>>>>>>So you have no moral issue with letting someone die because (s)he can't get health care?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Yes you can. You have a choice.
>>>>>
>>>>>Everyone - even you - draws the line somewhere. What do you think about this?
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/02/28/pare-drug.html
>>>>
>>>>IMO he is entitled to full cover.
>>>>Also, farmaceutical companies who price drug treatment at 500.000 / year should be seriosely examined tax wise.
>>>>What a profit margin !!!
>>>
>>>Another cost in health is law.
>>>
>>>I heard an article on the radio about lawyers dealing with NHS malpractice cases who where charging £600 per hour for routine tasks like filing papers associated with a case. One company submitted a bill for 4.5 million which on detailed investigation was reduced to 450,000
>>
>>I wander what would be the real cost of health care if they brought up some really strict cost evaluation laws (as in anti overblowing them) I don't see what warrant one operation to cost half or 3/4 million. Patient needing it badly is NOT valid argument.
>>
>>I can understand someone wanting to buy bottle of wine that cost 10,000 USD because it is some rare commodity, therefore
>>demand/supply is what dictates price. But alowing demand to dictate price in health industry is IMO bordering on criminal.
>>The same applies for farmaceutical industry. Declaring cost of research in billions, just so they can rip off whole world later with
>>prices artificially inflated by up to few thousand %
>>
>>This is where I fully support (inter) government intervention. I wld love to see some of these farmaceutical monopolies pay multi-billion fines for price-fixing. Perhaps whole cost of national healthcare plans could be significantly reduced after few of these.
>>
>>Also some price comparisons with the rest of the would be usefull; Or what does it cost to transplant kidney or cardio-bypass
>>or some other complex surgery across the globe. So if local clinic wants 3/4 million for some surgery, governemt to alow foreign medical institutions to compete for these as contractors. If price of surgery is already in range that warants tender, then why not make this really a tender, international one at that? There could be for sure some bucks saved here and there.
>>
>>Just for quick comparison;
>>
>>Few years ago, I paid (my insurance in fact) burst appendix removal surgery for my son around 2.500 USD. That included 4-5 day stay in top luxury clinic, for him and my wife. So even if we did not have insurance, I could still absorb this cost. If we went to public hospital, I wld pay ZERO and actually be entitled to collect some money from my company insurance.
>>
>>I wander what would I pay if this happened to us while in LA or New York for instance.
>
>A couple of years ago my appendix burst and I had emergency surgery. I don't think I paid anything or if I did, it was less than $100.00. Insurance paid the rest. Now if I did not have insurance, a burst appendix is considered a medical emergency so I would have had the surgery and received the bills afterwards. Everything is billed separately: anesthesia, anesthesia doctor or specialist, surgeons, pre-op care, operating room costs, hospital stay and costs, etc. Then, if I couldn't pay it, they would hound me until I did, set bill collectors on me, and ruin my credit rating. There are many folks who go bankrupt due to medical bills. I would still have received excellent medical care, but my quality of life afterwards would not be the same. What bothers me most is that if I were an illegal immigrant, the hospital would have written it off entirely but mostly because they have no means of recouping their costs from people who are here illegally. I've met a few illegal immigrants who received very expensive treatment for free and never worry about the cost. I think every person in this country should receive emergency medical care. I don't dispute that. However, there is serious problem with preventative care and critical care costs for the average American not covered by an employer-sponsored insurance plan.
>
>Once I was out of work for 1 week while I was in between jobs. I switched employers and decided to take a week off in between. During that week I got stung by a bee. After being stung 10 or 12 times in my life, this was the first time I developed an allergic reaction to it and had to have an ambulance take me to the ER and get treated for anaphylactic shock. It was very expensive. During that one week I was not covered by medical insurance. If I recall correctly, it was around 500.00 for the ambulance and 2,500.00 for the ER care. All for a bee sting. That was the most expensive week off I ever took!
>
>That is life in the American medical system.



Uhm... I wander if bee sting amounted that much, what would have kidney transplant or quadruple-bypass cost if had to be paid in hard cash ??

Point of my post was WHY it all cost that much. Seem that health industry maintain their price bubble very efficiently whereas only thing that ever bursts are people bank accounts and consecutively lives... :(

Also implementing national health care would not cost all that much at first place, if health services were just priced more reasonably.
Many countries have it, I highly doubt US wld not be able to afford it if there was not for these crises right now.

Back to Charlie Rose now
I eyed few more interesting pieces there ;0)