Re:Ask HN: How would you fix healthcare?
by anamax on Friday July 03, 2009 @05:25PM
(#686644)
> How would you fix the growing healthcare problem?
Which healthcare problem?
A huge fraction of the folks in the US without healthcare aren't supposed to be in the US anyway. How much are you willing to pay (or give up) to give them healthcare? And, if you're willing to pay for their health care, why not simply send the money to their home countries to provide healthcare there? (That will help more people.)
Another large fraction make enough to pay for it but have decided that they'd rather not. In many cases, this is a rational decision for them because they're being asked to subsidize others and have decided to opt out.
An interesting fraction are "between" providers for some reason. They'll have healthcare next month, but their place in the no healthcare line will be taken by another temporary. (This is related to the reason why unemployment never goes to 0.)
Take away those three groups, and the problem isn't that big and it isn't growing.
Which healthcare problem?
A huge fraction of the folks in the US without healthcare aren't supposed to be in the US anyway. How much are you willing to pay (or give up) to give them healthcare? And, if you're willing to pay for their health care, why not simply send the money to their home countries to provide healthcare there? (That will help more people.)
Another large fraction make enough to pay for it but have decided that they'd rather not. In many cases, this is a rational decision for them because they're being asked to subsidize others and have decided to opt out.
An interesting fraction are "between" providers for some reason. They'll have healthcare next month, but their place in the no healthcare line will be taken by another temporary. (This is related to the reason why unemployment never goes to 0.)
Take away those three groups, and the problem isn't that big and it isn't growing.