The Problem With Healthcare–Part 1

Coach is Right ^ | 7/24/15 | Michael D. Shaw

[Oldpuppymax]

As we approach the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Medicare bill into law (July 30th), what better time to consider the seemingly intractable problem of healthcare? FDR tried to include a federal health insurance component into the Social Security Act of 1935, but backed off. Harry Truman, his successor, took up the cause again in 1945, 1947, and 1949. JFK would pick up the banner in 1961.

During the 1965 signing, LBJ called the 81-year-old Truman “the real daddy of Medicare,” and presented him and his wife Bess with the first two Medicare cards.

With the passage of Medicare, the terms “healthcare” and “health insurance” became so increasingly related, that with the 2010 passage of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), for many folks, the terms are now interchangeable. And, more’s the pity; because these days, quality of outcome is nowhere near as important as who pays for it. Beyond who is paying for it, and how much they are paying, we also have the definition of “it.” That is, what sorts of procedures will be covered, which will be excluded, and how are those decisions being made?

In the early 1960s, the American Medical Association led the charge against what it called “socialized medicine,” using Ronald Reagan as a key spokesman. Among other zingers, Reagan stated that such a program would “invade every area of freedom in this country” and would, in years to come, have Americans waxing wistful to future generations about “what it was like in America when men were free.” Needless to say, Reagan was widely mocked at the time by all the usual suspects, and a few years later by the execrable Pat Brown during his unsuccessful gubernatorial re-election campaign.

Jimmy Carter would invoke the same tone...

[Jim W N]

There’s NO problem with healthcare run by the voluntary cooperation of the free market economy which is how America had the world’s highest quality, most available healthcare for the best cost through the 50’s and early 60’s.

Government changed all of that beginning in the late 60’s and 70’s. As Reagan said, government isn’t the solution, government IS the problem.

[wastoute]

L8r

[wastoute]

Thanks. There are few things gummint does well. Borders, military. Even a tyrant (especially?) will desire these. Medicine is one thing it does the worst. Phyllis Schlafly wrote a great article on CPT codes back years ago. As AMA membership was declining threatening oblivion Ted Kennedy made a deal to give them copyrights to the coding to provide funding. They quit representing doctors decades ago.