[Purple Haize]

Since this was a question posed in another thread I thought it deserved its own thread.

Here are some quick reasons why a national healthcare system is a bad idea:

1. We already have health CARE, what they want is health COVERAGE.
2. Name one governement run agency that is run well? Liscense branch?
3. Physician compensation. There are a lot of Dr.s who no longer accept Medicaid patients because the reimbeursement is too low. If they can see PAT A and make $50 for an office visit or Med PAT B and make $18 which one are they more likely to see? ALso, they usually have to hire another person just to handle Medicaid and Medicare forms. Added expense and not something that you can make money at b/c seeing those pats cause you to lose money. This means that rather than operate at a lose many will just quit or retire. Not to mention those who will no longer want to pursue a career in "Government Work"
4. In England and some other countries you are alloted a certain amount of procedures and/or visits. Once you reach your quota you cant do any more. For instance, if the government decided that statistics show Lynchburg should be alloted 100 Heart by pass surgeries a year, if you are patient 101 , thank you for playing we have lovely departing gifts for you. Now imagine if that number was reached in June of the year. The MD would have a nice 6 month break. It would be paid, b/c they were only going to get reimburesed for X number or procedures and visits and they did that by June.
5. Drugs. Seriously. Why try to come up with something new if their is no money it? These things are expensive to produce, I won't get into all of it till later but where is the incentive?
ANd that is the bottom line INCENTIVE. Do YOU do anything without incentive? Homework? Work? Asking a girl on a date? (OK SJ, that may not be something you can relate to)
Now, have fun with that.

[El Scorcho]

I'm not for anything that increases the size of government further than the roles outlined in the Constitution. Not in any way. If it requires them to spend more money, I'm not for it.

[RubberMallet]

where is the "other" choice

[LUconn]

seriously, what we have now really sucks too. You being in the narcotics business, would probably know that healthcare costs are completely inflated. (insurance, lawsuits, etc.)

[flameshaw]

IMO what we have now is getting worse every day but is still the best. I don't know the answer but none of what is being suggested or what we currently have is GOOD health care.

The best idea I have heard on this subject is from Rush. Give every person born in the US a million $ at birth. It would cost less that todays system, let them invest, spend, buy new car, whatever they want to do with it. When it gives out, see ya. Not only would it help the economy with the additional investment $, people wouldn't be going to the doctor for sniffels etc. and would make sure they know what things cost before they agree to tests, etc.

Drugs are another issue, I know there needs to be incentive to invent new ones and the approval cycle is very expensive. But I also know we spend more $ for the same drugs than anywhere in the world. We subsidize the rest of the worlds drug prices for some reason, maybe becuase we can.

[LUconn]

get rid of health insurance. If your job fairly compensated you instead of giving you that benefit you wouldn't go to the doctor for a cold, you could afford to pay the doctor yourself, and you'd definatly compare prices.

[Purple Haize]

The "other" choice is Now for something completely different

[ATrain]

We have great health care, its just that the system sucks.

Personally, I think there needs to be a cap put on how much people get whenever a doctor screws up. Yeah, they're entitled to a lotta money, but without limits it just keeps increasing and that causes malpractice insurance costs to rise which in turn causes doctors to raise their rates.