Health Care Reform

[Bloom-IUEMT]

In a nutshell, I think most Australians don't see what all the fuss is about. However we are deeply unsettled, disturbed and even saddened to witness how the debate in the US has become so spiteful, antagonistic, even hateful.

Personally, I can't fathom where all the hate, and there is no other word for it, has come from. Some of the claims, accusations and descriptions I have seen on my TV screen just defy comprehension.

It's also amazing that in country where the average credit card debt is $16,000 suddenly everyone becomes a CFO or an accountant and debates cost down to the damn penny. We have the largest GDP of any country in the world; we can afford it. ANd it's funny how people don't consider cost when we are currently fighting two costly wars. Of course people will contend you shouldn't put a price on making people safe from terrorists. But I suppose making people safe from disease does have a cost even though more lives are at stake.

 

[Hal9000]

Solved: Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up

Well, we took this private and covered a bunch of points, so I don't know everything else to say. Since there was mutual confusion (and since the forum ate the quotes for breakfast and then vomited them back up), I'll just restate that succinct summary:


-Address value first

-Be wary of "save the world" plans-politicians use these easily

-Keep in mind that we actually have very little money; CA is in debt on current public pensions between $532 billion
(http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2010/4/6/study-california-public-pensions-underfunded-by-over-500b.aspx) and over $1 trillion (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/05/somethings-got-to-give-ma_n_525860.html).

-All the above is unfunded, and truly not fundable

-I think that costs are underestimated, and benefits exaggerated; historically this is true

-Political turmoil could change the political landscape, inhibiting future healthcare reform

-No need to not have a heart (having empathy and sympathy are great), but don't let tricky salesmen get us to buy a broken monorail. So, be cautious and don't let emotional appeals get in the way of rationalism.

-And once again, users need to understand and be accountable, to some degree, somehow, for cost; without that, value can't be addressed