Wall Street JournalBy WILLIAM MCGURN Quote:
Critics of this island-nation often have fun referring to it as the "nanny state" for its laws against spitting, littering or leaving behind an unflushed loo.
When it comes to health care, however, Uncle Sam has better claim to the nanny title. From our federal price "negotiations" and state regulations to discrimination in the tax code, government distortions prop up a system that puts key health-care decisions in the hands of everyone but the patient. Each new government intrusion, moreover, begets only higher costs—and a call for more intervention to fix the problem.
In Singapore, by contrast, they already have universal coverage.
"When I'm asked to describe the differences between the U.S. and Singapore systems, my one-word answer is 'complexity,'" says Dr. Jason Yap, director of marketing for Raffles Hospital, a leading private care facility in downtown Singapore. "There are so many parties in the American system that do not really contribute to care."
Dr. Yap is referring to the higher costs that come from an American system that depends on regulation and oversight to accomplish what Singapore tries to do with competition and choice. At the Raffles lounge for international patients, he shows me an example of the latter. It's a one-page, easy-to-read list of fees.
At the high end of accommodation, a patient can choose the Raffles/Victory suite for about $1,438 per night. That price includes a 24-hour private nurse, a refrigerator stocked with drinks, and an adjoining living room to entertain. At the other end of the scale, a bed in a six-person room goes for just $99.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB3000142 ... 52696.htmlLooks like Singapore is on the right track. Everyone can choose their provider, and the people can afford it...... With some assistance from employers and the state........ But nobody goes without.
If you read the whole article, a lot of the US costs are because of regulation and other management issues. Ask yourself why is that?
Our current situation has ambulance chasing lawyers on one side.... and hospital "administrators" and insurance scumbags on the other. Tort reform would lower costs because it would render all three of them unnecessary. As much sense as that makes,...... Passing it is not an easy proposition.....Also you have regulatory agencies in the city, county, state, and....The federal level to contend with..... There ain't a snowballs chance in hell that bureaucracies will give up their authority if ever,especially at the state level.
Now, I have thought about this and I have my own plan. I say take away health care for lawyers and congress and everybody can have affordable health care.
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