As we continue on a path towards healthcare reform, one of the ongoing concerns is “Govment control” of healthcare. For whatever reason, major capitalists on CNBC tonight have a mortal fear of this. At this point in time, 40% of healthcare costs are directly paid for by either the federal or state governments. Up until now, the public has been given access to this money, accounting for about 7% of the GDP with little to no accountability. The public purchased $3.1 billion dollars of pills to combat erectile dysfunction in 2006 but 15% of women did not get screened for cervical cancer. 40% of Medicare expenditures were incurred in the last month of life. I think the grown-ups should at least work on bringing some rational thought to what we are spending OUR money on.
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August 1, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Hudson H Luce
We seem to be doing quite well with socialized fire departments. Firefighting in most major cities was a subscription-only pay-for-service business up until a disastrous fire in Chicago in 1871, after which people got the idea that fire protection should be extended to all, regardless of ability to pay, and paid for by tax dollars. The same goes for municipal water and sewer facilities; up until the 1880s, most people had a well and an outhouse, and there were periodic epidemics of cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever. With the advent of municipal waterworks and sewage treatment plants, these scourges were eliminated, yet another example of success for a socialist venture. This is yet another example of common good arising from universal access to what has become a service that few think about and all expect.
August 3, 2009 at 12:25 am
Dr P
Very true. I also believe that the regulated utility analogy is apt for healthcare