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Patt's avatar

If you're Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert and in need of treatment. you just send a tweet to Donald trump. If you're a right winger, he'll help you get treatment.

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: The Dilbert case for universal healthcare

Should we individually petition the president for what we all need -- or is there a better way?

https://the.ink/p/make-it-make-sense-the-dilbert-case?r=h52t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

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Eric Kurland's avatar

Maybe Scott S. can set us all straight about how we should make different decisions about retirement, or jobs that pay enough, or, dare I say Scott, the gall of getting sick with cancer.

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

Obama won. He played the long game and designed Obamacare that kept insurance companies in the game to get enough votes to pass his version of health insurance, knowing full well that it would eventually collapse due to the cost push as illustrated in this article. Now, Americans will resign themselves to the inevitability of "The American Health Service" run totally by government. Due to our chronic health problems and upside down pyramid of population, it will be the #1 expense of the Federal government. Well played, Barack.

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Eric Kurland's avatar

Health care should be done by the government. When you have profits involved there are only a combination of two ways to get things done. 1) Raise prices (increase revenues) or 2) Inferior coverage (reduce expenses). This is simple economics. The health of the consumer is not the priority.

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

I concur that market signals are not operative in this domain. And there is no limit to demand for "health care."

Ergo, give us an example where the government run health system works for 90% of the users. (BTW I would urge you to watch the movie about the Canadian system, "Barbarian Invasions". )

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Eric Kurland's avatar

I would say any other industrialized nation

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

Opinions should have some basis in fact. Do more homework and get back to us.

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Eric Kurland's avatar

No need for the attitude. You asked a question without an answer. Did you mean satisfaction? 90%?

A quick example for you; a friend lives in Thailand and got a cut on his head from a ceiling fan. He needed four stitches and it cost him $12. I mean, you cannot seriously believe that every other country can do this while we cannot? I'm good with using anyone else's system. Jeez, just look at the life expectancy here compared to other countries.

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

Our IMR is skewed badly due to the politics of how the numbers are created. As to Thailand, you are in a poor country and that is fee for service, which we used to have here. It was the AMA that pushed for Medicare so that elderly patients could pay their doctor bills.

There is no optimum solution only worse bad ones.

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Carolyn's avatar

So you’re basing your opinion on a movie? GIVE US A HEALTHCARE PLAN, please. Republicans for decades have obstructed anything Democrats have attempted to pass. Obamacare is flawed with pushback from the Republican house. It was bipartisan. The subsidies Biden put in helped people, purchase insurance and get well. The great America experiment doesn’t work very well with dead people lining the streets. Medicare is a blueprint and the infrastructure is in place for a plan. This has gotten to a breaking point. Stop complaining and start working toward a solution. (PS I’ve worked with many Canadians who I asked about the healthcare and you know what. They loved it. Wondered why I was skeptical.

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

There is no good or optimum solution. 63% obese and more takers than contributors is a financial disaster-the need\cost for health care is infinite but the money to pay for it is not.

The Empire is at an inflection point and likely will vote for more socialized medical care. How long we can keep printing money to pay for it is anyone’s guess.

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Carolyn's avatar

I do agree with a lot of what you wrote. There’s a start! I just read that Elon Musk has an agreement with Tesla for a TRILLION dollar deal. We all need to be distant relatives of his. Stop with the Obama excuse. You’re better than that.

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Carolyn's avatar

Know what there’s a pill for obesity. Let’s give it out for free, problem solved.

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Jennifer McDowell's avatar

I was traveling abroad in 2014 and spending a week in London. The largest survey ever conducted had just taken place. What single thing were the citizens of Great Britain most proud of?

1. National Healthcare

2. Their armed services

3. The Olympic Games of 2012

It is not true that every nation with national healthcare hates their healthcare. Are they perfect? No. But, they also don’t go bankrupt over medical costs.

Just because it’s a talking point of the Conservative Party of the US doesn’t make it true. There is no country that would willingly choose the United States system of healthcare. None.

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

Everybody loves free stuff. I never wrote that it is "hated" only unworkable and very costly.

Every Empire has died due to affluence, leading to government debt to collapse, as have the Brits.

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Carolyn's avatar

So it’s Obama’s fault. You crack me up

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Douglas J. Wolf's avatar

Hillary tried in 1994 but she wanted a disguised single payer with no insurance companies involved. Obama played the better game and here we are.

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Carolyn's avatar

Republicans crapped all over Hilary so hard I don’t even remember her plan. You are missing the point. Where are Republicans? Why don’t they care about sick Americans?

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Oy-Freaking-Vey's avatar

Other than MTG (?!), they do not care about sick Americans.

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Carolyn's avatar

Wild, I know.

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Algo Mas's avatar

Some elements of life (and death) are built for "Socialism". Don't steam up the windows whining about it...use it. Dozens of other countries with superior health care realize everybody gets sick...ergo, insure everybody. That lowers each persons individual liability. Sweat the details later. This is common sense as applied by Econ 101.

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Paul Stapleton-Smith's avatar

Excellent article. Thank you. The parasitic insurance midddlemen have gamed this system immaculately, at our expense. Their greed is insatiable. Let’s accept that. Universal healthcare, as in Medicare for All, is the obvious cost-effective solution for our citizens. Our VA care is a great model, absent the incessant efforts of the GOP-led insurance providers to privatize the care of our veterans.

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Oy-Freaking-Vey's avatar

Great explainer. I'm an NP, and the insurance industry is as byzantine and corrupt as a Trump freestyle monologue. They should teach us this stuff in medical/NP school, but as of yet do not.

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L Plummer's avatar

Great article Ncole, thank you!

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