Comments on: Are Liberal or Conservative ideas right for health care? http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/09/liberal-conservative-ideas-health-care.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Doc Stonehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/09/liberal-conservative-ideas-health-care.html#comment-111967 Doc Stone Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:51:48 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40051#comment-111967 How about we study the terrain and then draw a map to fit it instead of the other way around. Forget conservative-liberal labels. Lets examine the reality that we are dealing with and start there.The first reality to recognize is basic human nature. That is afterall what we are dealing with here. All the livers, hearts, and kidneys are treating belong to people with will, passions, and intense self-interests driving them. Likewise with the people providing the care,and the people providing the funds. One problem with medicare is that is based on silly notions about the nature of people--the idea that you could put a big pot full of money in a room, tell people just to take their fair share of what they need, and that they will not try to out grasp each other in an escalating gluttony war. Or the tendency for people to sabatoge efforts to tell them what to do. Or the fact that people will, quite commonly, lie when money is at stake. Or the fact that no amount of collectivist propaganda will persistently and permanently disabuse people of the instinctive notion that the product of their labor and it's products are theirs to own and disposes of--not their neighbors.The second set of realities are financial. Like the simple reality that if we contrive a set of preventive measures and preventive meds that will add ten years to everyones life, we can not provide them to everyone if they cost more than the average person earns in a lifetime.Then we can apply those realities to values. Ownership. Freedom. Security. Charity. Decide which of these will guide our navigation of the realities. That brings us back to human nature: We don't have the same values. Which well highlights the value of the high place of freedom and ownership in healthcare. How about we study the terrain and then draw a map to fit it instead of the other way around. Forget conservative-liberal labels. Lets examine the reality that we are dealing with and start there.

The first reality to recognize is basic human nature. That is afterall what we are dealing with here. All the livers, hearts, and kidneys are treating belong to people with will, passions, and intense self-interests driving them. Likewise with the people providing the care,and the people providing the funds. One problem with medicare is that is based on silly notions about the nature of people–the idea that you could put a big pot full of money in a room, tell people just to take their fair share of what they need, and that they will not try to out grasp each other in an escalating gluttony war. Or the tendency for people to sabatoge efforts to tell them what to do. Or the fact that people will, quite commonly, lie when money is at stake. Or the fact that no amount of collectivist propaganda will persistently and permanently disabuse people of the instinctive notion that the product of their labor and it’s products are theirs to own and disposes of–not their neighbors.

The second set of realities are financial. Like the simple reality that if we contrive a set of preventive measures and preventive meds that will add ten years to everyones life, we can not provide them to everyone if they cost more than the average person earns in a lifetime.

Then we can apply those realities to values. Ownership. Freedom. Security. Charity. Decide which of these will guide our navigation of the realities. That brings us back to human nature: We don’t have the same values. Which well highlights the value of the high place of freedom and ownership in healthcare.

]]> By: Doctor Dhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/09/liberal-conservative-ideas-health-care.html#comment-111889 Doctor D Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:13:47 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40051#comment-111889 Wow, no fireworks at all! Kind of disappointing. I was hoping to watch Dems and Repubs fight it out. Wow, no fireworks at all! Kind of disappointing. I was hoping to watch Dems and Repubs fight it out.

]]> By: Doctor Dhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/09/liberal-conservative-ideas-health-care.html#comment-111844 Doctor D Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:18:09 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40051#comment-111844 Wow Kevin, you opened up a big can of worms on this one!It would be nice if Conservatives and Liberals found some compromise between extremes, but I expect the flame war on the comments here to get pretty nasty. We might even get some partisans comparing the other side to Nazis!Makes me glad to be an independent. I can sit back and enjoy the show. Wow Kevin, you opened up a big can of worms on this one!

It would be nice if Conservatives and Liberals found some compromise between extremes, but I expect the flame war on the comments here to get pretty nasty. We might even get some partisans comparing the other side to Nazis!

Makes me glad to be an independent. I can sit back and enjoy the show.

]]> By: Johnhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/09/liberal-conservative-ideas-health-care.html#comment-111833 John Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:07:38 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40051#comment-111833 Single payer would be far superior to even the public option. There is need for a physician run health care system. As it is and even with reform without the public option, the system is an insurance company run health care system.US Medical Insurance Companies stand between patients & physicians, rationing care for profit & dictating treatment decisions to physicians.This makes it curently an insurance run health care system. Reform puts physicians and patients back in charge. Single payer would be far superior to even the public option. There is need for a physician run health care system. As it is and even with reform without the public option, the system is an insurance company run health care system.

US Medical Insurance Companies stand between patients & physicians, rationing care for profit & dictating treatment decisions to physicians.

This makes it curently an insurance run health care system. Reform puts physicians and patients back in charge.

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