Simple Question
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Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
Yes, there is presently competition in the health insurance business. Why? Because we have a capitalist system. Is there "enough" competition? How much is "enough?" In a capitalist system, the more competition, the better for the consumer. I don't know that you could have "too much" competition.
The question is, how much competition will there be in a Socialist system, and the answer is... none. The government will own health care insurance in a relatively short time, because commercial enterprise can't compete with government, because government can make its own rules.
The question is, how much competition will there be in a Socialist system, and the answer is... none. The government will own health care insurance in a relatively short time, because commercial enterprise can't compete with government, because government can make its own rules.
Beefy
Worst gambler ever
No. There is not. The fact that the number of new physicians allowed into the field annually is specifically limited circumvents the concept of "competition".
Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
Can you explain how the number of physicians has anything at all to do with the industry of health insurance, or competition of health insurance companies?
do you consider medicare socialist - because there are private insurance companies that compete for medicare members
how about a government funded version of medicare for those unable to afford current insurance plans where private insurance competes for members
we have to get uninsured out of our emergency rooms because they drive up the cost of medical care for everyone and make it harder to get emergency care
Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
Yes, Medicare is Socialist, that's why it sucks so badly! But don't let that stop you from turning the greatest health care system in the world into Socialism!
My Mom is 70, and she just found out that her Medicare benefits are going to be cut dramatically. This is a part of all this, and you aren't being told the whole truth about it. Sure, we can pay for all the uninsured, most of them are illegal immigrants who aren't on our tax roles. It will be done at the expense of the elderly, those who need help the most.
As for emergency care, you are going to have far fewer emergency rooms open, once this all kicks in, because there is no profit in providing free health care. So go ahead, put your bird-brained plan in place, and completely destroy what we have now! But when it is done, when we can't go back to what we had before, don't bitch and complain to me, I tried to warn you and you refused to listen to reason.
There will be fewer doctors, fewer hospitals, fewer emergency rooms, and considerably MORE demand. Certain treatments will not be available, there will be waiting lists for surgeries, and it will all be costing us trillions of dollars we weren't paying before. But no one can convince you of this... for some unknown reason, you honestly think government can administer health care better than the private sector, even though government doesn't administer anything else better. For some unimaginable reason, you think a Socialized system will work here, even though it has failed all over the world.
1) No, Medicare is not "Socialist," though we do have one entity in our country that is akin to a socialized healthcare system, the VA system. And the VA system kicks the shit out of Meidcare and the private system on all measures of quality of care.
2) I doubt that your mother is going to have her Medicare benefits cut. Nevertheless, have you ever thought about how your 70 year-old mother would fare in the private health insurance market?
3) I'm not quite sure how to respond to this one. Presumably you believe that having the federal government pay for healthcare will result in fewer providers of care. I'm not sure why you think that's the case.
4) This riff about "Socialized medicine" failing all over the world is laughable. We have pretty much the worst system in the developed world and it is the most expensive. There are plenty of governments that administer health systems much better than we do here in the US and at less cost with equal or better health outcomes.