6 ms·

Greed has taken big notice of an ageing population, in need of more medical interventions or long term care as they age, ready to be sucked dry of every little

Greed has taken big notice of an ageing population, in need of more medical interventions or long term care as they age, ready to be sucked dry of every little $ to the cent. The callousness of a system like this, it's tendency to rob people of their dignity, and the seeming indifference of any people or organizations with the power or capacity to intervene, is profoundly depressing. A system that holds healthcare behind a tollbooth, equating quality of care with wealth, implying only the rich deserve quality care and the nonrich deserve whatever they can get, is inhumane and plain mean.

Terr_ 3y ago
> Greed has taken big notice of an ageing population Pet theory: That's also related to the burst of autonomous-vehicle investment over the last decade: Investors spurred by the idea that the baby-boom generation will simultaneously (A) be unable to drive themselves and (B) will have enough wealth to afford fancy cars that cater to that need. I don't think related companies have to hit that opportunity-window to be profitable, but I think it factored into when/why some of them were founded or pivoted.
nox101 3y ago
I don't want to defend medical care in the USA. I lived in a different country for a long time and loved the access it provided though not every thing was good. But, even there, Japan, they are struggling to provide the care needed. I'm curious how you would resolve the limited supply (# of doctors) to the infinite demand (population of people needing medical attention)
- InitialLastName 3y ago
  You could remove artificial limits on the numbers of medical school and residency slots, but then doctors would get competition.
  - NBJack 3y ago
    Yup, this is basically the best starting point. It is just a different kind of monopoly, which also often gives the illusion of achieving an elite, illustrious lifestyle when the reality is that many physicians start in serious debt.
    - akira2501 3y ago
      > It is just a different kind of monopoly Technically, it's a cartel.
  - nemo44x 3y ago
    There should continue to be high standards on doctors. We’d be better off giving doctors with degrees from the top 50 colleges in the EU and UK a license to practice here. Today they can’t and would need to redo years of school here.
    - InitialLastName 3y ago
      I don't get any sense that the limits on slots actually keep the standard of doctors high. Rather, it makes getting into the profession a lottery for otherwise perfect students. Better to maintain the standards by maintaining the standards of the process (i.e. keep med school and qualifying exams difficult) than to arbitrarily limiting how many people you allow into the funnel. What certainly degrades the standard of care is the current situation, where issues that should be treated by well-trained and well-rested doctors are instead shunted off to overworked nurses or not treated at all.
      - nemo44x 3y ago
        Sure, do that too if possible. But importing doctors from the EU and UK, and Canada means we don't have to spend resources training them - those countries do. And then we brain drain them to the superior place for them to earn like we do for engineers from India and China - and doctors for that matter who are willing to do more school here to get licensed. The EU and UK, and Canada have created an artificial market that underpays their medical professionals. For instance, in Germany or the UK the typical physician salary is less than half that of an American doctor. Hell, entry level software engineers in America make more than a doctor in Germany! Clearly the margin here is the USA's opportunity to outcompete them for the talent. We already take many of their best engineers, why not their doctors too?
  - akira2501 3y ago
    I'm pretty sure these megahospitals would enjoy that glut of workforce. You should probably also want to encourage the return to private practices as much as is possible. So.. school slots.. and actual cash investments in new business.
- nemo44x 3y ago
  I’d make it easier for foreign doctors to come here. For example there are tens of thousands of doctors from EU countries that would move to the USA to practice (and make more money) but don’t because their medical degrees aren’t valid here and they’d have to go to school here for a few years. Doctors from poorer places line China and India will put up with this but others won’t.
antisthenes 3y ago
Well, the "nice" side effect of robbing people of their dignity is that they will also treat institutions and others with the same lack of dignity, perpetuating a vicious cycle. You don't want to be a part of American society when social trust hits 0 and a majority of people have nothing to lose, with how many guns are floating around.
- forgetfreeman 3y ago
  So...next week then?
  - throwup238 3y ago
    No, sometime between the second Tuesday in November, 2024 and January 20, 2025.
    - rokkitmensch 3y ago
      Says everyone during every cycle.
      - forgetfreeman 3y ago
        You'd think that if you were maybe 12 years old. Screeching about the end times didn't feature prominently (read: at all) in election coverage during saner times. That said, given a prior attempt to literally overthrow the government I'd say the stakes are higher than usual this go around.
        rokkitmensch 3y ago
        Ad hominems have no place here, and rather undermine your point. Everyone screeches about some variety of end times every cycle, be it guns or abortion.
        forgetfreeman 3y ago
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

Terr_ 3y ago

> Greed has taken big notice of an ageing population Pet theory: That's also related to the burst of autonomous-vehicle investment over the last decade: Investors spurred by the idea that the baby-boom generation will simultaneously (A) be unable to drive themselves and (B) will have enough wealth to afford fancy cars that cater to that need. I don't think related companies have to hit that opportunity-window to be profitable, but I think it factored into when/why some of them were founded or pivoted.

nox101 3y ago

I don't want to defend medical care in the USA. I lived in a different country for a long time and loved the access it provided though not every thing was good. But, even there, Japan, they are struggling to provide the care needed. I'm curious how you would resolve the limited supply (# of doctors) to the infinite demand (population of people needing medical attention)

InitialLastName 3y ago
You could remove artificial limits on the numbers of medical school and residency slots, but then doctors would get competition.
- NBJack 3y ago
  Yup, this is basically the best starting point. It is just a different kind of monopoly, which also often gives the illusion of achieving an elite, illustrious lifestyle when the reality is that many physicians start in serious debt.
  - akira2501 3y ago
    > It is just a different kind of monopoly Technically, it's a cartel.
- nemo44x 3y ago
  There should continue to be high standards on doctors. We’d be better off giving doctors with degrees from the top 50 colleges in the EU and UK a license to practice here. Today they can’t and would need to redo years of school here.
  - InitialLastName 3y ago
    I don't get any sense that the limits on slots actually keep the standard of doctors high. Rather, it makes getting into the profession a lottery for otherwise perfect students. Better to maintain the standards by maintaining the standards of the process (i.e. keep med school and qualifying exams difficult) than to arbitrarily limiting how many people you allow into the funnel. What certainly degrades the standard of care is the current situation, where issues that should be treated by well-trained and well-rested doctors are instead shunted off to overworked nurses or not treated at all.
    - nemo44x 3y ago
      Sure, do that too if possible. But importing doctors from the EU and UK, and Canada means we don't have to spend resources training them - those countries do. And then we brain drain them to the superior place for them to earn like we do for engineers from India and China - and doctors for that matter who are willing to do more school here to get licensed. The EU and UK, and Canada have created an artificial market that underpays their medical professionals. For instance, in Germany or the UK the typical physician salary is less than half that of an American doctor. Hell, entry level software engineers in America make more than a doctor in Germany! Clearly the margin here is the USA's opportunity to outcompete them for the talent. We already take many of their best engineers, why not their doctors too?
- akira2501 3y ago
  I'm pretty sure these megahospitals would enjoy that glut of workforce. You should probably also want to encourage the return to private practices as much as is possible. So.. school slots.. and actual cash investments in new business.
nemo44x 3y ago
I’d make it easier for foreign doctors to come here. For example there are tens of thousands of doctors from EU countries that would move to the USA to practice (and make more money) but don’t because their medical degrees aren’t valid here and they’d have to go to school here for a few years. Doctors from poorer places line China and India will put up with this but others won’t.

antisthenes 3y ago

Well, the "nice" side effect of robbing people of their dignity is that they will also treat institutions and others with the same lack of dignity, perpetuating a vicious cycle. You don't want to be a part of American society when social trust hits 0 and a majority of people have nothing to lose, with how many guns are floating around.

forgetfreeman 3y ago
So...next week then?
- throwup238 3y ago
  No, sometime between the second Tuesday in November, 2024 and January 20, 2025.
  - rokkitmensch 3y ago
    Says everyone during every cycle.
    - forgetfreeman 3y ago
      You'd think that if you were maybe 12 years old. Screeching about the end times didn't feature prominently (read: at all) in election coverage during saner times. That said, given a prior attempt to literally overthrow the government I'd say the stakes are higher than usual this go around.
      - rokkitmensch 3y ago
        Ad hominems have no place here, and rather undermine your point. Everyone screeches about some variety of end times every cycle, be it guns or abortion.
        forgetfreeman 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]