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So if the problem is too much demand, lets look at how to lower the demand? The answer to lowering demand is clearly to encourage preventative medicine over rea

by laotzu 11y ago

So if the problem is too much demand, lets look at how to lower the demand? The answer to lowering demand is clearly to encourage preventative medicine over reaction medicine. Most of the cash cows in the US for sickness profiteering are preventable, heart disease being number one. I know that's not profitable for sickness profiteers but until we start to value health and well-being over institutionalized greed well never have enough money to take care of our health. >He sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. -DL

orangecat 11y ago
The answer to lowering demand is clearly to encourage preventative medicine over reaction medicine. Not really: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-preventive-economics-idUSBRE90S05M20130129 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-preventive-econ...
- caseysoftware 11y ago
  Wow, thanks. I don't like the conclusions but great article.
- laotzu 11y ago
  The article fails to convince. Mentions studies but does not cite them. Doesn't even mention the words "exercise" or "healthy diet", the two best and cheapest forms of preventative medicine. Narrowly defines preventative medicine as "low- or no-benefit measures include annual physicals".
  - ThomPete 11y ago
    Do you know how few people have the energy or money to exercise and eat healthy? It sounds easy but it's a lot of work. It's not just a rational choice, people aren't rational. It's kind of like saying that the solution to overpopulation is to get less children. Thats not how things work.
    - laotzu 11y ago
      I'm not saying at all that it would be easy to get people to do what is in their best interest; though once they are properly educated, it would create a positive feedback loop. The more you exercise the more energy you have to exercise. The healthier you eat the less you have to spend on preventable diseases like heart disease and diabetes and so the more money you have to spend on healthy food. The solution to overpopulation, as evidenced by the Demographic-Economic Paradox, is clearly to raise the standard of living by successfully distributing the renewable surplus of food, water, and shelter that is available but wasted every year. This is also an example of turning a negative feedback loop into a positive feedback loop which in turn pays for itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic-economic_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic-economic_paradox The issues of poverty, disease, and overpopulation are closely interrelated indeed.
ThomPete 11y ago
I agree with you in theory but thats just not how things work neither in Denmark. Public opinion can try and do some (banning smoking, adding taxes to things you want less off) but I don't believe it's going to solve the issue I am describing. Health and well-being is too weak a way to look at things and so people will put into it what they want. Not everyone will agree that regular exercise and eating salad is well being. And actually getting people to do the "right thing" even if you could define what that is would be much more costly. Also many sicknesses are age related and so even if you could get people to live more healthy lives they would just accumulate even more so the older they get.
usrusr 11y ago
People die eventually no matter the medical investment, so theoretical demand is infinite. No amount of money (aka fraction of total productivity) thrown at the problem will be enough in terms of that adding more money would not make someone, somewhere live years, weeks, days or at least minutes longer. Effective demand is a compromise between money and death and people just happen to be very, very uncomfortable talking about that.

by laotzu 11y ago

orangecat 11y ago

The answer to lowering demand is clearly to encourage preventative medicine over reaction medicine. Not really: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-preventive-economics-idUSBRE90S05M20130129 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-preventive-econ...

caseysoftware 11y ago
Wow, thanks. I don't like the conclusions but great article.
laotzu 11y ago
The article fails to convince. Mentions studies but does not cite them. Doesn't even mention the words "exercise" or "healthy diet", the two best and cheapest forms of preventative medicine. Narrowly defines preventative medicine as "low- or no-benefit measures include annual physicals".
- ThomPete 11y ago
  Do you know how few people have the energy or money to exercise and eat healthy? It sounds easy but it's a lot of work. It's not just a rational choice, people aren't rational. It's kind of like saying that the solution to overpopulation is to get less children. Thats not how things work.
  - laotzu 11y ago
    I'm not saying at all that it would be easy to get people to do what is in their best interest; though once they are properly educated, it would create a positive feedback loop. The more you exercise the more energy you have to exercise. The healthier you eat the less you have to spend on preventable diseases like heart disease and diabetes and so the more money you have to spend on healthy food. The solution to overpopulation, as evidenced by the Demographic-Economic Paradox, is clearly to raise the standard of living by successfully distributing the renewable surplus of food, water, and shelter that is available but wasted every year. This is also an example of turning a negative feedback loop into a positive feedback loop which in turn pays for itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic-economic_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic-economic_paradox The issues of poverty, disease, and overpopulation are closely interrelated indeed.

ThomPete 11y ago

I agree with you in theory but thats just not how things work neither in Denmark. Public opinion can try and do some (banning smoking, adding taxes to things you want less off) but I don't believe it's going to solve the issue I am describing. Health and well-being is too weak a way to look at things and so people will put into it what they want. Not everyone will agree that regular exercise and eating salad is well being. And actually getting people to do the "right thing" even if you could define what that is would be much more costly. Also many sicknesses are age related and so even if you could get people to live more healthy lives they would just accumulate even more so the older they get.

usrusr 11y ago

People die eventually no matter the medical investment, so theoretical demand is infinite. No amount of money (aka fraction of total productivity) thrown at the problem will be enough in terms of that adding more money would not make someone, somewhere live years, weeks, days or at least minutes longer. Effective demand is a compromise between money and death and people just happen to be very, very uncomfortable talking about that.