News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by protomyth on Friday November 19, 2010 @02:08PM (#1922378)
The US has two major nationalized health care systems: Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service. If they can't do these two low population (relatively) systems right, I cannot imagine them getting it right for the whole USA.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8557832

Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by tptacek on Friday November 19, 2010 @02:12PM (#1922392)
Fatalism isn't much of an argument. Meanwhile: what's the distinction you're making to keep Medicare and Medicaid out of the discussion?
Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by gojomo on Friday November 19, 2010 @03:20PM (#1922633)
Fatalism isn't much of an argument, but neither is, "I like nationalization, so I haven't thought about alternatives, and I don't think other existing federally-run health services provide any evidence about how a nationalized system might really turn out."
Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by protomyth on Friday November 19, 2010 @03:00PM (#1922568)
It is if it seems to be the result of a service. Don't really have any experience with Medicare / Medicaid and they don't operate their own hospitals / clinics. I do have experience(s) with IHS.
Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by tptacek on Friday November 19, 2010 @03:03PM (#1922575)
I don't --- does anybody? --- advocate for the nationalization of health providers.
Re:How to combat healthcare benefit costs as a startup by gojomo on Friday November 19, 2010 @03:16PM (#1922621)
In the countries held up as examples for nationalization -- UK, France, Canada -- aren't almost all providers now government employees?

If there's essentially only one payer, and even the terms of every transaction outside that one payer are dictated by national legislation, then the 'fig leaf' that the providers are nominally independent isn't worth much.