The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[BarTopDancer]

Heath care should not be a for profit industry for people other than doctors and the people who work in the offices/hospitals. Their profit should be their salary. I have no problem with doctors making a lot of money. I have a huge issue with the CEOs of insurance companies making a ton of money in bonuses based upon how much money they didn't spend in denial of care.

[JWBear]

I sometimes wish Canada would annex us. <sigh>

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

In short, because your surgeon doesn't stand to make more money by denying some people access to her services.

Did she really need to earn 10-12K (or whatever it was) for a 5 hour procedure? That's pretty steep.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

Heath care should not be a for profit industry for people other than doctors and the people who work in the offices/hospitals. Their profit should be their salary. I have no problem with doctors making a lot of money. I have a huge issue with the CEOs of insurance companies making a ton of money in bonuses based upon how much money they didn't spend in denial of care.

What about the scientists/chemists who come up with some miracle medication? How should they be compensated? If the medication is too expensive for people to afford because of their salaries, maybe they shouldn't make that much.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

The VA is limited in their scope by definition to veterens. This is part of the agreement made between those who serve(d) and the government, and in that way I don't really view that in the same light. Perhaps I should, but I don't.

But should it ever have been created in the first place? What if there were a proposal to expand the VA to cover not just current and former members of the military but current and former employees of the federal government (it would, after all just be part of an agreement made between those who serve the government.

If government run healthcare is odious would it not be far better to just put those veterans on private insurance and private provision?

I beleive the problems evident with medicare are a small foreshadowing of what would happen should a government option become available.

As a fellow conservative how does it make you feel to watch the contortions necessary for many opposing the current bill to simultaneously stand as staunch defenders of Medicare from the ravaging visigoths of national healthcare while also considering Medicare doomed to failure and a well established incremental step towards socialism?

[scaeagles]

Makes me ill, really, and it is a sad political reality that once people get something they expect it to be there and should you dare mess with it in any fashion, they vote you out of office. Social Security, medicare, whatever.

If the government employees union negotiates some form of group health care plan with their employer I view that as no different than any employer doing the same with their employees. The employees can opt out should they wish. Frankly, Id have no problem with that. Something tells me it wouldn't be quite the same as the congressional and senatorial plans.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Did she really need to earn 10-12K (or whatever it was) for a 5 hour procedure? That's pretty steep.

What she earns and who has access are two different questions. Whether I support changes to compensation for medical professionals (single-provider being the flip side of the coin, but not the only option) is irrelevant in regards to the question of access to health care. While some of the same questions are raised, I have no trouble drawing a clear and distinct line between people providing actual medical services being compensated for the work they do vs. insurance companies maximizing profits by selecting who and who does not get access to those services. Both sides present similar challenges and issues, however the latter side is responsible only for maximizing their and their stockholders wealth, while the former is responsible for actually maintaining healthy people. So I will give them some benefit of the doubt that I will not afford the insurers.

[scaeagles]

However, if her rates for her surgery were half of what they are, or one third of what they are, and that was the case with all surgeons/medical providers, insurance would be less expensive because they would not be paying the providers as much.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Something tells me it wouldn't be quite the same as the congressional and senatorial plans.

All federal employees, including representatives and senators have access to the exact same suite of medical plans.

[scaeagles]

Do they? My bad.