You kinda missed the point Mike. I replied to the question "Do you think you needed a CAT scan". If the government regs says no in this case then no cat scan. Without competition then there is not other place to go. Competition makes goods and services better.

>What is sort of being left out of the discussion is the innate natures of front line health care providers, meaning doctors, nurses, and so on. It's a calling to them, not a spreadsheet. There was a terrific long article in the Chicago Tribune not long ago focusing on the ER of a hospital in a bad part of Chicago. (Sounds like a great idea for a TV show <s>). In one part a young guy was brought in by ambulance with a gunshot wound. He probably did not obtain it innocently and seemed very nervous, like he was worried that he was about to be arrested. "How you got here is not our concern," the lead doc told him. "We're going to fix you." That instinct is not limited to health care professionals, either. Most of us, as crummy as we can be in the day to day routine, can and will come through when it matters. Focusing the whole debate on dollars has been a successful sleight of hand by huge corporations with financial interests. We are better than that.
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>>That is what they want you to think. When it really gets going they will have to control costs. There is really only one way to control costs and that is to limit procedures.
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>>>The government is going to determine what care is available? I thought all that Death Panel stuff was debunked long ago. That was fear mongering brought to us from those friendly companies who wanted to preserve the status quo.
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>>>>Isn't that the point. I would rather have my doctor recommending what is needed the the government. And that is exactly what O care is about.
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>>>>>>I don't think anyone would dispute that we lead the world at the high end. The kind of treatment a sheik can afford, you might say. That is a complete different topic from health care for the rest of us.
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>>>>>>Other than the cost of my health insurance, I get great medical care. A couple of years ago, my liver enzymes shot through the roof. My doctor had me scheduled for a CAT scan the next day. Think that happens in places where they have socialized medicine?
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>>>>>Do you think you needed a CAT scan.