I don’t think the headline makes any sense. In my opinion, “health care” is a product, just like house-painting or auto repair, not a system, goal, right, privilege, benefit, or singularity.
The reality is that once a government gives something out, it is impossible to take it back. Scott thinks in the context of that reality. Where he errs is calling it Health Care, what he really means is Health Insurance. There’s not a single thing wrong with Health Care in this country, it’s top notch. It will never be evenly distributed to all citizens, just like good housing and fine food. Scott is a pragmatic libertarian. He challenges my thinking on this issue, as I have nothing but contempt for McCain. But ultimately I share his optimism.
>>In my opinion, “health care” is a product, just like house-painting or auto repair, not a system, goal, right, privilege, benefit, or singularity.
A lot of people have the opinion that water comes from a faucet and electricity comes out of the holes in the wall too.
But there are entire systems that are behind that faucet, receptacle, and that doctor. If you “fix” a system by pushing on one part, you break other parts by straining them beyond their capabilities. Part of the system in health care, just as it is in utilities, is the customer: what can he pay, how does he use the product, etc. When you pay for the “product” of health care, you pay for the system, but your bill only shows the final provider.
You might want to read the article to understand the headline before you opine.
Healthcare was not a system in the early 50’s. I recall my parents owned one side of a duplex and an MD the other. The MD used to visit me as a kid at night. His son was my best friend growing up. Social Security started in 1935, and; there was no SSDI until 1950 for age 50 and over. In fact, there was no damn Medicare or Medicaid until 1965 and LBJ. Now we have 70 plus million on Medicaid and CHIP. Yes, I wonder why we are not told how many free loaders we pay for by these elected prostitutes.
Health care is most definitely a system. It’s a complex, interconnected set of components, working together for (ostensibly) a common purpose. Socialistic or free-market — it doesn’t matter — any health care system is, indeed, a system. (Oh, and btw, it uses and delivers services, as well as products.)