Shameless plug for a good cause

[Ghoulish Delight]

A friend's dad has produced a documentary detailing Sheila Kheul's OneCareNow campaign. There's a 3 minute preview on YouTube that they are hoping garners enough attention to hit the front page of YouTube. The full 22 minute film is also available.

This particular bill doesn't stand a lot of chance of passing, and it may very well be flawed as-is. But the current system of private health care is an abject failure and this effort holds a possibility of sparking a necessary nation-wide debate to begin to fix it.

I'm sure there will be plenty of debate here, I doubt I'll be involved, hopefully it will be productive.

[Kevy Baby]

The video is good, but I have never heard of a government bureaucracy that was more cost effective than what could be performed by the private sector.

[Alex]

Never mind.

It just occured to me that I am posting while on a layover at Denver and won't be back online for five days so I'll wait until I'm back and if conversation is ongoing participate then.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

The video is good, but I have never heard of a government bureaucracy that was more cost effective than what could be performed by the private sector.

For just that reason there's currently a proposal floating around to privatize 911 service. This would give the consumer a choice of several different numbers to call in an emergency. It would work like broadcast television; there would not be a charge; rather, the caller would just have to listen to a few brief advertisements before the dispatcher came on the line.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

For just that reason there's currently a proposal floating around to privatize 911 service. This would give the consumer a choice of several different numbers to call in an emergency. It would work like broadcast television; there would not be a charge; rather, the caller would just have to listen to a few brief advertisements before the dispatcher came on the line.

Oh dear God I hope you're joking.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

Oh dear God I hope you're joking.

That's what you get when you privatize government services.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by JWBear

That's what you get when you privatize government services.

And what do you get when you give government control of private services?

[innerSpaceman]

Who says health care should be a private service? That's the nature of the debate. What percentage of Americans, whom the government exists to represent, wish health care to be a public service - - with health care a right of citizenship and not a privilege of wealth?


Naturally there are pros and cons to either option - public or private. Since health is arguably the most important thing in any human's life, coming up with the best possible solution is paramount to any decent society. And trying new things when old systems are deeply flawed seems a prudent thing to do.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

And trying new things when old systems are deeply flawed seems a prudent thing to do.

But I have yet to see a decent workable idea to change the health care system to one that has a chance for success. The two biggest flaws with any system are 1) greed, and 2) human nature. Any system will be flawed.

Change for the sake of change has a good chance of being worse than where one started from.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

Change for the sake of change has a good chance of being worse than where one started from.

Sorry Kevy, but that's a defeatist attitude with a prescription to remain in the dark ages perpetually.

Progress depends on taking chances, and moving to new ideas, even though ALL ideas must contend with the flaws of human nature. Are greed and other foibles of humanity any less prevalent in the current system of lousy health care?