patrick.net

Single payer is the answer. Those who fear it don't comprehend the proportion of our total health care that's already covered by single payer. Get the remaining third or whatever it is on Medicare, and it lowers off per capita cost substantially. This should be obvious, and the government will set prices. The problem is it's paid by taxes, and god forbid someone pays in more than what goes toward their own health care (even though that's basically the definition of insurance - some take out way more than they put in).

The mantra that the government fucks everything up is just based on paranoia about communism and propaganda from 50 years ago. We won, so we don't have to be opposed to the any efficiencies that the government can bring into services such as health care.

I believe the numbers, that is the amount spent by Medicare - and the health services paid for by that, versus the amount spent by insurance of people under 65 (which includes Medicaid) relative to the services acquired for those expenditures could be put together and presented to the public in a way that would make the correct decision extremely obvious.

Goran_K says

What you're asking me to do is subsidize the health care of some non-contributor in addition to what I pay for myself already. How is that fair?

Yes! That non-contributor should die of a easily treatable ailment. It isn't fair that Goran should have to subsidize someone else's survival.

anon_62240 says

Goran_K says

What you're asking me to do is subsidize the health care of some non-contributor in addition to what I pay for myself already. How is that fair?

Yes! That non-contributor should die of a easily treatable ailment. It isn't fair that Goran should have to subsidize someone else's survival.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need"

anon_08dee says

Get the remaining third or whatever it is on Medicare, and it lowers off per capita cost substantially.

How will it do that, the medical treatment will still need to be done, there's no volume discount on treating bodies?

anon_08dee says

This should be obvious, and the government will set prices.

The government already sets the prices with Medicaid and Medicare. That's a big part of the problem, no cost controls. Then add in, doctors can do whatever procedures or treatment they want, and Medicaid and Medicare just pays the bill, no oversight. In fact, Medicare uses a "Pay and Chase" business model and won't investigate fraud unless there is a huge outcry.