Why can't the market deliver healthcare at a low cost?

Also according to Fraser Institute, https://fee.org/articles/if-american-healthcare-kills-european-healthcare-kills-more/, from article:

-------'A study by the Fraser Institute titled 'The Effect of Wait Times on Mortality in Canada' estimated that “increases in wait times for medically necessary care in Canada between 1993 and 2009 may have resulted in between 25,456 and 63,090 (with a middle value of 44,273) additional deaths among females.” Adjusting for the difference in populations (the US has about 9 times as many people), that middle value inflates to an estimated 400,000 additional deaths among females over a 16 year period. This translates to an estimated 25,000 additional female deaths each year if the American system were to suffer from increased mortality similar to that experienced in Canada due to increases in wait times. A system that disproportionately harms women? How progressive.

Fraser Study: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/effect-of-wait-times-on-mortality-in-canada.pdf

 

Are you saying there are people who look to the govt for healthy eating advice? One would have to be dumber than a bag of hammers to do that.
That being said...people can read food labels. It's easy to see the sugar content for low fat products. Yet these people still buy them. We all have control over what we consume. If you can't take the time to read labels for sugar, sodium, fat etc. then it's you're own damn fault for what happens to your body.
The onus is ultimately on us for what we CHOOSE to consume. Good rule of thumb is to shop on the perimeter of any supermarket as generally that is where all of the healthy food is. The aisles are where all the processed food is. The perimeter has the fruits, veggies, meats and fish.

 

The federal government has been pushing the food pyramid since sometime in the 1970s. Its what has been taught in public school and while the population may not have looked to that consciously, they have generally followed the guidelines, eating more carbs and less fat. That might be due to industry following those guidelines and filling the grocery aisles with carb laden, low fat "food". Incidentally, that was also recommended to industry by the government. The increase in diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases correlates with the government issuing their recommendations.

 

As I said....anyone who looks to the govt for healthy eating advice is an idiot. I couldn't even tell you what the govt food pyramid even looks like now. I do my OWN research. It's not rocket science...lean meats, veggies, fruits, whole grains. Bake or grill instead of frying meats in oil. Water instead of sodas. Seriously, healthy eating isn't all that hard to do.
Anyone who is obese and has diabetes or other chronic diseases only has themselves to blame. YOU are responsible for what YOU eat. God forbid people take the time to learn how to eat healthy. But let's be honest...it's easier to eat McDonald's and Dairy Queen Blizzards.

 

Undoubtedly, in Canada, waiting periods for routine surgery are a factor for some of the 0.17% of Canadians who seek treatment in the US or Europe, whereas the exorbitant cost in the US is primarily what compels a million-and-a-half of Americans to seek treatment overseas annually.

If some Americans insist on a sizable portion of every healthcare dollar be diverted to multiple astronomical executive salaries, agency commissions, repeatedly duplicated clerical functions, profit margins, marketing and advertising bodgets, political lobbying expenses, etc., etc., etc. - and forcing the medical provider to hire staff to deal with the various demands of all the insurers, that is unsustainable.

The preferable pragmatic solution is demonstrated by advanced democratic nations (that do not have the tens of millions of uninsureds whose medical expenses are dumped on the taxpayer) that achieve quality care for all at around half the cost.

 

If by "the leeches" you mean all those covered under employer-administered plans that are heavily subsidized by the taxpayer, that seems unduly harsh.

They are merely adapting to a seriously-flawed system.

 

Health care can never be cheap because of its inherent value. It's critical to the consumers life, and the provider is among the highest skilled of all workers.

 

What percentage of Americans does a million and a half represent?

 

I am saying the medical community is going to use this advice as no one gets sued for using the government recommendations

all programs like wic, school lunches, ect... use these gov standards

I am sure some people do not realize the effects these government recommendations have had on society, but all one has to do is look at the results sense they were implemented

of course your right, if you realize the government recommendations are bad and your not at the mercy of a government program, you can eat a better diet....

 

Liberals are three times as likely to be unemployed as conservatives, which means a lack of access to employer provided health care. They're also six times as likely to receive Medicaid or some other form of sub-par government subsidized coverage.

I think we see why liberals are often the ones clamoring for "free" health care for all.

 

My wife and I ate school lunches. My kids ate school lunches. All four of us lean and healthy. Stop using the govt as an excuse as to why people are fat f**ks

 

I was merely dispelling the fake claim that Canadians stampede to the US for medical care. The 0.17% who seek care in Europe or the US are outnumbered by Americans who seek care abroad.

Of all the advanced, democratic nations on earth that have achieved universal, quality coverage at around half the cost of the US, Canada would not be the single example to slavishly emulate, although it does outperform the US in many respects. There are nations that follow a version of the proven superior paradigm with even greater success.

Canada spent 10.3 percent of its GDP on healthcare in 2016.
The United States spent 17.2 percent of its GDP on healthcare in 2016.

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Of course, the US is not about to slash per capita healthcare spending from $9,000 to $4,600 and cover everyone like Canada.

The powerful, vested interest parasites who profit hugely off the absurdly inefficient US system, while providing medical care to no one, are hellbent on perpetuating their bloated cash cow at the average American's expense.

 

I agree that it is best to do your own research, though I disagree with some of your results as some current information suggests that you might be better off with fattier meats, less grains and no seed oils. I wasn't commenting on how things should be, but on how they are. The feds issued guidelines and those guidelines have been followed. The result is a sick, obese population and exploding medical costs.

 

He he

 

Followed by sheep. It's the fault of those sheep for being sheep and looking to the govt for advice.
As far as my diet...I'll continue doing what I'm doing given the results

 

Until you pay the highest rates, not a peep out of you regarding other people's tax rates

 

good for you... the longest person to have lived was a smoker too, guess we should all smoke and the government should recommend it, allow it in government building, ect...

the problem today is the corps follow these recommendations, and have replaced fat with sugar, almost everything, even ketchup has sugar nowadays

keeping your insulin high all day increases risks of metabolic disease, doesn't mean you will get it today or that you will even be fat, you can be skinny fat as well

eat enough fructose and you will get a fatty liver, same as drinking enough alcohol, it's the excess sugar that is harming people

 

The high costs of paying for US healthcare, isn't a result of free markets and capitalism. It is a result of government. Government monopolies, anti-competitive regulations, which have driven up the cost of healthcare. In the areas where there is relatively free markets in healthcare in the US, you can get healthcare on a monthly subscription, for less than a cell phone bill. Less than a cell phone bill. And this is with the high regulatory, corporatist environment. Can you imagine, if the monopolies, regulations were busted? Healthcare costs would go dramatically down, new firms created, and in my opinion direct primary care would be the future of healthcare, instead of third party insurance model. In every commodity where there is free markets, quality goes up and costs go down, over-time.

You can say that the insurance model is bad, which is truthful, but with direct primary care, consumers could purchase their healthcare without the insurance middle man. Direct pay for direct care, with price signaling and transparency. Over time, firms would learn how to compete and lower costs. Competition always lowers costs over time.

Take a look at this video, which explains how free-markets can fix healthcare.

 

By all means give it a try.

 

I prefer the government not recommend bad habits, why woudl you want the government to recommend we all smoke?

but hey, your free to eat a low fat, high carb diet if you choose, I just do not think the government should recommend it

and if one wants to smoke they are free to do that as well, just the government should not recommend it

 

Where did I say I wanted the govt to recommend we all smoke?
Keep in mind, no one is being forced to follow what the govt recommends. Stop using the govt as an excuse.

 

yes people are, doctors fear not using the recommendations and tell diabetes patients to eat high carb... makes no sense

when I had cancer, the cancer center had sugary snacks in the waiting room too, cancer loves sugar... again makes no sense

stop defending the government pushing bad dietary recommendations on the people

 

Interesting...considering my brothers doctor told him to cut down on carbs as he was pre-diabetes due to his unhealthy eating. Doctor's aren't recommending patients eat unhealthy due to some "fear" you think they have.

 

No, they aren't.

 

yes, sadly many will not recommend a low carb diet to a patient with diabetes or cancer

now this is changing recently, which is a good thing