The Cato Institute, a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C., takes a look at the President’s health care town hall meeting that was broadcast on ABC recently:
With the nationalization of some of our largest companies, the recently-passed Waxman-Markey bill, and Obama’s health care proposal, it sounds like we’re well on our way to socialism in America, and I’m not throwing that term out lightly. How else can it be described?
11Bravo, I guess I was trying to say that I believe that the law of supply and demand does apply to health care–I was responding to PC “tongue in cheek.”
Sharon: If supply and demand were operating in the healthcare situation Why have we not seen an explosion in hospital building apart from current hospitals ( new facilities to meet the huge demand for service)
Peoria County has about 183,000 people, if all had to go to a hospital and get a flu shot where do they go? This assuming that the three main hospitals OSF, Methodist, Proctor are their choices.
If an equal number go to each that is 61000 per facility. How can each hospital handle that load in a single day?
PC–I’d rather stick to 150 issues–I stuck my nose into this one, so I guess I’ll respond again. Obviously, you and I can’t answer this question because without insurance for all the demand doesn’t exist yet. As far as flu shots go, what makes you say that you have to go to a hospital to get a few shot–I’ve never gotten a flu shot at a hospital. I believe even Walgreen’s was giving flu shots.
Sharon:
You may fade into Dist 150 land. I will not trouble you any more.
This just in:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/02/senate-democrats-trim-cost-health-care/
“in a single day?”????? Are you really that stupid?
How do grocery stores do it? They handle every single person in the county. Restaurants… Walmart… Gas Stations…
Everybody does not go to the store in every family – it is usually a single person that shops not the spouse and grandma and the 4 children.
And does every single person go to the doctor each day?
When health care becomes a right and there is no self limitation due to ability to pay any person will go and be treated for what ever is ailing them.
Currently :Those who have a sneeze of sniffle now will probably hold out and self treat and not clog up the doctors office or the E room.
Those who view treatment as a right will go every day if they think that some else is going to pick up the tab.
When treatment is not limited by household affordability/ insurance coverage a higher rate of utilization will occur then what is currently observed/recorded.
And then there are ‘those’ people who make unwise life choices and expect the medical system to fix them. You know —- diet, exercise, sleep in appropriate ratios which would help a person to be ‘healthier’. Then there are ‘those’ people who dabble or consume the legal and illegal substances to excess and expect the rest of us to pick up the tab for their choices.
PC has a valid point in my opinion, “those who view treatment as a right will go every day if they think that someone else is going to pick up the tab.” Would love to see some data on that scenario!
PC – I have had insurance all my adult life and rarely, if ever, used it for many years. I am sure I went a year or more at a time without seeing a doctor–in fact, I didn’t even have a doctor until two years before I retired. I just went to Proctor First Care to get perscriptions for sinus infections on occasion. Don’t you think the majority of people are healthy enough to avoid overusing medical care. Now that I am 71 I do use my insurance more often–but still hate to waste the time, so I don’t go unless I need to. I’ve only been hospitalized once in my life–1 year ago for pnemonia. However, my doctor seems to think that I need a routine doctor’s visit, at least, every 3 or 4 months–Maybe it’s my age. Why would you think that the currently uninsured would like to spend unnecessary time in a doctor’s office? Younger people won’t take delight in sitting for long hours in an office–maybe the wait alone will deter people who really don’t need care.
We already provide a free lawyer for every career criminal. If we can’t afford universal health care, let’s quit paying for those lawyers so that we can afford it.
I believe that there are some statistics out there that show us that young singles with fair to above average income do not want insurance or believe they need it.
Once a family unit is established then Insurance becomes a concern. marriage, children etc.
My link above gives us reason to consider the fine that is going to be imposed on those who opt out of insurance. Force healthy people to get insurance!
Insurance: something for next to nothing and let someone else pay for it… that’s the Capitalist way, right PC?
Mandatory car insurance is ridiculous… what a racket. Pay in, pay in, pay in and if you make a claim… your rates go up. If you don’t make a claim your rates go up anyway because you are DUE for an accident… the actuarial tables say so.
Do you REALLY want to save this free market economy? Get rid of advertising and insurance.
Everybody with cheap insurance over to KCdad’s house for a party. Anti-capitalist party that is.
New updated KCdad profile: Utopian, anarchist, anti govt, Pro consultant, anti- garbage, Historical revisionist, and now anti-insurance and anti-advetising
that would be “advertising”
revisionist? How about visionary?
You are such a status quo kinda guy. Have you ever had an original thought?
KCDAD said:Why does “Homeland Security” have virtually unimited power??? So things CAN’T get out of control.
What was it they called Homeland Security in 1936 when Roosevelt was President?
Oh yeah.. The Gestapo
KCdad new profile update : Utopian, anarchist, anti government, anti garbage, pro consultant, Historical revisionist.
FDR did not have Gestapo forces in the USA that was another country for the record.
Previous cite if from July 1,2009
As to health care being all about money – look at the unneeded monstrosity that OSF is building. It is a waste of funds by a “non-profit” and will only cause local health care costs to increase.
Methodist feels like they have to compete, so they are also building and poor Proctor, which routinely has less than 100 beds even occupied, has over built already.
PC… you are proving how slow you are… I didn’t write that the Gestapo belonged to FDR, just that they were in existence when Roosevelt was President…. tsk tsk…
I think this marks the first time I have agreed with kcdad (well, not that pc is “slow”, but just that kcdad wasn’t wrong in his Roosevelt/Gestapo example).
It’s a breakthrough, Jon. Don’t fear it.
mdd? that is what bureaucracies do… they build and expand… they budget millions and billions for buildings and grounds and when they don’t need them for repairs and upkeep… they HAVE to spend them on something to do with building and grounds so they expand… BIGGER is better! They certainly can’t rebudget them into another area that is needed like benefits and salaries…
When a reference to FDR and and a government function refered to as “Homeland Security” the year 1936 and then answer the question He (KCDAD) posed who else would be object of the answer, Gestapo.
There was alot of things in existence in 1936 but you did not mean them or did you.
Maybe you meant the FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/aug03/fdr082503.htm
kcdad: You ought to blog. That way you can try dominate the debate on YOUR OWN SITE.
Sorry Billy… can’t face the truth, eh? You can come visit my blog anytime.
I did visit it. Found it boring. Seems you don’t have much to say unless someone else starts the conversation.
And who the Hell blogs on LiveJournal anymore. What are you? 12?
http://kcdad.livejournal.com/
mdd writes,
“As to health care being all about money – look at the unneeded monstrosity that OSF is building. It is a waste of funds by a “non-profit” and will only cause local health care costs to increase.”
– For a minute there I thought he was talking about the [future?] Regional Museum…!
He mentions a “waste of funds,” by a “non-profit,” and once this thing [the museum] begins to loose money, it “will only cause local [taxes] to increase!”