tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post6409991508079965972..comments2023-11-05T03:48:31.411-05:00Comments on James Maxey - Jawbone of an Ass: Health Care ReformJames Maxeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16927848864775293278noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-39914680886867800042009-08-13T00:24:10.305-04:002009-08-13T00:24:10.305-04:00Ras, thanks for contributing to the debate. I thi...Ras, thanks for contributing to the debate. I think you've summed up the pro "let's do something" argument really well. But, I think you're being a little too peaceful about the "hazy details." Sitting back and trusting the congress to do something wise and good isn't something I'm comfortable doing. I don't want a plan sold by identifying problems, James Maxeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927848864775293278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-56558538781796791672009-08-12T13:00:54.264-04:002009-08-12T13:00:54.264-04:00My opinion has always been that while ceding the a...My opinion has always been that while ceding the administration of any service to the government is always going to decrease efficiency and increase waste, there are some instances where private industry just cannot be trusted.<br /><br />These tend to be in areas that deal with the "common good;" it's to the common good, for example, that we have a national park system. It's rastronomicalshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16475251545087211066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-79683280345891067412009-08-10T17:44:01.411-04:002009-08-10T17:44:01.411-04:00If you ever develop a major disease, get out of th...If you ever develop a major disease, get out of the US. There are plenty of safe, working techniques for most diseases thought to be incurable IE: Cancer, HIV, AIDS, type 2 Diabetes,and ハンチントン病 (do you have a translation fore this word?). There are many more, so you don't have to worry so long as you can find the right people. <br /><br />悪い医者はどこにでもある。Darkondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04222143965328452199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-19456309916971206722009-08-05T22:29:32.686-04:002009-08-05T22:29:32.686-04:00Loren, LBC, thanks for contributing with examples....Loren, LBC, thanks for contributing with examples. Medicare is basically a take it or leave it proposition for doctors. It can get away with paying less than 10 bucks for an EKG not because it's a fair price, but because the government gets the power to decide what it will pay, end of discussion. I don't have any magical powers to know what the true value of an EKG is, but eight bucks James Maxeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927848864775293278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-67306834506066572972009-08-04T15:06:25.459-04:002009-08-04T15:06:25.459-04:00Based on when I worked at a doctor's office, I...Based on when I worked at a doctor's office, I have two theories about why medical care costs so much for self-pay individuals:<br /><br />1: They never expect you to pay it so they get a tax write off<br />2: It gives them a better bargaining position with insurance companies<br /><br />Last year during the three month period when I had no insurance when I changed jobs, I naturally Lazy Bike Commuterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06186544907063119814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9377933.post-79138383253655936082009-08-04T11:06:09.084-04:002009-08-04T11:06:09.084-04:00The reality is, as much as I dread government medd...<i>The reality is, as much as I dread government meddling in the free market, they've already meddled, and the current existing system is a Kafkaesque nightmare.</i><br /><br /><b>Yes.</b> Allow me to offer my father's most-recent Medicare statement as an example. On July 17, 2009, Medicare acknowledged that a doctor had billed them $75 for an electrocardiogram. They approved $8.76 of theLoren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.com