It’s OK To Take Commercialism Out Of Our Health-Care System
Sunday, September 22, 2013, 1:00 AM | Leave Comment
I, like so many others, have read many articles about our national health-care system. As long as I can remember, since moving to the States in the seventies, the debate about health-care system has been going on and off, especially during election years.
Presently, it has been presented to the American people as if it’s a national emergency. Come to think of it, maybe that’s what it is for an overwhelming majority of the general populace.
Having said that, the U.S. economy is supposedly built on capitalism. The irony is that it is almost always followed by commercialism. They go hand-in-hand and are seemingly intertwined. One cannot exist without the other. Capitalism breathes commercialism. A little of it is probably not a big problem.
However, when commercialism reaches to the point, as it has in the U.S., that folks [read politicians] have a hard time differentiating between good and bad, between what’s good for the general populace and what’s bad for them, then we must think and come up with a different strategy than what has been followed over so many decades.
That’s where we need to overhaul completely, from top-to-bottom and bottom-up, the U.S. health-care system. Patches will not work.
I come from a third-world country. Back there, the health-care system, compared to the U.S., is almost non-existent in terms of the frequently available medical technology and other facilities in this country. But the entire government program – hospitals (inpatient, outpatient) is completely free. The private sector is another story though – a financial slaughter house and it’s nourishment is provided by the rich in the society.
Some economists and experts have suggested an overhaul of the entire U.S. health-care system. Presently, it has been said that the program presented by the President, the Democrats, and the Republicans have followed the ages-old mentality of capitalism. All these programs breath capitalism (not so bad) which in turn breathes commercialism (not so good.)
Robert Kuttner – Co-Founder and Co-Editor of The American Prospect and the author of the forthcoming book A Presidency in Peril – has written articles about the U.S. present health-care system.
Robert Kuttner writes:
“What every other [European] nation has in common is that they have taken the commercialism out of their health systems. As a consequence, they can direct health spending to areas of medical need rather than letting the market direct health dollars to areas of greatest profit.
And with everyone covered, they can use highly cost-effective strategies for prevention, wellness, and public health. That’s how you cover everyone for ten percent of GDP.”
By the way, nany European economies are based on socialism. Their taxes are high (so are those of the United States) but every person is taken care of from cradle to grave.
Health-care system is too important to be left to the lobbyists
In the United States, it’s almost impossible to take commercialism out of capitalism. As long as it exists, the health-care system will be concerned more about how to make the greatest profit from the medical needs of the community.
If Government and Congress want any new health-care system to succeed, they must design and implement it to firstly satisfy the medical needs of the American public and worry about any profit later.
Otherwise, no matter how good a system seems from the outset will never be successful – not in design, not in implementation.
Remember the saying: “War is too important to be left to the generals” – famously said by the French politician and former prime minister Georges Clemenceau.
On the same token, health-care system is too important to be left to the lobbyists. Oops! I meant to say the bickering politicians. The devil [the keyboard] made me do it [Flip Wilson].
Winston Churchill wrote in 1923, “The distinction between politics and strategy diminishes as the point of view is raised. At the summit true politics and strategy are one.” Tell that to your Congressman and Senator. Bring back the good old days when a statesman – of any stature – could make a statement like that.
In a Nutshell
Americans are still not fed up with government and the bickering politicians. It seems they never will be.
Bloomberg tabulated the most efficient healthcare system in the world country-by-country. The United States is #46 among the total 48 countries on the list in terms of how efficient the healthcare system is. Only Serbia and Brazil are worse. Also, United States has the most expensive healthcare system of all the countries on the list.
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