The governemnt has imposed so so so so many regualtions, taxes, red tape, hurdles etc all over the place that it take 1000 people just get a caprel tunnel release done.
That ain't the government brother, that's HMOs and the like. Thank you, Kaiser Permanente, John Ehrlichman and Richard Nixon. OK, so there was government involvment but it was the brainchild of Kaiser. Kaiser was the first FOR PROFIT hospital and Kaiser wanted to protect and grow that concept. Well, they did. This is a transcript of the 1971 conversation between President Richard Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman that led to the HMO act of 1973: John D. Ehrlichman: “On the … on the health business …” President Nixon: “Yeah.” Ehrlichman: “… we have now narrowed down the vice president’s problems on this thing to one issue and that is whether we should include these health maintenance organizations like Edgar Kaiser’s Permanente thing. The vice president just cannot see it. We tried 15 ways from Friday to explain it to him and then help him to understand it. He finally says, ‘Well, I don’t think they’ll work, but if the President thinks it’s a good idea, I’ll support him a hundred percent.’” President Nixon: “Well, what’s … what’s the judgment?” Ehrlichman: “Well, everybody else’s judgment very strongly is that we go with it.” President Nixon: “All right.” Ehrlichman: “And, uh, uh, he’s the one holdout that we have in the whole office.” President Nixon: “Say that I … I … I’d tell him I have doubts about it, but I think that it’s, uh, now let me ask you, now you give me your judgment. You know I’m not to keen on any of these damn medical programs.” Ehrlichman: “This, uh, let me, let me tell you how I am …” President Nixon: [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: “This … this is a …” President Nixon: “I don’t [unclear] …” Ehrlichman: “… private enterprise one.” President Nixon: “Well, that appeals to me.” Ehrlichman: “Edgar Kaiser is running his Permanente deal for profit. And the reason that he can … the reason he can do it … I had Edgar Kaiser come in … talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the incentives are toward less medical care, because …” President Nixon: [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: “… the less care they give them, the more money they make.” President Nixon: “Fine.” [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: [Unclear] “… and the incentives run the right way.” President Nixon: “Not bad.” [Source: University of Virginia Check - February 17, 1971, 5:26 pm - 5:53 pm, Oval Office Conversation 450-23. Look for: tape rmn_e450c.] On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 12:10 PM, Casey Wheeler <[email protected]>wrote: > I want to keep the discussion going cause there are many smart people here, > but I have to get to a meeting. But I wantto say the single largest reason > why healthcare is so expensive, is becuase it cannot operate as a free > normal market does with normal goods. The governemnt has imposed so so so so > many regualtions, taxes, red tape, hurdles etc all over the place that it > take 1000 people just get a caprel tunnel release done. If we could back the > governemnt out of this and let the market function normally, you would see > prices of common surgeries drop like intel waffers. That is the simplest > function of a market, supply and demand and where they intersect. > > Casey > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:33 AM, Jason C <[email protected]> wrote: > > Uh-oh, offtopic worms crawling out of a can! > > Nobody seems to point out that the reform proposals will still leave us > with overpriced health care. Who are the profiteers? It's not the > insurance cos - their profit margins aren't all that huge. > > This article discusses something that never seems to be discussed - the > reasons for the high cost. > > NOBODY seems to ask, "where do all the dollars go anyway"? > > Why did my cat's eye surgery cost $2,500, which on a person would have cost > $15,000? > > Why are there dozens of pet hospitals in my area (all for-profit) but only > a few people hospitals? > > Why does the price of memory and LCD monitors go down while health care > goes up? > > Why do the prices of MRI's stay up while the cost of breast implants go > down? > > Why does the average movie rental shop have a more sophisticated IT system > than the average hospital? > > The answers may be surprising to some - it is because competition is > STIFLED in health care - it is LACK of free market competition that causes > high prices. > > This article analyzes the problems in detail with example after example - > it is long but very well worth reading in its entirety: > > > *How American Health Care Killed My Father* > > http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care > > ** > > _______________________________________________ > Miatapower mailing list > [email protected] > http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower > > > _______________________________________________ > Miatapower mailing list > [email protected] > http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower > > -- Anyone who uses the terms "irregardless," "a whole 'nother" or "all of the sudden" shall be sent to a work camp! -Stewie Griffin
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