An Inconvenient Truth

[FRPLG]

The problem we have in this country when it comes to healthcare is a desire to have the benfits of a market efficient system, but only if doesn't cost too much or deny care.

In an efficient market products and services are paid for by customers at a price they are willing to pay. If soemthing becomes too expensive then eventually some other guy or girl comes along and offers the same service for less. Thus balancing out the market.

The healthcare system doesn't work well in this way since there are so many barriers to entry and nobody wants to see other suffer because of market economics.

The problem is that as soon as we make it less market effiicient that motivation for smart people and innovative companies to get involved, the ones who would provide the best care and medicine, becomes too low.

It is a hard question.

I am wondering if maybe as a society we need to adjust our views and desires for the healthcare system since there in't a system that will meet all of our needs. There just isn't.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

The problem we have in this country when it comes to healthcare is a desire to have the benfits of a market efficient system, but only if doesn't cost too much or deny care.

In an efficient market products and services are paid for by customers at a price they are willing to pay. If soemthing becomes too expensive then eventually some other guy or girl comes along and offers the same service for less. Thus balancing out the market.

The healthcare system doesn't work well in this way since there are so many barriers to entry and nobody wants to see other suffer because of market economics.

The problem is that as soon as we make it less market effiicient that motivation for smart people and innovative companies to get involved, the ones who would provide the best care and medicine, becomes too low.

It is a hard question.

I am wondering if maybe as a society we need to adjust our views and desires for the healthcare system since there in't a system that will meet all of our needs. There just isn't.

Good point on the market efficiency. If you're talking about cars or widgets or whatever, there comes a price point where the customer says you know what, that's way too high, I ain't payin it.

Trouble is nobody is going to do that with healthcare. If your father or mother or daughter or son needed surgery in a life or death situation, there's no price too high. You'd never reach a point where you'd say you know what, it's just not worth it, just euthanize my father.

That's where the adjustment in attitude is needed. People have to accept that healthcare is EXTREMELY expensive. We can argue how it should be paid for. Perhaps the government should run hospitals, but they'd have to jack taxes way up to pay for it. No matter how you cut it, that technology is damn expensive.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Good point on the market efficiency. If you're talking about cars or widgets or whatever, there comes a price point where the customer says you know what, that's way too high, I ain't payin it.

Trouble is nobody is going to do that with healthcare. If your father or mother or daughter or son needed surgery in a life or death situation, there's no price too high. You'd never reach a point where you'd say you know what, it's just not worth it, just euthanize my father.

That's where the adjustment in attitude is needed. People have to accept that healthcare is EXTREMELY expensive. We can argue how it should be paid for. Perhaps the government should run hospitals, but they'd have to jack taxes way up to pay for it. No matter how you cut it, that technology is damn expensive.

Yup.

That's what I mean by changing our views. Do we as a society want the best healthcare for everyone or are we going to accept that that probably isn't a realistic idea?

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Trouble is nobody is going to do that with healthcare. If your father or mother or daughter or son needed surgery in a life or death situation, there's no price too high. You'd never reach a point where you'd say you know what, it's just not worth it, just euthanize my father.

that does happen in england in some cases.

i mean, yeah it's cruel, but if someone requires $200k-$1mill a day in care with a 5% of ever recovering (brain damage, full body paralysis, etc)...