tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067383035450126802.post4682277098042497217..comments2023-10-19T00:38:58.588-07:00Comments on BobbyG's Binge Thinking: Doing some basic health care reform mathBobbyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03807934795994985233noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067383035450126802.post-51559042234374288342009-07-18T05:20:44.028-07:002009-07-18T05:20:44.028-07:00The problem with the per capita cost number is tha...The problem with the per capita cost number is that a lot of that cost is hidden in higher fees for goods and services, government expenditures which are divided between national and state, etc. I wish people could see an estimate of just how much they really are spending now for health care in addition to what they pay in insurance. <br /><br />Drug companies argue that without our overpaying for drugs they would not have enough money to do research into new drugs (like Viagra, hair loss cures, etc.). In effect, Americans are subsidizing the cheap prices other countries pay. Not to mention we subsidize a lot of their research through direct government funding. Imagine public outcry if Americans ever find this out which they would if Democrats had the brains and/or guts to tell them. <br /><br />If we ever wake up and demand equal treatment, the drug companies have the option of renegotiating the cheap prices they charge other countries.<br /><br />To get informed quickly on the health care issue watch Frontline's "Sick Around the World" to get the truth about health care in other countries. Also read James Fallows' Jan '05 article "A Triumph of Misinformation" in the Atlantic Monthly which describes the techniques that were used to bamboozle the public the last time we tried to reform our system. Conservatives are using the same tactics this time around, with many of the the same players - George Will and Elizabeth McCaughey, eg. (Both are available online.)BernieOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11832687732328785068noreply@blogger.com