Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 10:09:57 -0600
From: BIRD-AT-pseud.pseud
Subject: Re: M-INTRO: Healthcare question... response to DIGITS


Clearly governmental structures can become as much a part of the problem as the solution.
Government control is certainly not the answer for everything but I believe that health
care is one of those areas where we as a society have a moral obligation to consider the
consequences of turning it all over to for profit entities.

As a nation, we have decided that health care is not a right of citizenship but a
privilege of those who have the resources to pay insurance premiums. It is true that the
very poor, if they meet all the eligibility requirements and have qualified children,
receive coverage under Medicaid. But what about the millions (and this is not an
exaggeration) of working people whose employers do not offer health insurance or who can
not afford the premiums that can be required in a for profit market? Workers get the shaft
on both ends. They are not poor enough for government programs but they do not make enough
to buy what they need for themselves and their families. When people who work in these low
end jobs get sick, all the employer has to do is find an equivalent healthy laborer to
replace them. From what I know, Marx would have trouble with this model and I do too. 

>>> REDHEAD-AT-pseud.pseud 10/15/2004 9:35:39 AM >>>
You've made some good points.  Less is more, in my
opinion, regarding governmental control over almost
anything.  My parents grew up in socialist controlled
Eastern Europe in the 60's and 70's.  Let me tell you,
it was the poster child for piss poor health care. 
Hospitals were made to send old people there to die,
and thats about all they were good for.  Privatizing
health care is what made our system so good... for a
while.  Perhaps instead of the government controlling
health care, it could subsidize the private system in
different ways.  What if people got tax credits for
the money they spend on insurance premiums annually? 
This might provide incentive for people to stay
insured while not turning health care into another
bureaucracy.  Readhead   
--- DIGITS-AT-pseud.pseud wrote:

> Why does everyone think the government would do a
> good job running any type
> of health care agency?  Has anyone dealt with
> government agencies?  Talk about
> wasting money!  I know this is not a popular
> viewpoint, but the other thing I
> don't understand is why it would be better to give
> the power of everything to
> the government?  Capitalism is horrible supposedly
> because it is taking
> advantage of the underpriveleged... I get it... but
> what makes anyone think the
> government wouldn't do the same?  The way I see it,
> there would be even fewer
> people with the power or money if the government had
> it's hands in everything
> we do.  I guess the argument would be that the
> government is run by "the
> people,"  so that would make it all okay, but that
> doesn't make me feel any
> better.  
> 
> 
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> marxism-intro-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 



		
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