 people out of 18,000 went the US specifically for health care. I don't consider .1% to be all that very common, but I'm not a libertarian. You guys have some very different definitions from the rest of the world.

That has nothing to do with being Libertarian or not. It shows that you can get really good and fast quality care here, but you have to pay for it, and probably only a few can afford to do so.

So there are other ideologies that define .1% to be very common? Which are those?

You are saying 99.9% of canadians desire to get their health care in the US but can't afford it? Based on what? More than twice as many canadians rate their health care system satisfactory than americans do.

Not 99.9%, but way more than those who can afford. I didn't say it is an inadequate health care system, and if you take the average coverage for all it may excel. However the US has always been the country where people flew in for really complicated health matters if they could afford it. Maybe this will change in favor of another country, but I am sure top quality medicine has a strong correlation to the degree of freedom in that country.

mell says

. However the US has always been the country where people flew in for really complicated health matters if they could afford it. Maybe this will change in favor of another country, but I am sure top quality medicine has a strong correlation to the degree of freedom in that country.

The US has been the country where people flew in because where else are they going to go? The other advanced health care systems are public systems so you have to be a citizen or permenent resident to use them. That may start to change a little some advanced countries considering medical tourism, although there are a lot of legal issues to work out in each country. Ironically the largest group of medical tourists by far is americans.

So you are saying you believe that only .1% of canadians needing health care can afford health care outside of canada? I don' t know about that. What are you basing this on?