Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France

[Insomniac]

I'm not sure what you're getting at, but Australia leads America in almost all quality of life indicators and spends less per person than the US.

I realize that a large part of the Australian health care system is subsidized by the government, but I still pay far less than my American counterparts and have better healthcare.



We've got something called the Medicare levy, which is 1.5% of your total income - obviously some of our regular taxation funds the health care system also.

If you earn something like $75,000 per year, it works out cheaper to have private health insurance than to rely on the public health system. I've got private health insurance there, but a lot of the time I use the public system because the specialists are sometimes better.

I'm not saying that Australia has the best health care system in the world, we certainly don't and we are slowly moving towards something akin to the US system but at the moment I'd much rather our system than the US system.

Fucking oath!. I was going to write a response here but decided not to.

Seriously, the Aussie system kicks ass.

The only "gripe" I have is that the Aussie system will reset and cast you when you break something, rather than pin/screw you. Then again, before insurance, the same treatment would cost me $40k in the US or $3 after insurance vs. $20 in Australia.

I've waited less time in Aussie ER and/or doctors offices than I've ever waited in the US.

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

Er no, you're basically implying that social security is prepaying for retirement as well - when this is 100% untrue. How many taxpayers supported 1 SS retiree previously vs today?

Well, if you want to go that way on the argument, then sure, you're right. I guess when these laws were enacted, they didn't foresee the average family going from 5 - 7 people, down to 2 - 4 people. So yes, now that the baby boomers are all already retired, or just about to retire, there's going to be a problem there.

Nonetheless, can't say he didn't pay for his own healthcare. He paid 1.5% of his income for it.

Also do tell, why have private imaging (MRI, CT, PET) facilities been legalized and popping up all over Canada now? Maybe the market was...right!

Ugghhh... sure, private companies can definitely do better than the government in some instances, hence why things like MRI scans and hip replacements can now be done via private clinics. To suggest privatization of the entire health industry would help though is a totally different story though. It's somewhat the same as debating whether or not national defense should be privatized. I know some of you think it's an excellent idea, but I think it's totally insane.

Or how about you tell me, why are old ladies in Montana being arrested because they purchased their prescription online from a company in Canada for a third of the price? In the initial draft of Obama's healthcare bill, it would have been legal to purchase drugs from Canada, but come the final version that little clause was left out, so now old ladies are being harassed and prosecuted because they don't pay the 300% markup from US companies. You can thank free market capitalism for that one.

There's some things government are better suited for, and other things private sector is better for. I believe it's in the best interest for everyone to have government run health care, because as I stated above, when the government is the one and only conduit into a market of tens of millions of customers, they get some good sway at the negotiating table.

 

[guerilla]

I believe it's in the best interest for everyone to have government run health care, because as I stated above, when the government is the one and only conduit into a market of tens of millions of customers, they get some good sway at the negotiating table.

Yeah, that worked great in the Soviet Union.

There's some things government are better suited for, and other things private sector is better for.

There is nothing the government does better than the market, unless you mean aggression. That's the expert domain of the state.

 

[ly2 from WF]

when the government is the one and only conduit into a market of tens of millions of customers, they get some good sway at the negotiating table.

LoL

That's why they pay $500 for a toilet seat. They don't care to negotiate because they don't have to worry about profits. They overspend on EVERYTHING.

People will kill over government contracts because you can charge anything you want. From military to web design and everything in between. If you get a government contract it's like a never ending ATM machine. The government FAILS at EVERYTHING it does.

 

[geomark]

There is nothing the government does better than the market, unless you mean aggression. That's the expert domain of the state.

Truth.

Although, even aggression could be done better by the market if the populace had not granted exclusivity to the state. It is still the market that designs and produces the tools of aggression.

 

[johnmatrix]

LoL

That's why they pay $500 for a toilet seat. They don't care to negotiate because they don't have to worry about profits. They overspend on EVERYTHING.

People will kill over government contracts because you can charge anything you want. From military to web design and everything in between. If you get a government contract it's like a never ending ATM machine. The government FAILS at EVERYTHING it does.

Australia Post - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation

- Profit (before tax) of $103.0 million.

- Delivered 96.1% of letters on time or early.

- In the last 20 years, the cost of a postage stamp has only increased with inflation from 43c to 60c.


As for the United States Postal Service

- Net profit US$ −5.1 billion (2011)

It's only your government that fails at everything buddy.

 

[lose lose win]

HOLE LEE FUCKING SHIT! I AM OUTRAGED AND SHOCKED THAT A COMPANY MAKES A PROFIT. WHAT THE FUCK? I AM GOING TO GO TO THE NEAREST PARK AND HOLD A SIGN ABOUT THIS!

wtf are you talking about? Nobody is complaining about a company making a profit.. If I walk into Home Depot and pay $0.25 for a nail, fine... capitalism succeeds. But if I go to the hospital and pay $32.00 for an aspirin, well that's not capitalism... it's cronyism with capitalistic cover.

Of course, free healthcare is a bad idea... and nobody has any kind of right to care, but to not think we are getting seriously fucked is to be either ignorant or in denial.

Guess we should all just go to our doctors house and give him rim jobs in exchange for healthcare.

 

[lose lose win]

There's some things government are better suited for, and other things private sector is better for. I believe it's in the best interest for everyone to have government run health care, because as I stated above, when the government is the one and only conduit into a market of tens of millions of customers, they get some good sway at the negotiating table.

You use your 1000th post for one of the dumbest fucking things I've ever read on WF?

 

[lose lose win]

I think of it as paying it forward. I know that sounds far too simple a concept for the superior intellects on here, but if my tax money saves someone (say a child for instance) that in other systems couldn't pay for health care, or even life saving surgery - then I am good with that and where my tax money has gone.


thanks for the new word...had to look that up even though I had a general idea.

With all due respect god of T&A... The fact that you think your tax monies are going to "pay it forward" says to me that you should learn a lot more about the term "fascistic"

 

[nickster]

I hate when people say "free healthcare is a bad idea" when it WORKS in many countries (including the one I live in) and people are not bitching and moaning about having to pay for it with their tax dollars (or euros or pounds) and most importantly people are not dying or becoming bankrupt because they can't afford it.

Stop all this stupid "all socialism is evil" bullshit. You need to see it for yourself in progress and then have an opinion. Otherwise all your evidence is just political rhetoric.

Here's an idea, what about if you took 10% of your idiotically bloated and corrupt military budget and put it into a public healthcare then lives REALLY will be saved and they will be American lives this time.

Fucking ignorance is maddening!

 

[pixelo]

Yeah, that worked great in the Soviet Union.

Works pretty great in the UK, Oz, Canada etc.[/QUOTE]

There is nothing the government does better than the market, unless you mean aggression. That's the expert domain of the state.

Yeah thats ridiculous.

Police? You'd like market forces to be applied there?

Fire service?

Judicial system?


Business is great - capitalism rocks and creates efficiencies and wealth, but you cant just apply it to everything.

 

[pixelo]

Stop all this stupid "all socialism is evil" bullshit. You need to see it for yourself in progress and then have an opinion. Otherwise all your evidence is just political rhetoric.

Here's an idea, what about if you took 10% of your idiotically bloated and corrupt military budget and put it into a public healthcare then lives REALLY will be saved and they will be American lives this time.

Thing is - you wouldnt even have to reallocate the bloated military budget if you just stop pandering to corps who want to print money, "socialist/commie" (haha!) healthcare systems like those in Canada, UK, France and most other developed countries cost their citizens less through taxation and direct contribution.

"In 2009, Americans spent $7,960 per person on health care. Our neighbors in Canada spent $4,808. The Germans spent $4,218. The French, $3,978. If we had the per-person costs of any of those countries, America’s deficits would vanish. "

 

[geomark]

Works pretty great in the UK, Oz, Canada etc.

Yeah thats ridiculous.

Police? You'd like market forces to be applied there?

Fire service?

Judicial system?


Business is great - capitalism rocks and creates efficiencies and wealth, but you cant just apply it to everything.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. Then they would be answerable to the market. There are some good writeups about how security used to be all private and not provided by the state. Check mises.org if you want to learn how to think beyond how you have been conditioned by the state.

 

[Rexibit]

Seriously though, I have no health insurance and a brain tumor. Somehow I have managed to get by. I simply pay cash when I go in, it's not that expensive.

This explains so much, Barry.








































:bootyshake:

 

[pixelo]

Yeah thats ridiculous.

Police? You'd like market forces to be applied there?

Fire service?

Judicial system?


Business is great - capitalism rocks and creates efficiencies and wealth, but you cant just apply it to everything.

Absolutely. Then they would be answerable to the market. There are some good writeups about how security used to be all private and not provided by the state. Check mises.org if you want to learn how to think beyond how you have been conditioned by the state.

No state conditioning here... You'd rather call a company like Blackwater than the police or fire department when your home is on fire or burgled?

The state is (mostly) shit at doing things like : making shoes, creating a search engine, running a hotel, running an impartial newspaper, retailing goods and so on.

Private enterprise is shit at running public services where there is no competition and no market forces, like the police, healthcare, fire department, building roads.

 

[clyde]

Private enterprise is shit at running public services where there is no competition and no market forces, like the police, healthcare, fire department, building roads.

You're right, that's why government needs to step out of the way and let competition come in.

 

[jonas33h]

What are you talking about? It's the same shit I get here. Same packaging, same everything. I just don't pay the U.S. fees.

What brain washing? Because I don't think I am entitled to other peoples money? That means I'm brainwashed? Maybe you're brainwashed with an entitlement attitude like the other OWS people?

I think that is the typical american response. . . if it wasn't made here we are getting an inferior product because other industrialized country just give you rat poison instead of the medication you think you are taking. But seriously there is nothing wrong with entitlements, I know kind of off topic but it's not entitlement that cause people to lose site of what's important and what is not.








Hey Could you send me $100 bucks to by my kids groceries I spent my crack dollars on hookers and my welfare check on a new ipad and my kids haven't eaten i like a week I must have forgot about that while I have been dicking around on WF instead of looking for a job that I don't really want anyways.

 

[Rexibit]

Private enterprise is shit at running public services where there is no competition and no market forces, like the police, healthcare, fire department, building roads.

Let's look at roads. Every town and city I've been in and seen road crews working have something in common. One or two people working, and five or six standing around on break. On the surface, not a big issue. However, when they've "fixed" the 400 feet to a mile of road two weeks to a month later, it's usually less usable than it was to start with.

Seriously.

 

[Flash4Ever]

Seriously though, I have no health insurance and a brain tumor. Somehow I have managed to get by. I simply pay cash when I go in, it's not that expensive.

When I was poor, know what I did? I fucking did manual labor at the homes of doctors in exchange for MRIs, and other services. Did it suck shit? Fucking god damn right it did but I did it anyway because I had to have the care.

Know what the best part is? Unlike the wonderful free healthcare systems in Canada, I can walk in and get my shit banged out in a couple hours. I don't have to wait 8 months to see a specialist.

Fuck France. Fuck "free healthcare". And fuck you.

Get your fucking faggot asses off your fucking worthless asses and earn your fucking healthcare. Fuck you, nobody owes you faggots "free healthcare". Nobody owes you shit, pay for the shit you want you begging pieces of shit or die and STFU.

Why do you keep saying that healthcare is free in Europe. At about 50% tax rates (after latest debt consolidations) we pay our healthcare more than you.
If you can't walk because you are sick as hell you can't work, if you can't even piss due pain it's right to have free healthcare because the right of health is like the right of oxygen and water.

If we don't want public healthcare we can choose among a wide offer of private health solutions.

FREE HEALTHCARE != SOCIALISM

 

[Crisis]

Seriously though, I have no health insurance and a brain tumor. Somehow I have managed to get by. I simply pay cash when I go in, it's not that expensive.

When I was poor, know what I did? I fucking did manual labor at the homes of doctors in exchange for MRIs, and other services. Did it suck shit? Fucking god damn right it did but I did it anyway because I had to have the care.

Know what the best part is? Unlike the wonderful free healthcare systems in Canada, I can walk in and get my shit banged out in a couple hours. I don't have to wait 8 months to see a specialist.

Fuck France. Fuck "free healthcare". And fuck you.

Get your fucking faggot asses off your fucking worthless asses and earn your fucking healthcare. Fuck you, nobody owes you faggots "free healthcare". Nobody owes you shit, pay for the shit you want you begging pieces of shit or die and STFU.

People like you deserve everything you get (which is nothing, HAHA), it's hilarious how brainwashed you are. Also, I don't know what shitty place you went to, but just because it's free doesn't mean you have to wait 8 MONTHS - I guess they just really hated you, easily done.