HRC on healthcare: Clinton draws some chuckles when she harkens back to her last battle, but states that she believes that it can be done without significantly increasing the amount of money spent on healthcare.
Isn't this exactly the problem with all the efforts to expand healthcare - they assume an INCREASE in US health spending when we already spend 2x the money on health care for worse results than France, Japan, Canada, etc.
Why don't candidates ever bring up that the US spends twice as much money for fewer doctors, fewer nurses, fewer hospital beds, higher infant mortality, and shorter life expectancy. We don't need to spend more money.
The problem is the existing system is a black hole for $$$ - insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, for-profit HMOs, and medical specialists all suck massive amounts of money out of the system with no regards to the overall public health system.
Fixing our health care system requires bold leadership but LESS MONEY. What candidate will actually point out that US healthcare is the equivalent of a $500 toilet seat - a rip off?
We could have the best healthcare system in the world for the amount of money we spend right now (or even less) and cover everyone in the United States. As you point out the black hole of "profits" for insurance companies, drug companies, HMO's etc. is the problem. I am not anti-business or against profits but the obscene levels seen in healthcare industry is beyond shameful when drugs that cost a few pennies to make are sold to dying patients for tens of thousands a year.
Amen. Fixing healthcare saves money, not wastes it. arg!
