Study the history of medicine thru history of the world. Because we have cellphones, iPods, etc etc does not mean we are incapable of reverting back to the past. In the past we had free markets, we had gov control, etc etc etc. The medical industry began by catering to the rich because they were the only ones capable of paying for the best science has to offer. Go overseas and look at emerging and third world nations as well as the past of human history. Even in the Soviet Union, the people on top had the best and everyone else settle for less because they were not rich and powerful. That always been the nature of medicine (doctors, pharma and etc). The other cost in private medicine is insurance companies must spend up to 1/3 on advertising to get people to buy their product over the other guys. That is a lot of money spent on PR and not medicine. If we want medicine at reasonable cost to meet moral obligations to those who are truly needy without burdening us with high taxes and premiums, the movtivation to be in medicine must change from profit to service. In some sense the churches are probably better equipped to do this. Imagine instead of a person entering as priest or pastor to preach, but choose to serve God via learning medicine and healing/caring for the sick. Preachers and priests do not earn huge salaries, but rather get free room and board, a modest salary but motivated by service over money. Question is how does one create such a service motivation that is available in theology and transfer it to medicine? The US military is one of the few institutions that do that, but once the doctor gets their free education and meet minimum service obligations, many leave to pursue lucrative private practice.
the rich can afford it good, if money represents work, risk, stewardship, I mean what is the point of money, good, if the rich want to purchase medical “procedures”.
I am all for it
If a Dr became a physician to “get rich” he is not a good doctor. If he became a doctor to treat and heal the sick he is a good doctor.
Don’t mean to double ping you, but your comment about priests and pastors indicates you haven’t studied history.
We don’t have the good priests or pastors we had 100 years ago. For the simple reason is that the pay is bad, the hours long, and there are other more attractive options for an intelligent man to work at. There is an old pastor at my church who said he went into the line because it was the best work a man of his intelligence and station could get in to (not the money, but the prestige and calling). Most pastors now are not of his stature, and are quite frankly weak kneed ninnies scared to offend anyone or empire builders who are more concerned about selling the next new building than saving souls.
In short, when there became other options for educated but lower station men to do, they stopped going into the clergy.
If we continue the same path we have with doctors, there will be fewer of lower quality and skill. This is already happening. I personally know of three skilled doctors and surgeons who have quit rather than take the pay cut under Obama care. One was replaced with a nurse practitioner, the others have not been replaced (and are not likely to be).
There are very few people who will go into medicine (or the clergy) just to “Help” people.
Ya know what? There is no “moral” obligation to provide healthcare. People don’t do things for free. There’s always the profit motivation. If there isn’t, then, it’s always some a$$hole deciding what’s “fair”. The market should decide, rather than some commie apparatchik (and, ultimately, whomever thinks they’re the ones to decide, are commie apparatchiks).