Put a tax on all imports with it’s sole purpose to pay for health care for all Americans.

If this makes the imports so expensive that companies will start making the goods in America again… Well what’s wrong with that??

One thing that really seemed to increase costs with different procedures for my wife was repeating tests, even when the tests were recent.

I can understand an unwillingness by a physician to use the test results of others in certain situations, but not all. I’m sure there are reasons beyond my layman knowledge, so I’ll sit and let my feet hang down for explanations.

For those without money to buy food and without resources to grow or hunt it, the safety net is: help from relatives and friends, charity, soup kitchens, food banks, and food stamps.

That safety net food may not be the highest quality and convenience, but adequate. Is there a significant starvation problem in the U.S.? No. 65% of us are over-nourished (overweight).

I’m in favor of a government-run healthcare safety net for those unable to provide for themselves, but only after help from friends, relatives, and charity is exhausted.

You know doctors and hospitals already provide lots of charity care. And doctors don’t even get a tax write-off for it.

There’s so much corruption in politics that inviting even MORE government involvement in healthcare would be an unmitigated disaster.

-Steve

Here’s a radical idea: Let the producer of a product or service set the fee. The customer decides if he wants to buy.

Here’s how it works. I assume it was a urology procedure, such as prostate removal. Urologists specify their own fees. Some will charge $1000, others $10,000 for prostate removal. The customer (patient) does his own market research, chooses a urologist, gets the procedure, and pays the urologist.

Maybe the customer has health insurance such as private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. The insurer reimburses the customer as per it’s own pre-set fee schedule: it might be $500 or $5,000. The insurer probably shouldn’t reimburse more than the cost of the procedure, but that’s between the customer and the insurer.

If the customer paid $2,000 for the procedure but his insurer reimbursed only $1,200, the customer can complain to his insurer or congressman, and consider switching to a new insurer.

My name for this radical concept is “the free market.”

This is how most of the U.S. healthcare system worked before 1985. Has all the government and third-party interference since then helped? Has it made medical care less expensive? Is it more readily available? No, no, and no.

The free market works for numerous products and services, such as food, clothing, housing, gasoline, massages, cosmetic procedures, veterinary services, cars, trucks, oil change services, etc.

You think medical care is too complicated for the consumer to understand? It’s not as compicated as buying a house, and nearly all medical care costs much less. Even a years’ rent on an apartement is more expensive and rental contracts are complicated.

-Steve