What are your healthcare ideas?

Question

Popular topic and one that I have done a fair amount of research into.
It would be great for all to have coverage. I just wonder how it would be done.
I think one of the biggest costs in healthcare is the pills. Pharmaceutical costs are huge. And the USA presently foots the bill for the rest of the world.
What I mean is the cost for development of new medicines and vaccines is paid for largely by the USA. We pay often times double the cost of other countries for the same medication.
If we had a universal healthcare plan that bargained for low prices on medications and made them equitable to say canada for example. Would the pharaceutical companies quit developing anything new or would they up the price in other countries to make up the difference?
If other countries did actually have to pay an even share.. would universal healtcare in those countries be able to stay afloat or would they collapse...

Anyway what got any ideas on a workable plan?

claire, my question isnt can they afford the research. Those companies are there to make money and if they feel they cant make enough money then I am not sure they will do it.

some good ideas so far. and yea there is alot of money in pharmaceuticals. My brother is a pharmacist. I dont know exactly what he makes but I know its a fair share more than I do and I am not struggling financially.

""You mean German corporations also depend on fleecing Americans?""

yes I do.

Answer 1

The best way to address every issue is to replace insurance and government programs with a simple Health Savings Account.

They would be provided by the government, but the actual handling would be done by private investment companies, because investments with the government are never secure. Look at what happened to the social security money. They would be like mutual funds that you can contribute to and withdraw from at will, and because they're invested, they grow.

Because it would just be you (not insurance, not the government) paying for health care, doctors could no longer charge $60 for a quick visit because they would be forced out of business.

Doctors and pharmaceuticals companies would have to lower their prices or they would go out of business. And because it's your money, you spend it on what you want. You pick the doctors. You pick what procedures will be done when. You have the power and the options, not the insurance companies.

Of course, there would still be insurance for hospital visits and government programs for the terribly ill.

That's the fair market solution.

Answer 2

First, repeal the policy that allows pharmaceutical companies to advertise. I know pharm reps, and doctors don't always prescribe what is best for the patient, just something based on how many free samples and giveaways the doctors get. Then the sales people make over $200K per year, selling medicine that is supposed to be life-saving. Basically, it's about cutting the fat and getting rid of the overspending.

Repeal the tax cuts for the wealthy, and discontinue allowing doctors offices to have certain equipment in their offices (ie. the doctors that have MRI equipment and charge high amounts for for it even when only simple x-rays or CT scans are required). Eliminating the insurance companies will also eliminate the middle-man.

Of course people will have to pay higher taxes, but a poor person paying $50 extra per month for health care is better than $500-800 even through an employer.

I worked for a very large Fortune 150 company and we had fantastic benefits. I still paid over $300 per month for my family, which was phenomenal, but I still had thick bureaucracy to go through and long waits for doctors.

Answer 3

Universal health care would never work... It would create a non competitive market for pharmaceutical, drugs, and doctors. IE competition is essential for investment, and healthy efficient.

I now live in switzerland where healthcare is largely socialized everyone has it. And it is outrageously expensive, i pay 150 USD per month and have a minimum 2,000 USD deductible to i still have to pay for all my doctor visits.

Do you really want the government controlling your health, just look at the DMV and the Post office...

Answer 4

Believe me, the pharmaceutical companies have BILLIONS coming in from not only the US, but all over the world,
so their 'boo hoo, we won't have enough for research if we cant fleece americans" is complete and utter BS lies.

Do you know how much drug companies get in our TAX dollars from the fed. for research? It's DISGUSTING.
..another example of corporate welfare.
...oh, yeah, right, and their billions they spend on advertising, pretty much makes them look like huge liars.

The thing is that they would be under much more strict guidlines and they can't get away with half as much criminal behavior if the government was footing the bills.

But with all the illegals AND legal aliens coming into this country, I can't see how we could be able to have a national healthcare.

The real shame in it is that Americans suffer for it, even when so many are doing so poorly as it is,
it's only getting worse, paying for health insurance on your own is something almost no one can afford if you want to also eat and have a roof over your head, and if your job offers it, which most don't anymore, the pay they dock is outrageous itself and on top of that you still have out of pocket expenses and deductables.
millions of people go without insurance, including many kids, putting their parents into enormous amounts of debt if they get sick. And it seems kids these days are just getting sicker
and sicker
and sicker
and sicker. Autism, Asthma, diabetes, and just about everything else, through the roof.

Answer 5

Here's a simple idea:

If you want healthcare, you pay for it out of your own pocket.
If you want health insurance, by all means go right ahead and purchase some, but leave the rest of us (and the government) out of it.

Answer 6

All healthcare should be free for everyone. The government takes out medical taxes, so why not use that money towards free healthcare for everyone.