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Thread: Doctors Versus Society

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    Doctors Versus Society

    America’s sky-high health-care costs are so far above what people pay in other countries that they are the equivalent of a hefty tax, Princeton University economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton say. They are surprised Americans aren’t revolting against these taxes.

    “A few people are getting very rich at the expense of the rest of us,” Case said at conference in San Diego on Saturday. The U.S. health-care system is “like a tribute to a foreign power, but we’re doing it to ourselves.”

    The U.S. health-care system is the most expensive in the world, costing about $1 trillion more per year than the next-most-expensive system — Switzerland’s. That means U.S. households pay an extra $8,000 per year, compared with what Swiss families pay. Case and Deaton call this extra cost a “poll tax,” meaning it is levied on every individual regardless of their ability to pay. (“Polle” was an archaic German word for “head,” so the idea behind a poll tax is that it falls on every head.)

    Despite paying $8,000 more a year than anyone else, American families do not have better health outcomes, the economists argue. Life expectancy in the United States is lower than in Europe.

    “We can brag we have the most expensive health care. We can also now brag that it delivers the worst health of any rich country,” Case said.

    The two economists have risen to prominence in recent years for their work on America’s “deaths of despair.” They discovered Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 have been committing suicide, overdosing on opioids or dying from alcohol-related problems like liver disease at skyrocketing rates since 2000. These “deaths of despair” have been especially large among white Americans without college degrees as job options have rapidly declined for them.

    Their forthcoming book, “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism,” includes a scathing chapter examining how the U.S. health-care system has played a key role in these deaths. The authors call out pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, device manufacturers and doctors for their roles in driving up costs and creating the opioid epidemic.

    “We have half as many physicians per head as most European countries, yet they get paid two times as much, on average,” Deaton said in an interview on the sidelines of the AEA conference. “Physicians are a giant rent-seeking conspiracy that’s taking money away from the rest of us, and yet everybody loves physicians. You can’t touch them.”

    As calls grow among the 2020 presidential candidates to overhaul America’s health-care system, Case and Deaton have been careful not to endorse a particular policy.

    “It’s the waste that we would really like to see disappear,” Deaton said.

    The economists say they understand it will be difficult to alter the health-care system, with so many powerful interests lobbying to keep it intact. They pointed to the practice of “surprise billing,” where someone is taken to a hospital — even an “in network” hospital covered by their insurance — but they end up getting a large bill because a doctor or specialist who sees them at the hospital might be considered out of network.

    Surprise billing has been widely criticized by people across the political spectrum, yet a bipartisan push in Congress to curb it was killed at the end of last year after lobbying pressure.

    “We believe in capitalism, and we think it needs to be put back on the rails,” Case said.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...conomists-say/
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    The AMA does more damage to this country than the NRA.

    Someone has to say it.

    $8,000K per year per household more expensive than any other country. Think about that.
    Last edited by nsacpi; 01-07-2020 at 01:09 PM.
    "I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."

    "I am your retribution."

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    One of the problems here is the false dichotomy. There's this sense that it's either what we have or single payer and there are no other choices. The truth is there are so many things that could be done to improve our healthcare system right now but there's no political will to do them.

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    Increase the supply of doctors. Some aspects of this problem are not that complicated.
    "I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."

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    Quote Originally Posted by nsacpi View Post
    The AMA does more damage to this country than the NRA.

    Someone has to say it.

    $8,000K per year per household more expensive than any other country. Think about that.
    Hard agree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nsacpi View Post
    Increase the supply of doctors. Some aspects of this problem are not that complicated.
    I dont see why 4 years of college is necessary for a medical degree. I would say cut that down to 1 year of the most important parts and then let them to go Med school. Less debt Doctors incur to get the degree also helps them charge less. If I pay 100k or more for a degree you can bet I am charging people out the ass when I get it.
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    Lest anyone think I have a personal animus against doctors, average administrative costs per capita was $840 in 2018, three times what it is in France. That too is crazy.
    "I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."

    "I am your retribution."

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    Quote Originally Posted by nsacpi View Post
    Increase the supply of doctors. Some aspects of this problem are not that complicated.
    Increase supply of doctors and decrease supply of fat people.
    thank you weso1!

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    **NOT ACTUALLY RACIST
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    Outlaw smoking and force fat people to lose weight.

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    Health care costs are absolutely a reflection of how disgustingly fat this country is.

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    Expects Yuge Games nsacpi's Avatar
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    If we forced fat people to smoke they would die more quickly and healthcare costs would drop

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    I love how we need to drastically change our healthcare system without changing the true root cause of the absurd costs.

    Communism afoot in all avenues.

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    Quote Originally Posted by thethe View Post
    I love how we need to drastically change our healthcare system without changing the true root cause of the absurd costs.

    Communism afoot in all avenues.
    Half as many physicians per head who make twice as much as their counterparts

    Very high administrative costs

    Those are "root" causes

    Obesity is also something that should be addressed

    Complicated problems often have multiple causes...we should try to get at as many of the causes as possible

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    Less patients will reduce the administrative burden of the health care system.

    What's the easiest way to reduce patients?

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    This is just like preaching about education and we need to make massive overhauls when the real problem is most parents suck and dont care enough about their kids.

    It's not a government problem. It's an individual problem.

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    Quote Originally Posted by thethe View Post
    What's the easiest way to reduce patients?
    Kill em?

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    Quote Originally Posted by thethe View Post
    This is just like preaching about education and we need to make massive overhauls when the real problem is most parents suck and dont care enough about their kids.

    It's not a government problem. It's an individual problem.
    Also if kids were smarter our schools would be better...we need more thethes

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    Quote Originally Posted by nsacpi View Post
    Also if kids were smarter our schools would be better...we need more thethes
    I was a fantastic student with minimal effort.

    Actually going back to school now so fun times!
    Natural Immunity Croc

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    Quote Originally Posted by thethe View Post
    Less patients will reduce the administrative burden of the health care system.

    What's the easiest way to reduce patients?
    Kill people. I agree. Let the great Purge begin.

  26. #20
    Expects Yuge Games nsacpi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thethe View Post
    I was a fantastic student with minimal effort.

    Actually going back to school now so fun times!
    there ya go
    "I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."

    "I am your retribution."

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