Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Alice in Health Care: Part II
Townhall.com ^ | March 3, 2010 | The great Thomas Sowell

Posted on 03/03/2010 5:24:25 AM PST by Kaslin

What is most like Alice in Wonderland is discussing medical care reform in the abstract, as if there are not already government-run medical care systems in this country and elsewhere.

Yet there seems to be remarkably little interest in examining how government-run medical care actually turns out-- medically and financially-- whether in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration hospitals in this country, or in government-run medical systems in other countries.

We are repeatedly being told that we need to have a government-controlled medical care system, because other countries have it-- as if our policies on something as serious as medical care should be based on the principle of monkey see, monkey do.

By all means look at other countries, but not just to see what to imitate. See how it actually turns out. Yet there seems to be an amazing lack of interest in examining what government-controlled medical care produces.

While our so-called health care "summit" last week was going on, British newspapers were carrying exposes of terrible, and often deadly, conditions in British hospitals under that country's National Health Service. But this has not become part of our debate on what to expect from government-controlled medical care.

Such scandals are an old story under the National Health Service in Britain, one repeatedly producing fresh scandals that their newspapers carry, but ours ignore.

In addition to a whole series of National Health Service scandals in Britain over the years, the government-run medical system in Britain has far less high-tech medical equipment than there is in the United States. Neither in Britain, Canada, nor in other countries with government-run medical care systems can people get to see doctors, especially surgeons, in as short a time as in the United States.

It is not uncommon for patients in those countries to have to wait for months before getting operations that Americans get within weeks, or even days, after being diagnosed with a condition that requires surgery. You can always "bring down the cost of medical care" by having a lower level of quality or availability.

But, again, you may never learn any of this by following most of the American mainstream media. It is not that they don't make comparisons between medical care in different countries. But they tend to feature news that will promote government-controlled care.

One of the statistics they spin endlessly is that life expectancy in some countries with government-controlled medical care is higher than in the United States. What they don't tell you is that, in some of these countries, all the infants that die are not included in infant mortality statistics, as they are in the United States.

More important, both political and media supporters of government-controlled medical care consistently confuse medical care with health care.

Much, if not most, of health care depends on what individuals do in the way they live their own lives-- including eating habits, alcohol intake, exercise, narcotics and homicide. A study some years ago found that Mormons live a decade longer than other Americans. But nobody believes that Mormons' doctors are that much better than other doctors. When you don't do a lot of things that shorten your life, you live longer. That is not rocket science.

Americans tend to have higher rates of obesity, narcotics use and homicide than people in some other countries. And there is not much that doctors can do about that.

If those who make international comparisons were serious, instead of clever, they would compare the things that medical science can have a great effect on-- cancer survival rates, for example. Americans have some of the highest cancer survival rates in the world, and for some particular cancers, the highest.

When you can get to see a doctor faster, and get treatments underway without waiting for months, while the cancer grows and spreads, you have a better chance of surviving. That, too, is not rocket science. But it is also something that you are not likely to see featured in most of the media, where people are promoting their own pet notions and agendas, instead of giving you the facts on which you can make up your own mind.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: sowell; thomassowell

1 posted on 03/03/2010 5:24:25 AM PST by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

2 posted on 03/03/2010 5:28:06 AM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for Obama: One Big Ass Mistake America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
>> there seems to be remarkably little interest in examining how government-run medical care actually turns out-- medically and financially-- whether in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration hospitals in this country <<

Amen! I was recently talking to an MD acquaintance in Mississippi, who told me that the main VA hospital there is now being ruined by an administrator who -- in effect -- is a Dhimmi political appointee.

Great story for a investigative journalist, wouldn't you think?

Dream on.

3 posted on 03/03/2010 6:02:50 AM PST by Hawthorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hawthorn

They just need to take a look at Tenncare and Romneycare.

OBAMANOMICS—TRICKLE DOWN DESTRUCTION of the economy

SET THEIR LOCAL AND DC LINES ON FIRE!

PLEASE ASK THEM TO REPEAL THE BIG NEW FEES in TRICARE for Life, the retired Military over 65 secondary health ins. which they passed in a DOD bill. They promised our Military these benefits, and our Military have earned them.

Bambi doesn’t keep his promises...so buyer beware!
Sen Scott Brown’s number is 202-224-4543

Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121

Lots of local demwit phone numbers on this thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408217/posts

Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military’s secondary health ins.
(DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011 NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!

OBAMA’s WAR ON SENIORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433867/posts/

New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake. http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html
Friday, February 19, 2010

Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security
http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security

Health Care Rationing for Seniors Another Problem in New Obama Plan http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html
Medicare tax may apply to investment income (ObamaCare tax hike)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460988/posts

SOCIALIZED MED THREAD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2462963/posts
TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/hcva09/hcva110609-1.htm
Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w/

By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009

Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.
Snip The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.

Snip

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.

“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.


4 posted on 03/03/2010 7:09:48 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Hawthorn

We have Tenncare in Tennessee, a form of Romney care and obamadeathcare
Do some reading, these are articles since Jan of 2010, older articles tell of waste, fraud, illegals, and earlier cuts to curtail rising cost.
TennCare cuts threaten Nashville General hospital | tennessean.com
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100204/NEWS0204/2040350/TennCare-cuts-threaten-Nashville-General-hospital
TennCare Cuts Under Way Now
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=47622
Call it coincidence or bad timing, but many physicians in Tennessee began taking a 14 percent cut for seeing TennCare patients on the same day Gov. Phil Bredesen announced deep cuts in health care spending.
TennCare Cuts May Close Some Hospitals
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/020710-tenncare-cuts-may-close-some-hospitals
TennCare Cuts May Close Some Hospitals
Proposed TennCare funding cuts would close The Med, hospital officials say
By Toby Sells
Published Friday, January 29, 2010
http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/29/med-cuts-would-kill-us/


5 posted on 03/03/2010 7:10:35 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Hawthorn; jazusamo

Actually Dr Thomas Sowell is not a journalist, but a American economist, commentator and author of dozen of books. Freeper jazusamo who normally posts Dr Sowell’s columns and has a ping list can give you more information


6 posted on 03/03/2010 8:05:31 AM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for Obama: One Big Ass Mistake America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Actually Dr Thomas Sowell is not a journalist, but a American economist, commentator and author of dozen of books. Freeper jazusamo who normally posts Dr Sowell’s columns and has a ping list can give you more information

Sowell is one of the few writers on my "do not miss" list. More or less monthly, I find all of his new works and catch up on any that I overlooked in the hurry of life.

7 posted on 03/03/2010 8:18:09 AM PST by Pollster1 (Natural born citizen of the USA, with the birth certificate to prove it)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; abigail2; Amalie; American Quilter; arthurus; awelliott; Bahbah; bamahead; Battle Axe; ...
Part 2. Thanks for the ping, Kaslin.

*PING*
Thomas Sowell

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Recent columns
Alice In A Health Care Wonderland
Sowell: Free Market Fights Discrimination
Intellectuals Step ‘Off The Cliff,‘ Drag Rest Of Us Down

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to or removed from the Thomas Sowell ping list…

8 posted on 03/03/2010 8:35:39 AM PST by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

>> Dr Thomas Sowell is not a journalist, but a American economist <<

Indeed. I’ve been a huge fan for about 25 years!


9 posted on 03/03/2010 9:01:40 AM PST by Hawthorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

You are very welcome


10 posted on 03/03/2010 4:17:48 PM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for Obama: One Big Ass Mistake America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Thanks for the ping jaz.


11 posted on 03/03/2010 5:05:15 PM PST by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...Call 'em What you Will, They ALL have Fairies Living In Their Trees.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson