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Propose an alternative.
by danharaj 9y ago
Propose an alternative.
- cft 9y ago1. Deregulation - reduce compliance and legal burdens. That would bring cash prices down, so instead of 1% perhaps 50% can afford them. That's a start. 2. Charities. You can start your own: give 5% of your income to underinsured. For example: http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/john_d._rockefeller_sr http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/j... At the urging of Frederick T. Gates, perhaps his most trusted philanthropic adviser, Rockefeller became increasingly devoted to medical research. In 1901, he funded the Rockefeller Medical Research Institute in New York City. Modeled on the Institut Pasteur in France and the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, it was the country’s first biomedical institute, soon on a par with its European models. The results were dramatic. Within a decade, it created a vaccine for cerebrospinal meningitis and had supported the work of America’s first winner of a Nobel Prize in medicine. Today, known as the Rockefeller University, it is one of the leading biomedical research centers in the world. Twenty-four Nobel Prize winners have served on its faculty. But don't force charity on others who may be struggling.
- icebraining 9y agoWhat if even with the amazing price reductions achieved by deregulation, charities still can't cover for all uninsured patients?
- 0care 9y agoWhy should this matter? There will always be more things desired than money to pay for them.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- blackbagboys 9y agoThe continued health and well-being of our fellow human beings take precedence over most other 'things'. If it's a choice between letting someone buy an extra boat and giving someone potentially life-saving preventative care, the choice is clear.
- neuromantik8086 9y agoRockefeller University is an impressive research outfit, but not a) a pharmaceutical company or b) a treatment center. It deals more with moonshot basic research that most people won't benefit from for a few decades (e.g., Oswald Avery's early work on genetics) and doesn't directly affect the plight of the poor and underinsured. Having worked in non-profits extensively, it's also disingenuous to claim that non-profits answer to anyone other than their primary donors, whose priorities are frequently not aligned with regular people.
- darpa_escapee 9y ago1. Regulation is not the cause of high healthcare costs in America. One could argue that the lack of regulation in certain areas could be responsible for price hikes[1] in healthcare. 2. Charity has had thousands of years to solve societal problems, yet it didn't. What you're describing is a pipe dream. Within the span of a less than a century, countries around the world have addressed healthcare effectively such that care is available to most, if not all. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Shkreli#Daraprim_price_hike_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Shkreli#Daraprim_price_...
- dctoedt 9y agoDeregulation might work if all market participants behaved like angels. But few people do, and so over time deregulation tends to result in cutthroat behavior, consolidation, and price increases.
- cft 9y agoAirline tickets are cheapest ever, and that's despite the fact that relative to biotech which is the fastest evolving field currently, airplane technology has been practically stagnant since the deregulation
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- kaibee 9y agoIt is much easier to compare airline tickets than hospitals/medical procedures. The worst case scenario for choosing wrong in the first case is a flight you're uncomfortable on and overpaid for.
- dctoedt 9y agoAirlines are still heavily regulated on safety-related issues. (That might be the sweet spot.)
- avoutthere 9y agoIt's a shame this is being downvoted. It's a valid point of view that has merit and should be part of the discussion.
- isostatic 9y ago> 2. Charities. You can start your own: give 5% of your income to underinsured. For example: That's a shockingly high amount, especially if you don't get healthcare out of that. 16% of my taxes go to pay for my health care system, which covers the whole country. For someone on a median income that's 3% of their income. For someone on a top 10% income that's 4.15% of their income. To spend 5% of your Gross Income on the NHS in the UK, you have to pay 31% in total taxes, that's an income of £75k, that's circa top 5% income.
- logfromblammo 9y agoPeople can die in the ER waiting room, without ever being treated?
- creaghpatr 9y agoI don't think this happens often, at least not due to the patient not getting attention in a reasonable amount of time. ERs triage patients based on severity of condition and if you are in more critical condition you get bumped up the line. But there is an issue in certain areas of people using ERs like a GP because the ER can't legally turn people away due to EMTALA
- jellicle 9y agoThe ER is only required to assess patients and if you come in uninsured, unable to pay and with a GP-level complaint (flu, whatever) you'll receive no further treatment other than the assessment. A lot of people seem to think ERs are simply required to treat everyone, which is not even close to true.
- eaandkw 9y agoGet rid of health insurance and watch prices come down.
- nostromo 9y agoMedicaid (free healthcare for the poor) and Obamacare (require insurance with subsidized rates for the poor) are examples of how to address this issue.
- danharaj 9y agoMedicaid is socialized healthcare so I think you and i spoke past each other.