Replies

Long article, so I'll just post a few random comments I thought of.

Of this burden, an estimated two thirds falls on the government's shoulders, when one accounts for entitlements (Medicare and Medicaid),

Actually, an entitlement would be more like Tricare - a benefit promised in return for signing that blank check. Medicaid is just simple welfare. Medicare is half-n-half, some of the funding comes from your payroll taxes.

The lack of universal health-care coverage tends to be hardest on racial minorities who, being more likely to be poor, are more likely to be on welfare.

Of course, the race card. His statement is backwards - if minorities tend to be more poor, they have an easier time getting Medicaid. Not that coverage = care, but "coverage" is what "universal health care" actually means. Also, since hospitals are required to treat anyone who shows up (even for a cough or a hangnail), they can still easily get in (especially illegal aliens!) and get care then sneak out without paying at all.

Paying more for less

His points here are pretty spot-on: just like eliminating the crazy tax code (as good as that would be) would put all the tax companies out of business, fixing the situation would hurt a lot of the people involved in the bureaucracy, making changes that much more difficult.

What about Bernie though

What about him? His following is a bunch of loonies and kids who have no idea of how the real world works. Maybe try separating the polling question into two groups - people who pay taxes, and people who don't. See who agrees with Bernie/universal health care then!

Gallup's polls suggest that after a few years of skepticism Americans are again warming up to the idea that health care should be a government responsibility.

Ok, cool. If the American populace really really wants this, then AMEND THE CONSTITUTION. There's a process for the government taking powers it doesn't have - obtaining it from the people. If we could just have real leadership that cuts every FedGov program not in the Constitution (not even bothering with repealing 16/17th Amendments yet), we would go a long way to fixing so many of these problems. Above and beyond this article.

I forgot to mention this above, cause the article doesn’t get into it - medical research. No one in the world comes close to matching us in terms of research into procedures, drugs, etc.

The only possible exception to this is Israel, who has universal health care with good research. But I would hazard a guess that more works only because they’re small, very homogenous, and don’t have the same ideals of freedom/individuality as we do.