U.S. Set to Sponsor Health Insurance

[Bill_in_Bethlehem]

[Indy]

[Professor]

Question to supporters of this and other plans:

What does this plan do to control costs? How will it prevent a pharmaceutical from charging the patient (which their insurance company will pay) $500/pill, or a DME company from charging $40,000 for a prosthetic knee?

[Indy]

That's exactly what we're saying needs to be addressed.

[Professor]

Then how do you address it?

If you go to single payer, they can put massive pressure on care providers to lower costs. But, that only forces hospitals and doctors to lower their profit margins. That puts minimal pressure on manufacturers. Only when there is large scale and continued disuse of their products will they see pressure. And, at that point, you have had millions of people not getting proper medical care (not getting medicine, not getting surgeries, etc.). You've also put out of work thousands of care providers who simply couldn't lower their margins any further.

But, let's say that this is an acceptable plan. Now we've gotten DME manufacturers and pharma to lower their prices. Who is going to take care of these people? We have 75% (guestimate) as many doctors and nurses than we used to have. Hospitals have closed. Where will people go for care?

Oh, and we also now have one single payer. Just curious - can anyone name a single time when having a single supplier of something is a good thing? What if we all went with just a single supplier for retirement income? Who can live off SS? What if we went with a single shipbuilder for our Navy - how much would ships cost? What if we went with a single education system for our kids - would that provide the kind of diverity we want?

Sorry - I just can't see how single payer is better. Many places around the world have tried it, and they are slowly going bankrupt and being forced to change. I think it's time we rewrite our healthcare regulations and make them more cohesive and stringent regulations (individual mandate, no denial for pre-existing conditions; at least 85% of income must go to patient care, even for the pharm/DME companies, etc.). Then, remove government as a provider. Go with a private system. The government tells the market what rules to play by, but allows private companies to figure out the best way to play.

This is the way we do almost every other industry. The Fed doesn't make cars. It tells carmakers that they must have ABS, airbags, etc., and will be subject to taxes if they aren't economical on fuel. Then, they allow the carmakers to make the cars that people want.

[Indy]

We already have a private system. How's that workin' out?

And how does having private insurance control medical costs?

[Professor]