Posted by
mauryon on Friday, July 31, 2009 9:01:46 AM
Paraphrasing Adam Smith (1723-2790): To found a great medical system for the sole purpose of raising up a people of HMO customers, may at first sight appear a project fit only for a nation of HMOs. It is, however, a project altogether unfit for a nation of HMOs, but extremely fit for a nation whose government is influenced by HMOs.
The precedent for paying has been set by taxes on tobacco. Taxing everything bad for your health in addition to tobacco would provide for all needed money for health-care. Tax fast and other foods containing appetite stimulating sugar-fat-salt and subsidize healthful alternatives. Legalize and tax marihuana. We legalize and tax tobacco, bad for lungs, we legalize and tax alcohol, bad for liver, so the presedent is there to legalize and tax marihuana, bad for your brain. Most of us take care of lungs-liver-brain; so why worry?
The cost for the care may also be reduced by leading people away from being robot consumers and toward being self-reliant as in pioneering days. Do your own medical-care with help from drug-store clinics, internet information, professional e-mail advice and physician help as last resort.
When I have a medical problem on weekends, I am told to call 911 and have the fire engines respond. This is an unnecessary expense. I am 89 years old; so it is better that I die from natural causes without assistance from the fire department and hospital.
Low cost would be 24/7 e-mail or phone response by a qualified medical diagnostician with a non-profit charge. The information would be stored in the, yet to be setup, national medical database. The patient's health-care provider can then access the data-base.