Quote:
Originally Posted by RxGuy
Also, what people forget is that innovation (the at risk $ that is invested to bring new drugs/therapies to market) can be severely hampered if we restrict profit in the system. The investors will simply shift their investments to other industries with a better risk/reward profile. Money is fungible, and easily diverted.
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That is the quintessential problem with any government run health care system, or one that is a single payer with set limits and such. If you can't hope to make money, or even recoup your R&D in a reasonable time frame, new medical discoveries will dry up. The same is true for doctors. After years and years of training, if you pay is going to be restricted, the incentives to put in that time are much lower, and those bright, educated future doctors will just decide to go in to other, more lucrative fields.
Personally, I don't have any problems with receiving care when I need it, and like you, being in northern NJ, I have plenty of top quality hospitals and doctors to choose from. I don't have the most expensive or elaborate plan, but it covers me well. In fact, I've been able to switch to a HSA recently, which encourages people to manage their costs. It's nice knowing that I'm saving for retirement with unused medical bills, but still get the same quality care. Doesn't work for everyone, but it is one of the newer innovations in the health insurance space that is helping to reduce costs.
In regards to the clusterf**k that is the entire health care system, that is at least something I can agree on. However, I think we need to look at the supposed savior of healthcare, in the Obama plans, and see that many of the current problems are due to some incredibly complex and poorly though out regulations that the government imposes on the industry.
I don't have the answers either. However, I do now that a government run system is not the right system by a long shot. The same government that proposes to help the system, but yet is the cause of most of the problems, doesn't give me a good feeling inside. And with the Dem congress and Obama loving media, I very much fear a poorly thought out plan, that is way too expensive and reduces care quality, is going to be rushed through with little real debate. All with the intention of getting it passed before the 2010 congressional bloodbath.
Anyone that wants the same government that issues your drivers license to also provide your healthcare is not thinking things through.