From: bob1@cos.com (Bob Blackshaw)
Subject: Re: National Health Care
Organization: Corporation for Open Systems
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 13:39:32 GMT

In <archer.290@utkux1.utk.edu> archer@utkux1.utk.edu (T. Archer) writes:

>In article <1992Aug4.125929.28921@athena.cs.uga.edu> thompson@athena.cs.uga.edu (Heidi Thompson) writes:


>>But you're missing the point here.  If you've never worked for a low salary 
>>without medical coverage, and had a medical crisis, you can't know how terrifying that can be.  It is unconsionalble that a country as great as the United
>>States of America won't provide basic health care.  Clinton's plan seems to
>>be a cost-effective and humane way of doing this.

>No, you're missing the point:  who's going to pay for it?
>-=-=-
>T. Archer  PA142548@utkvm1.utk.edu

Well, lets try this on for size. According to everything I've read,
we spend more per capita on health care than the Canadians. And
before you give me any AMA propoganda about their health care
system, I lived there for 53 years and know first hand that it
is the equal of any country's, including this one.

The big three claim that $600-800 of the price of every car is
health care expense, in other words, companies that offer their
employees health insurance are already paying high fees. If we
take the number of insured and the amount being spent, then if
we opt for a more efficient single payer system, we only need
make up the difference to cover those 36 million (last number
I saw) who do not have insurance.

Now as to the propaganda: You won't be able to chose your own
doctor. Well, I could in Canada, but now that my company has
had to go to a PPP (Preferred Provider Plan) I chose my own
doctor and I only get 80% coverage. If I chose the PPP doctor
I get 100% coverage. Even if my doctor charges exactly the
same amount as the PPP doctor, I still get 80%. So much for
the "humanity" of private insurers (not to mention their
abject stupidity).

Suppose your wife is undergoing treatment and you lose your job.
You find a new job and a new insurance plan - sorry chum, your
wife has a pre-existing condition and won't be covered. I had
something like this when laid off from my last job. I had this
one within two weeks, but the teeth my wife had extracted under
my old plan made the new insurer tell us that the bridgework
she now needed was a pre-existing condition.

The joke about a government run plan being as efficient as the
post office and as human as the IRS is just that, a cute joke.
When I mail a letter at my country post office they don't care
where I bought the stamps, just as long as they are U.S. stamps.
The IRS rules I have never been able to figure out, but my tax
accountant can and the IRS doesn't care if she does it or I do.

I have seen estimates of the number of people in this country
who are running on 6 or 7 cylinders because of untreated health
problems. If they get treatment shouldn't they be more productive?
How many people delay health care because their 'plans' don't
cover preventative health care? The ancient Chinese had a neat
idea - you paid your doctor while healthy, but if you got sick
the money stopped - he then had a vested interest in keeping
you healthy.

Finally, much of our health care cost is due to "enterprising
private individuals" ripping off the medicare system :-/
I saw none of that in the Canadian system, nor did I ever
see newsmedia reports of such actions. There is a bunch
of money to be saved there.

However, because of this blind shibboleth of 'No, no, no,
its got to be private enterprise - the government is
crooked and lazy', I doubt we will see a sensible medical
plan in my lifetime. Of course, private industry is *always*
honest and decent and kindly. And if you believe that, there
is this bridge over the Chesapeake I would like to sell.

REB

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