Is it needed? No. Would there be a separate subset of challenges to overcome if we just hit the switch tomorrow? Yes. Are those different problems less of a burden than government corruption and distortion of markets? Well, that’s what we’re arguing about here.
I just don’t get how a kwh is 10 cents in PA and 15 cents in NY right across the border. Some of that has to be inefficiency going on.
https://www.globalenergyinstitute.org/map-retail-electricity-prices-state
or graft.
I mean, the notion utilities aren’t rife with corruption is like thinking the two parties spend a couple billion on elections and don’t both cheat their asses off as much as possible.
I don’t think it’s the easy part. I don’t believe that every American believes we should all care about the health of all Americans.
Setting aside choice, we need to first decide what is the best way to provide the best healthcare to everyone. What will make that a choice, because in theory at least it shouldn’t be a choice but simply the solution, is who will or won’t profit from it.
That was the exact question I was asking your personal opinion of.
The reverse happens to me where I live (one of the few upsides of much lower than avg income cities). I usually end up with the cheaper elec rates lol.
IIRC, a decent bit of the disparity we see with stuff like this is because util companies have too much flexibility on prices that they can change due to surrounding economic conditions (ie, avg state income, etc)
Of course they don’t. And honestly, we shouldn’t.
But I don’t think the number of people that would say “yeah I’m fine with Family X going bankrupt because Child @ got leukemia” would be rather low. (Outside edgelords on the internet, and children.)
Asking them to pay for it? Ehh, now you’re getting into “whoa hold the phone” territory.
But isn’t that what you’re doing via insurance anyway (for any industry)?
Isn’t that the point in some ways? No one wants kids to die but no one wants to pay for it. If we start the search for the best healthcare system by worrying about who will pay, we will never get there.
Insurance is “optional.”
Yes, but it’s a lot more indirect than “my taxes are going up by how much??? HOLY SHIT”
Right, but costs matter too when talking about “best”, and once you start tossing the idea of “costs” in with “government” people (rightfully) start worrying. Some even to the degree shit like “death panels” becomes a legit fear for people, irrational to you or not, it is a real fear for them.
I was assuming you were saying it would be cheap based on what doctors used to make. Being a doctor today vs. late 1800’s is not comparable was my point. Same thing about the house call, I’m not sure how brining up what happened in the market back then is even close to relevant. Again how’s that house call going to work for procedures that didn’t even exist back then?
You don’t NEED government for anything. The question is not do you need government in health care it’s is the government being involved in health care better for our society than not. Clearly this isn’t the will of the people as government involvement has increased not decreased. Last I checked the party with all the power isn’t dramatically slashing the involvement of government. Hell they are the ones who have so commonly pushed for more (Medicare Part D being a good example).
If a completely free and unregulated health care market might have so many benefits why haven’t the anarcho capitalists started their own society and put this in motion? I look forward to moving to anarchy island. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they get off the computer and put all this to use in their own society and not just on reddit or something.
I’m trying to say that we should forget costs at first. Of course costs will matter at some point. If we start by thinking what’s the best healthcare system we can afford then the search is tainted.
Come on man, this is such a shitty argument…
It’s worse than the hurr durrs on the right with “if you don’t like America leave” or the numbskulls “if trump wins I’m moving to Canada” nonsense.
Fine, where do we start then?
It’s not really that far fetched. It worked REEEEEALLY well to explain Raj back before he got banned for being a permashit.
I don’t know if I’m the one to ask what the ideal healthcare system, one in which providing the best healthcare to everyone is the goal, would look like. Obviously, it would be one in which the cost of care would not be a factor for individuals. Maybe asking doctors what stands in the way of them doing all they can for patients and then removing those things.
But from that point the next question would be who is going to pay for it. Which means we will end up asking ourselves how much we love money vs our fellow citizens. Because it won’t be about what we can afford but what we are willing to spend. I think if more people were honest and just said that given the choice between more money in their pockets or healthcare for everyone they would choose having more money that we could avoid having these discussions in the first place. But who wants to admit they are OK with some people suffering because they lack money?
Everybody always complains about healthcare. But take the politics out of it. Every day folk dont wanna pay $500+ per person for decent care. Im rich and I dont wanna pay that shit. The real problem is Insurance companies suck ass. They dont cover shit half the time and there rates blow. Im healthy and I hate it. People that work in big companies get a nice group discount but self employed or small biz get shit on. Thats the system. If these mega corporations would self regulate that would be great but lets not kid ourselves. When a company knows its either pay X or you or your kids die they know they can charge whatever and your stuck. Its a for proffit business we all know the game. We can sit here and bitch and moan about politicians moochers blah blah but the Insurance companies are all butt fucking us with no lube. So why should we defend a bunch of Billionaires that give a rats ass about any of us. Theyd rather see you die in the st before they pay a claim. So as far as Im concerned fuck em let the Gov take over and put them outa biz. Car insurance 50-100 a month Home insurance 1000-2000 a year… But then they expect avg dudes to drop 2000 on yur fam. Its BS they are playing us all… Im not buying it. Simple math says its a over priced service not competitive with Avg household income… So either be private and gov cap prices so regular folk can have it…or get rid of it and gov take over… Cause right now we just making the rich richer
Hey Hero, if you’re rich, how on earth did Obamacare help you? Please enlighten me.
I’m only doing ok, and to use your phrase, OCare bf’d me with no lube.
And I’ve got news for you, after OCare the insurance companies are doing better than ever, thank you very much.
It helped slightly… My cost was about $600 per month for shitty plan
Then dropped to $200 for a less shitty plan. I think big insurance sux so Im with ya…they blow. Id rather have a plan that had better coverage for $100 per month and kids $50
I dont know what fix is but I know without subsidy my plan is $300+ per month and its a dog shit epo
When I call private carriers they are way more. Its all dog shit bro. I dont love ACA but its better than past but Id love something better…
I would say this tho and its solid advice. If your on ACA its super complicated like Chinese algebra. Make a appointment with a ACA health care navigator. They will show you how to maximize the system. Its a long ass meeting but worth it.
You have people espousing how much better society would be without government and yet they aren’t creating this. It’s a perfectly fine argument. It is completely possible to set up the type of locality that the anarch capitalists say would be better yet they stay in the land where the “jack booted thugs” control them.
This is doable. Instead people post on reddit about it and eat pizza and pretend they are working while posting on the internet. The simple fact is the American existence is far too good for them to actually go and do what they say would be amazing and perfect.
There was a loan (agent? officer? don’t really know the title) on here in that time period that used to talk quite a bit about the ridiculous amounts of money he made every day writing loans.
He was quite happy with the whole scenario.