SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic

Joined: May 22 2009 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 353

I read this on the internet and thought it was interesting.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=332548165656854&secure=1&show=1&rss=1

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

That's news to me. I've only been aware of the incentives for employers to not offer health insurance, which is where the editorial gets the 120 million figure for the number of people who will lose their plans and be forced to use the public option if the bill becomes law. Thus, the governmental plan would incrementally become the only plan. This "no new private plans" would speed up that process even more....

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

I don't think there is an easy answer to the health care dilemma. I do know that whatever is done needs a lot more refining than just to say "Private Practice is Illegal".

Posted: Jul 17 2009 11:27 am

If private practice is illegal, there's no incentive to be good at your job. Why be the best heart surgeon in America if your salary doesn't reflect it, and if a computer assigns you patients out of the same collective as every other heart surgeon? Fuck, why put yourself through the hell of medical school if you can't eventually turn it into 500k a year? The people who will choose to practice medicine under a nationalized system are the same type of people who choose to become public defenders. Some of them are exceptionally talented and exceptionally idealistic, but most of them are, at best, mediocre, and at worst, dangerously incompetent.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Syd Lexia wrote:

If private practice is illegal, there's no incentive to be good at your job. Why be the best heart surgeon in America if your salary doesn't reflect it, and if a computer assigns you patients out of the same collective as every other heart surgeon? Fuck, why put yourself through the hell of medical school if you can't eventually turn it into 500k a year? The people who will choose to practice medicine under a nationalized system are the same type of people who choose to become public defenders. Some of them are exceptionally talented and exceptionally idealistic, but most of them are, at best, mediocre, and at worst, dangerously incompetent.

Syd,

I completely agree with you. What I wonder is if there is a way to offer incentive included with a nationalized plan. It may not be possible, but I'd like to hope that it could be.

Posted: Jul 17 2009 04:27 pm

I heard this on the radio the other day. It's fucking bullshit, but you know it will pass because the government is actively trying to fuck our assholes as frequently as possible.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Oh my God! Jeebus is alive! Megaman

Posted: Jul 17 2009 06:39 pm

GPFontaine wrote:

Syd Lexia wrote:

If private practice is illegal, there's no incentive to be good at your job. Why be the best heart surgeon in America if your salary doesn't reflect it, and if a computer assigns you patients out of the same collective as every other heart surgeon? Fuck, why put yourself through the hell of medical school if you can't eventually turn it into 500k a year? The people who will choose to practice medicine under a nationalized system are the same type of people who choose to become public defenders. Some of them are exceptionally talented and exceptionally idealistic, but most of them are, at best, mediocre, and at worst, dangerously incompetent.

Syd,

I completely agree with you. What I wonder is if there is a way to offer incentive included with a nationalized plan. It may not be possible, but I'd like to hope that it could be.

See, and that's why i hate when people act like Canada is this great health care mecca, not realizing that most Canadians come here for specialized surgeries etc. We have the best specialists because we pay the best. If there is truth in the article than I am very frightened for our future.

I'm on the fence. on one hand I don't think it's our responsibility to pay for another persons well-being, but my soft side says, hey we should want to help out other Americans and give them at least basic coverage. Still I believe that you should get what you pay for, and if you are willing to pay more for better coverage you should have that option.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

I guess one area that I would like to see the Govt stand in a bit is regulating the cost of drugs. I know that R&D is expensive, but some of these drugs cost way too much.

For example, a woman I know has Leukemia. She has had over $2,000,000 worth of treatment. Realistically though, the majority of that cost is in pills and injections. The stuff isn't that hard to produce. Perhaps once a drug company has made back their R&D money they should be limited to a certain profit margin. The only people who win from my friend is a company developing the cure.

And let me be perfectly clear, I am not saying that capitalism shouldn't thrive, but how about a sense of decency and limitation instead of ruining people's lives.

Posted: Jul 17 2009 06:57 pm

GPFontaine wrote:

I guess one area that I would like to see the Govt stand in a bit is regulating the cost of drugs. I know that R&D is expensive, but some of these drugs cost way too much.

For example, a woman I know has Leukemia. She has had over $2,000,000 worth of treatment. Realistically though, the majority of that cost is in pills and injections. The stuff isn't that hard to produce. Perhaps once a drug company has made back their R&D money they should be limited to a certain profit margin. The only people who win from my friend is a company developing the cure.

And let me be perfectly clear, I am not saying that capitalism shouldn't thrive, but how about a sense of decency and limitation instead of ruining people's lives.

American Pharmaceutical companies have a stranglehold on the market. I think if we opened it up to foreign competitors, they would be forced to lower the prices to stay competitive.

2011 SNES Champ Joined: Dec 04 2006 Posts: 1929

You know those small bottles people with asthma have to use when they have an attack and can't breathe?
Well, a women with asthma went to Cuba and saw the prices for those things is like 10 times cheaper than here. So she bought a few dozens of them.

I don't remember what the prices were and I don't know who this woman is (my father does, though), but compared to the production costs those things are ridiculously overpriced.

Posted: Jul 18 2009 02:34 am

lavalarva wrote:

You know those small bottles people with asthma have to use when they have an attack and can't breathe?
Well, a women with asthma went to Cuba and saw the prices for those things is like 10 times cheaper than here. So she bought a few dozens of them.

I don't remember what the prices were and I don't know who this woman is (my father does, though), but compared to the production costs those things are ridiculously overpriced.

That's from Moore's Sicko. The inhalers were more like 10 cents to the 40+ dollars a go they're costing here.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Holy shit... I guess I never considered how much the people who run hospitals get paid. Talking about just the business side of things...

$2,500,000 to run a hospital per year? That is insane. This is a part of the health care cost that I wish was at least regulated a little bit. Business & administration shouldn't be so expensive.
http://www.connpost.com/ci_12867824?source=most_emailed

Posted: Jul 19 2009 09:45 am

lordsathien wrote:

lavalarva wrote:

You know those small bottles people with asthma have to use when they have an attack and can't breathe?
Well, a women with asthma went to Cuba and saw the prices for those things is like 10 times cheaper than here. So she bought a few dozens of them.

I don't remember what the prices were and I don't know who this woman is (my father does, though), but compared to the production costs those things are ridiculously overpriced.

That's from Moore's Sicko. The inhalers were more like 10 cents to the 40+ dollars a go they're costing here.

That part seemed kinda......"iffy".....but sad nonetheless.

Joined: May 22 2009 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 353

Well nothing is etched in stone yet, so hopefully that provision about private practice won't see the light of day. There needs to be health care reform there is no question about that. I just hope they can go about it in a way that doesn't impose on peoples liberties and choices.