Me: "I think I am beginning to understand. Let me try this with something besides healthcare. If you didn't earn "an education" or can't afford "an education" you don't receive an education. There is no benefit to our society to pool resources to provide "an education". I like how that sounds... So, lets start by getting rid of public k-12 education. The little brats didn't earn it for sure. And, of course there is no benefit to our society to provide some basic level education to our population. This is brilliant! We can apply this philosophy to so many things. We can drastically reduce the taxes we pay... Lets do the same with police services, fire department services. When you call 911 the first thing you will be asked for is a credit card number or bank account number. Once your ability to pay is verified, services are on their way. If you can't pay, well, sorry about that but you're on your own. You can of course contact a charity or church to see if they will help you pay for the services." <I'm being sarcastic...>
The simple post of the Atlantic Wire article prompted a swarm of responses. Many of which were like the following:
"screw Europe-that is why we left them-they don't get it. This country is a unique place in the world-it is or was a refuge for people that were willing to take their chances without assistance or intervention-i am sorry but i think it may be gone i repeat screw Europe and their ideas about royalty race class etc-it is all bs- we will be slaves like them next. i don't want to live in a country that resembles a park with a warden to keep me safe.-don't make me quote Patrick Henry"Sad...
It has been my experience that many Europeans I've been privileged to meet know much more about US history and current events than many US citizens.
More random and poorly constructed thoughts from me:
There are models in other countries that seem to be going in the right direction. We could learn from them (I know - WE learn from some foreigner, that'll be the day.) It will take a cultural and social change to make progress on healthcare. We need to think about healthcare in the same way we think (or at least used to think about public education). As a society we recognized that all citizens should at least be provided the opportunity for a basic education because an educated population makes the society stronger and more productive. The same argument can be made about healthcare. Providing basic preventative health care to keep people from getting sick and back to work quicker, or treating minor illnesses before they become severe are basic services we should be able to supply. And, should in the long run lower overall healthcare costs. We need to allow healthcare providers and manufactures to make reasonable profits, but maybe some of the crazy marketing they do to the public could go away. Protect drug patents longer, but force lower prices. There may be services that are not provided unless the patient has 3rd party insurance or can pay out of pocket. (Yes, one might call this rationing.) But I think there are people who would be more than happy to have the basic “standard” services” without an expectation of advanced or experimental treatments. (This seems like the place for charities and churches that some speak of taking up these costs - compassionate conservatism?) (This is a little bit of how it works in the UK. Also, there is a big business where US patients going to India for excellent healthcare at a substantially lower cost (even including travel expenses). Our current system where if you cannot afford it, you don’t get anything is failing. Nightly there are parents in this country debating if the fever will go down tonight so they don’t have to take their child to the emergency room. You tell this to someone from the UK or Ireland and they look at you in disbelief. Or, as previously stated in another post… we’re all going to die anyway. Why don’t we just put a lifetime cap at 60 years. Everybody gets euthanized at 60. Healthcare cost problems pretty much solved. Along with jobs, long term care concerns. Social Security is saved! (I am of course being sarcastic in those last remarks.)
