In what world does it make sense to spend 30% of your income on health care especially in a world where societies with better health outcomes are spending less than 9%?
We pay more than anyone else because we have a litigious society, we spend a huge amount developing technology, we spend a huge amount on people here illegally, and our medical industry spends money on marketing that is not done in some other places. If we could do something meaningful in the way of tort reform and immigration control I would have to think that a lot of the other issues would resolve themselves.
All percentages still have to add to 100% so if healthcare makes up 30% of one's expenditures then only 70% is available to be used for other economic sectors. If healthcare grows faster than GDP, then money is being lost to other sectors of the economy. Their arguement doesn't make sense.
Yes money gets paid to other Americans but on average their healthcare costs are 30% of their income so they too only have 70% of their income to spend on other sectors of the economy. Ever growing healthcare expenses constrain the growth of other sectors.
All I know is insurance is expensive. Between my company and my premiums the cost to cover my family on a high deductible plan was about $11K last year. Between the four of us, we went to the Dr. ONCE. One visit = $11K. All that money went to pay for someone elses care, or to profits or wherever. I'll never see it again.
While this is an incredible overgeneralization, fat people and a divorce from the reality of health care costs are at the root of our health care "crises". WE PAY MORE BECAUSE WE ARE FAAATTTTT. Seriously, 40% of Americans are fat asses, by far the highest rate in the world. That and we are a bunch of hypochondriac ******* who are totally divorced from the cost of health care because either: A. the govmnt is paying or B. Big Insurance Co. is paying. So basically you have a bunch of unhealthy fat people who go to the doctor all the ******* time. There is going to be a lot of **** wrong with them and its going to be really, really expensive. (higher premiums for all) And even if your not fat an there is not a bunch of **** wrong with you Docs are afraid of being sued and order all kinds of "preventative" procedures like MRIs. (higher premiums for all) Oh yea, and then if someone with no insurance comes in they have to be treated too by law. Doctors don't want to get sued by the homeless guy so he also gets an MRI. (higher taxes for all) In reality the problem has so many intertwined actors and is so complicated it makes my head hurt - poiticians, greed, fat people, medicare - I think I need an MRI. I already met my deductible so Im just going to skip on over to the local neurologist and get one. (everyone's premiums just went up thanks to me) Health care has to be the worst incentivized business ever. Totally illogical, which goes back to health care laws and regulations....
What makes my blood boil is the fact that this mess might have begun to be addressed, what, 15 years ago (I believe a read it was toward the end of Clintons' 1st term). Basically, even a modestly informed person had a heads-up, circa 1994, on the looming 'baby-boomer' generation, due to hit the Medicare system (about now... the 1st potential 1st wave, unless these folks didn't retire, and I guess there a %age that haven't.) But NOoooooo, the gd Washington fat-cats (and the lobbyists) did nothing concrete AFAIK, except continue the status quo of Profits, Profits, Profits.
Will Obama and his family be on the same Obamacare he is proscribing for everyone else? Why the heck not if it is such a good deal? Federal workers and union members don't need to be on it either? WTF? What are the Dems smoking. It seems the Dems are all about: do as I say and not as I do. Not for me.
