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

[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?