[ExI] How to get a healthy country

[James Clement]

Stathis wrote:

> The fact that there are five times as many MRI machines in the US as
> Canada suggests that there is more profit to be made in MRI's. If it
> actually turned out that diverting funds from other areas to MRI
> machines improved health outcomes then why wouldn't bureaucrats in
> Canada or anywhere else do this?

I think it would be informative to ask a Canadian hospital diagnostician
whether they'd WANT more MRIs if they could just requisition them (i.e., if
the bureaucrats didn't limit them, probably because of budgets).  

There are ads that run on Tv here in San Jose sponsored by the County
Hospitals.  They say "no one is ever turned away for not being able to pay
or not having insurance."  Then then go on to say that $8.5 Billion in such
services went uncollected last year - that's just for Northern Calif.
 
Most County Hospitals are required to treat you, regardless of abiltiy to
pay.  As you say, we have already have a form of "free" medical care now,
it's just highly inefficient to wait until a problem has reached a critical
stage and go to the emergency room for treatment than to try to catch it
earlier with local, community health clinics.  However, I for one like the
idea that each State can experiment with various ways of dealing with this
problem without the Federal Government stepping in and mandating a
"National" one-size-fits-all policy.

James Clement