It’s free on their front page… check it out.

-g

One fallacy of the debate is the failure to question the assertion that climbing expenditures are a crises that demands centralized action for reform and that current trends will lead to some kind of collapse unchallenged. The great economist, Herbert Stein pointed out a truism that we should not forget:

“Unsustainable trends will not continue.”

Current expediture trends will not continue for the simple reason that they can not whether or not Congress acts and irrespective of how Congress acts. The question is, what kind of change will occur, who will control it, and who will benefit. Who will be left in charge of your healthcare. How much freedom will you have left.

Lets consider what would happen if there were no massive healthcare reform. If we can imagine that, even if we don’t like the vision, then we can also imagine much much more conservative, less harmful, and reversible changes that we could make to nudge it towards a more congenial vision of evolution.

Another way of looking at it is this. Change is going to happen. First dollar insurance coverage that pays for everything that the gluttonous American public wants is going to mostly go away. Do you want it to be replaced by first dollar insurance that pays for what the government wants you to have? Big fee/tax to pay for it, little out of pocket when you get sick, but tight rationing. Or do you want high deductible insurance with expeditures achieved by putting your skin back in the game? More control over the kind of insurance you like. More co-insurance and deductibles but protected from bankruptcy. More choice and freedom. Do you want the chance to chose your own way? Or would you rather be relieved of the burden of freedom and have your employer, legislator, commissar decide for you?

What will happen when a critical number of states, with price pressure driving the public to push the legislators to ignore the bribes, uh, I mean contributions, from insurers, open up their individual markets to out of state insurances? What will happen when citizens of other states see the choice and cost advantages? I suspect reform of that market will evolve without federal action.

What will happen to the ridiculous pricing policies of many of my colleagues when a critical number of people have consumer directed plans and price shop? I suspect you will see some price transparency and packaged deals being offered.

Even the government sector will eventually have to accept reality. The dire predictions about what medicare and medicaid will take out of government in 30 years will beyond any doubt not occur for the simple reason that they can not. The political class will shovel out the money as long as it is there, and when it is not, they will stop shoveling of necessity. If the current political culture in Washington were to really get a lasso on the medical gluttony train now, while the dollar is still sound and the chinese will still buy our bonds, then they will only do so for the purpose of handing it out to some tribe of grifters–like bankers, bankrupt industrial unions, overpromised public pensions, and overpriced private colleges.

http://supremacyclaus.blogspot.com/2009/06/lower-health-care-cost-by-50-by-getting.html

I want my thyroid checked again.
I want my head CT again.
I want my back MRI’d again.
I want my lipids checked every year.
I want to see a cardiologist for my atypical chest pain.
I want to see a neurologist for my head ache.
I want to see my doctor for a work excuse.

And then there is:
Better get a thyroid test just in case it is off.
Better get that MRI or CT – don’t want to miss anything and get sued or be perceived as a doc who is not thorough.
Just send the patient to a neurologist – I don’t have the time to deal with this.
Better check all those labs over an over – don’t want to miss anything no matter if it very unlikely.

So rationing is not the only option. How about accepting that medicine is not as perfect as the law, or accounting or any other discipline.(Sarcasm intended).