tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post113295499232617226..comments2023-12-30T23:02:57.931-08:00Comments on Deep Thought: Another price for not having a national healthcare planEli Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133809678227946882005-12-05T11:07:00.000-08:002005-12-05T11:07:00.000-08:00I agree national health care can be a major improv...I agree national health care can be a major improvement to our health care system. There are too many which lack coverage and the problem needs to be solved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133040409664634182005-11-26T13:26:00.000-08:002005-11-26T13:26:00.000-08:00The MN DFL (Democratic) State Senator in my distri...The MN DFL (Democratic) State Senator in my district is sitting on two univerisal health care bills right now and won't let them out of committee. <BR/><BR/>These are exploratory bills, not actual implementations. They're meant as a serious effort to flesh out the costs to MN of providing universal coverage to all residents in the state. <BR/><BR/>Both bills do away with the administrative costs incurred by the HMO's.<BR/><BR/>I've talked with her a number of times about health care and the conclusion I've come to is that she's worked so long with the HMO model that she's reluctant to consider anything else at this point.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133039538946306092005-11-26T13:12:00.000-08:002005-11-26T13:12:00.000-08:00Hillary botched itIt might have been too early no ...<I>Hillary botched it</I><BR/><BR/>It might have been too early no matter how it was handled - who knows <BR/><BR/>things may have to go to hell some more even before something gets fixed.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133038221190193112005-11-26T12:50:00.000-08:002005-11-26T12:50:00.000-08:00dorsano:True, unfortunately.But if we had 'Hillary...dorsano:<BR/><BR/>True, unfortunately.<BR/><BR/>But if we had 'Hillarycare' then that would be a footnote to history. Of course, Hillary botched it, holding all those closed door hearings and then trying to explain them. She should have done it like Cheney's energy task force-- you know, hold closed door hearings and stonewall.Eli Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133031113745452512005-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:002005-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:00What we have now is a direct consequence of the he...<I>What we have now is a direct consequence of the health insurance industry's victory in the battle over a national health care plan in 1994. This is the system they wanted, and don't let anyone forget that.</I><BR/><BR/>It's also a direct consequence of the events surronding the 1973 HMO act when Paul Ellwood convinced Richard Nixon and a Democratic congress, including Ted Kennedy, that the rising cost of health care was due to over consumption.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133030471269754612005-11-26T10:41:00.000-08:002005-11-26T10:41:00.000-08:00Barbi:It is sad that these companies figure they c...Barbi:<BR/><BR/>It is sad that these companies figure they can jerk around the Federal Gov. that way. Unfortunately, under Bush, corporate welfare has grown explosively, they have seen the oil companies and pharmaceutical companies getting their share, so now the car companies want a hand in the till too.<BR/><BR/>Girl on the Blog:<BR/><BR/>I know about what is going on with TennCare, and to be honest I am disappointed in your Democratic governor (Breseden) for going along with it. And I doubt if the Republicans will put up anyone who is a friend of the people who need it. But at least the good news is that all the stories you mention <I>are</I> getting on the news, it might make people think twice. <BR/><BR/>dorsano:<BR/><BR/>What we have now is a direct consequence of the health insurance industry's victory in the battle over a national health care plan in 1994. This is the system they wanted, and don't let anyone forget that.<BR/><BR/>Steve:<BR/><BR/>Of course having nationalized health care won't prevent companies from negotiating in bad faith or misbehaving in other ways.<BR/>And I had a few things to say about the British retirement system back a few months ago (this was before I had this blog but I distributed it locally and to other blogs) when we were all talking about the Social Security system. In particular, about how Margaret Thatcher privatized the British Pensions system, and the only ones who have benefitted from it have been the private funds managers. The decrease in benefits has been a big reason why despite divisions in the Labor Party over the Iraq war and other issues, voters haven't come close to letting the Conservative Party within a whiff of power. I do pay attention to British politics because often what happens there foretells what happens here.Eli Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792743206074537073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1133005283814935242005-11-26T03:41:00.000-08:002005-11-26T03:41:00.000-08:00This was a good analysis of the situation, the onl...This was a good analysis of the situation, the only thing I want to stress is that even here in the UK where we do have nationalised health/pensions the big corporations still manage to get away with the kind of bad faith negotiations and massive executive payouts that you describe GM doing. Sadly, if the UK government's recent proposals and actions are a sign of the times it looks like the international playing field may be levelled by other countries losing this national provision of welfare, not the US gaining it. Sad, but just another example of unfettered market economics increasing the gap between rich and poor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1132975110759519062005-11-25T19:18:00.000-08:002005-11-25T19:18:00.000-08:00We have esentially three models of health care in ...We have esentially three models of health care in the country (not counting veterans care): <BR/><BR/>1). The Medicare fee for service model <BR/>2). The Managed Care (HMO) model. <BR/>3). The High deductible/High Risk "Personal Health Savings Account" model.<BR/><BR/>Medicare costs 1%-3% to administer. That means that 97% of all the money collected goes directly into health care. Medicare is similar in many respects to the fee for service/self insurance programs of large pools such as labor unions. <BR/><BR/>Managed Care Plans cost anywhere from 20%-35% to administer. These plans are generally what companies like GM contribute to. <BR/><BR/>Option 3 is Bush's "vision" for the country.<BR/><BR/>Both options 2 and 3 are based on the notion of "moral hazard" or overconsumption. The idea is that people need incentives, like co-payments and high deductibles and such, so they don't "over use" the health care system. <BR/><BR/>The problem is that we don't consume health care in the same way that we consume other consumer goods.<BR/><BR/>No one goes to see a doctor for the hell of it - they go because they are sick. <BR/><BR/>If anyone doubts this, just look at wealthy people. Rich people have essentially unlimited acess to health care.<BR/><BR/>They don't spend their time in the doctor's office - they spend it on the golf course or some place else.<BR/><BR/>What we need is Medicare for eneryone.dorsanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17360076073314764844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231145.post-1132967870068917622005-11-25T17:17:00.000-08:002005-11-25T17:17:00.000-08:00Excellent analysis on the health care issue, Eli. ...Excellent analysis on the health care issue, Eli. That is a huge part of it. Your insights help so much. I also wonder (as I commented earlier to Lizzy on her 'oil change' post):<BR/><BR/><I>I just can't figure out where the auto companies brains have been all these years. And can't figure out where they are now: Wm. Ford says Congress should give 'corporate welfare' to the auto companies, so they can strengthen American jobs here, while FoMoCo (as one example) is cutting jobs and shutting down plants in the USA...and investing millions in foreign plants.</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com