the cost of health care (and the lack of it)

[mellowtigger]

"For every person who dies in a terrorist attack globally, 58 people in the US die due to lack of health care."

I tend to disapprove of any government plan that intends to make something affordable by subsidizing the cost.  All this tactic ever accomplishes is a further increase in price as the available money (consumer + government) gets absorbed by the industry.  I very much prefer a plan that works to decrease costs, even though that kind of intervention is usually protested as "big government taking over the market".  It seems to me like less involvement than keeping prices on stilts (artificial subsidy) forever.

I'm not hopeful about anything that will come out of Congress this session.  I don't really understand how any of these bills will be paid for, since I've heard little about how prices for individual procedures will be reduced.  Efficiencies of scale are nice, yes, but I still don't see how that can account for all of the cost savings.  When I read about universal health care in civilized countries, I almost always read a sentence or two that mentions price controls on common procedures.

I've learned at Bear Coffee in recent weeks what Americans do for cost control.  We go to Canada for our prescriptions and to Mexico for our procedures.  Did you know that one of Mexico's border towns has grown into a full-fledged medical service provider to America?  Welcome to Los Algodones!

"We heard that within a four block radius there are more pharmacies, doctors, dentists and opticians than a similar four block area anywhere else in the world!", as one webpage explained.  According to another webpage, a local Indian nation provides the cheap parking lot for this Mexican medical city-clinic.  If that's not convenient enough, the city is just a 15-minute walk from the national border.  One could guess that this business location wasn't chosen for its proximity to Mexican customers.

America has the best medical care in the world, my hairy ass.  "Rich America" might have it, but that's not even close to the same concept.

"For every person who dies in a terrorist attack globally, 58 people in the US die due to lack of health care."

Comments

[litch.livejournal.com]

Medical tourism is becoming a growing industry. A write I like skzbrust talked about going to mexico for a procedure recently. patrissimo & choiceful went to panama for some fertility stuff, didn't take so they decided to try india and had a much better experience.

patrissimo is also pitching medical tourism as a possibility for seasteads (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasteading).

I'm still skeptical about going to mexico, but I'd have no problem going to germany or new zeland, where procedures cost 20-50% of what they do in the US.

[mellowtigger]

One of the Bears told me about his experience at Los Algodones. By his estimation, the dental clinics were a technological/medical match for any in America. The optician, however, was effective but nowhere near state of the art.

[dangerdhotrod.livejournal.com]

totally agree about costs, some of the bills are crazy - they all assume insurance is going to cover some of the costs so it's all inflated. i don't see how it's going to change, the system is too big. i've found a gp to go to that has started an independent practice with the goal of being reasonable in prices, but that's not going to help if i need surgery. it's a start though. just like you're moving your money to get away from big banking, i'm moving my health care. if everyone starts doing it, then maybe things will change...?

[mellowtigger]

Back in Austin Texas, I had two doctors. One on the corporate medical insurance plan, and one off of it. The out-of-pocket doctor was my favorite. I went to him for the simple stuff. He was an old gay man who ran his practice in a simple office, no staff at all. He'd give me drug samples to use instead of a filled prescription (although I also got a prescription), and he'd charge me very little money to see him. He'd write a receipt by hand for the money paid. Very old fashioned. He was great.

I wish there was more of that attitude around. *disappointment* :(

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

"Rich America" might have it....

Or not. I suppose that the top 1% have the bestest medical care ever. But my mother, who is pretty damn well off and has great medical insurance, has over the past years had to have tumors surgically removed, twice. And there were gaps in the quality of healthcare along the way. Indeed, there would have been even more, but the university at which she was an assistant dean has a world-class research hospital, and therefore she got "VIP" treatment. The best practitioners and rapid appointments once the diagnosis of cancer had been made.

Even with her money and insurance, she had to "know people" to get the higher level of care.

My point being, there are lots of people in the U.S. who think they are on the "top dog" side of things, and they really aren't. There is a great, great minority of people in the U.S. who really have all the money, and all the power, and everything is bent to their advantage. Which has probably always been true.

What I find really galling is that over the last forty years, the top 1% have gone beyond just bending things to their advantage. They have gone that extra step to flat-out stealing the other 99%'s money. That's the break-down of capitalism, IMO. Having a financial elite class is fine, as long as they have, if not ethics, then at least the good sense to just skim off the top. The current generation of financial elites appear to not only be the standard sociopaths, but also dangerously stupid and delusional. They really do seem to believe that if a sheep can regrow a new coat of wool every year, then they should be able to regrow skin, too.

[mellowtigger]

True. I wish it wasn't so controversial (among some people) to state that America is not "#1 In Everything!!!!". It's not anti-American to state where we can improve. Actually, it's annoying to need to state any such evaluation.

I think that beneficent monarchy is the best possible political structure for any nation. Downside, of course, is mortality and succession. :( After that, democracy is pretty good. I still rather like the idea of demarchy. Maybe we can try that in the next great experiment?