Posted on 05/13/2009 10:14:47 AM PDT by curiosity
The time for universal health insurance coverage has come. Everybody seems to know that -- except for the Republicans, all too many of whom cling to traditional denunciations of universal coverage as socialism... The Republicans could instead offer a consumer-controlled universal coverage system, like that in Switzerland, in which the people, not the government, control how much they spend on health. There are no government health insurance programs. Instead, the Swiss choose from about 85 private heath insurers... This consumer-driven, universal coverage system provides excellent health care for the sick, tops the world in consumer satisfaction, and costs 40 percent less, as a percentage of GDP, than the system in the US...The Republican choice is clear. They can whine while the Democratic Congress enacts a government-controlled system, or they can embrace a Republican approach to Universal Coverage.
(Excerpt) Read more at business.theatlantic.com ...
The fact remains, that a completely free market in healthcare is never going to happen, both because of the market failure and politics.
Besides, anyone who thinks that our current system is a "free market" system is an idiot. The Swiss system is much closer to than anything else in the world.
A Swiss-like system is probably the best we can hope for. It certainly better than either the present system we have or socialized medicine.
And no, the Swiss system is not socialized medicine, and it is not Hillarycare, the protests of the brainless purists not withstanding.
I have to agree with you. Nice post. Thanks.
I agree with you...the Swiss system seems to be a good one. We are going to get some form of health care because of the job losses from free trade run amok and of course the downturn...aging baby boomers need it too because many have lost their jobs and are too old for private insurance policies. Business support health care also, since they can not compete with other countries who do have national health.
No matter how good Swiss health care is, we can’t apply it to the U.S. Switzerland is a federalist country where each canton has a lot of autonomy. The U.S. stopped being federalist looooooooong ago...
What if I don’t want health insurance?
May I point out that the U.S. is not Switzerland?
It just might be a mistake to assume that the populations will respond identically to the same model.
I don’t trust the gov’t with my meager taxes...why should I trust them with my LIFE?? Have you ever gone through a public system for “Free” gov’t programs??
It’s like getting a proctology exam...Imagine having to do this every time you go to the doctor...then waiting in line just to get on a wait list. Then being denied a life saving drug because it’s not “cost effective” for the gov’t.
Imagine the people at the DMV being in charge of your healthcare....Not pleasant thoughts.....
The government has already driven out most of the insurers from the market place by unfunded mandates, over regulation. Also, Swtizerland is a very poor example because their population is very controlled and does not contain the massive numbers of illegal immigrants who are now clammering for free health care.
What is happening now is about power, money and ideology. Your dreaming.
The crux of the suggestion:
“Republicans could enact Swiss-style universal coverage by enabling employees to cash out of their employer-sponsored health insurance. (Although many view employer-sponsored health insurance as a” free” benefit, it is money that would otherwise be paid as income.) The substantial sums involved would command attention and gratitude: a 2006 cash out would have yielded $12,000 — the average cost of employer-sponsored health insurance — thus raising the income of joint filers who earn less than $73,000 (90 percent of all filers) by at least 16 percent. Employees could remain in with an employer’s plan or use this new income to buy their own health insurance.”
Then you're an irresponsible jackass free riding off the system.
This is my beef with this entire debate. The talking heads and idiot politicians assume that the only reason people lack health insurance is cost. It's utter BS. A large number make more than enough money to buy insurance. Their priorities are elsewhere. In some cases it is not easy to argue that they are wrong.
Who pays for health care for people who can’t afford it?
When I hear that the healthcare industry is ready to make 2 Trillion in cuts over 10 years, I wonder why competition has not squeezed those cuts out already. The answer must be the market is not functioning correctly, or there is collusion.
You dont know that he is free riding. He could be paying his bills out of pocket.
Wrong-o, dude. Switzerland has one of the highest tax rates in Europe - around 90% to pay for all that health care.
If you want to pay thse kinds of taxes, adopt me so you can pay the taxes for me, too.
Modeling our system after any European (or Canadian) system with less than 300 million people is absurd.
Switzerland’s model is good, but the Democrats want the horrible Canadian/British command and control system of healthcare.
Or I’m independently wealthy and choose to pay out of pocket.
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