Is healthcare all about the money?

Question

Do any of the groups studying different types of cancer or other diseases really want to find a cure? If they did, they'd all be out of jobs. Aren't they just trying to develop drugs to treat the symptoms?

Answer 1

Your question points out the difference between 'Healthcare' and 'Research' in the US. The answer must be, "Follow the money to see the answer."

Unfortunately, just as Americans are facing emerging and increasingly complex health threats, our overall investment in research has leveled off. And although the United States is still leading the world in science
and research, there are clear indicators that other countries are successfully emulating the American model of innovation, including advances in health. Seventy percent of Americans say the U.S. is losing its global
competitive edge in science, technology and innovation according to a recent poll. In light of the looming challenges to our nation’s pre-eminence in research, now is the time to accelerate investments.

Research!America has been tracking and analyzing the various streams of funding that make up the total U.S. investment in health research for about a decade, and trends tell us we are headed in the wrong
direction. In 2006, we estimate that $116 billion was spent on research to improve health. This amount is less than 6% of the $2.1 trillion1 spent on health in the United States.

To be more precise, a mere 5.5 cents of each American health dollar is invested in research to solve costly, chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The rest is spent
primarily on insurance, delivery and care.

Health care spending in the U.S. has skyrocketed and now makes up 16% of our economy. This level of spending (~$7,000 per person annually) on health
would certainly seem worth it if the resulting health outcomes at least matched other industrialized nations who spend half as much. American citizens pay more
for their health care than anyone else in the world, but they do not live as long or as well as many.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development or OECD, people in more than
20 countries including Korea, Greece and Mexico live longer on average than Americans. The U.S. has 47
million residents not covered by health insurance, two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and we
are facing the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation who will draw in record numbers on Social Security
and Medicare.

While U.S. investment in health research increased only 4.2% between 2005 and 2006, health spending increased 6.8% and it is expected to grow at a similar rate for at least the next decade.

Answer 2

with all the illnesses in the world today, no one would be out of work because they discovered a cure for cancer, that is just silly. And no, researchers are looking for cures not just nostrums, they experience the same rate of cancer as anyone else, so it is for their benefit as well to find those cures.
But healthcare, in general? Oh yeah, these days it seems to be all about the money. Thank the insurance companies for that.

Answer 3

The FDA does NOT want to cure you. They want to keep you sick ! Why ? $$$$$. Lots and lots of $$$$$. The government will NEVER release a cure for cancer or AIDS -- NEVER ! My Dad had cancer and I asked my Mom once how much it would've costed if she didn't have insurance : $500,000.00 -- now multiply that by the number of people in America that get cancer. It's all about the money !

Answer 4

No, you can beat the money ain't gonna be refused, but
if you look at how far medical field has progressed in the
last few years and almost daily comes up with new procedures.
there's no way our researchers have been sitting on their haunches

Answer 5

lets pray that is not true.however if they did get a cure they would make it cost alot of money to get your hands on.

Answer 6

buddy everything is about the money! what planet are you from? just visiting?