[ExI] Yet another health care debate.

Stathis Papaioannou stathisp at gmail.com
Tue Sep 23 02:24:36 UTC 2008


2008/9/23 John K Clark <jonkc at bellsouth.net>:

> Fred then lists 6 questions that he thinks any system should answer
> if you intend to think deeply into this matter. I submit that there is
> one question that should be answered before any of the 6 and is
> more important than all of them put together:
> Why is the health system in the USA more expensive than that of
> any other country when its people are not healthier than that of any other
> country?

1. Inefficiency compared to single payer (i.e. Government) systems;
2. Lifestyle factors;
3. Exorbitant professional indemnity insurance due to Americans' love
of suing doctors (without any benefit in improved outcomes as a
result).

>> to say the USA has a free market health care system just shows
>> a lack of knowledge.
>
> Yes, exactly. If you were free to chose ANYONE to treat you and
> were not limited to those the government gave a permission slip
> to practice medicine, and if you were free to put ANY drug into
> your body, and if you could buy ANY drug over the counter, then
> people would be richer and healthier than they are now.

What is regulated is the ability to prescribe. You could go to anyone
to have your appendix taken out and as long as you were fully informed
about their qualifications, in at least some jurisdictions there
wouldn't be a problem.

As far as prescribing goes, the only problem with complete
deregulation that I could see would be with antibiotics, since
indiscriminate use could promote bacterial resistance which would
affect the whole community, not just the individuals using them.


-- 
Stathis Papaioannou



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