Healthcare and the USA

I was reading comments on a review of Michael Moore’s new film about healthcare and wondered if any of the commentators had any idea what doctor’s go through and what their expenses are. One of the complaints was about doctor’s who don’t take Medicare and/or Medicaid because it pays less than insurance providers. I know doctor’s have to pay:

1. Rent
2. Insurance
3. Salaries (which are higher because of the complexity of the forms for the governmental programs)
4. Supplies
5. Utilities
6. Probably other expenses

If the payment for services multiplied by number of patients seen does not equal or exceed expenses, the doctor will no longer be able to see patients. If the government payment does not meet or exceed this threshold, why should the doctor see these patients? Doesn’t he need to feed his family and pay his employees?

And, for those who want national healthcare, how much more in taxes are you willing to pay and/or what government programs are you willing to cut? And, if you say cut the defense department’s budget, what obligations are you willing to forego? If we leave Iraq now, we will condemn millions of Iraqis to death because they either belong to the wrong tribe or helped us believing we would be there for them. If you say raise taxes, will you be there to help support families whose budgets were already borderline. The tax increases necessary for such a system would hit the uninsured the hardest. Let’s not forget, we will also see a section of the workforce (people who work for health insurers) out of work and many investors ruined. This would probably hurt many people who are retired or about to retire.

If you want a look at what such a national healthcare system would most likely look like, examine the USA’s Veteran’s Administration hospitals.

Also, we would increase the disparity between the rich and the poor in the USA. Rich people would be paying out of their own pockets for immediate healthcare while everybody else would be waiting weeks, months or even years for the treatments the government is willing to pay for.

Another possible effect of nationalized healthcare would be a slowing of medical research and advancement. Part of the reason the USA has some of the most technologically advanced healthcare on the Earth is the ability of pharmaceutical companies and researchers to charge whatever they think is reasonable. However, as time goes by, the cost of these treatments goes down. As an example, in 1993 I had the precursor to Lasik surgery done. It cost almost $10,000 dollars. Today, Lasik surgery can be had for as little as $2000.