I know even in the small town my aunt was a receptionist for, they had folks coming in with *slivers*, or other “wounds” cured with a band-aid and tweezers.

“The admitting staff refers non-emergency cases to a nearby general practitioner under contract?”

If the government does take over heath care, when the dust settles and the history of what happened gets sorted out, I think a lot of it will have to do with the industry not being creative and fixing these kinds of problems. I mean your right, ERs are full because the same people use them over and over for primary care. Then there is the stupid insurance system we have (not that private insurance is bad, just how it is ordered now)… et cetera…

“3. Reverse the ruling that allowed drug companies to advertise their drugs.”

They must think they get more than they spend.

Obama and company have not identified where they would bring costs under control. They are just saying, “Pass this legislation and prices will somehow be brought under control.” Fortunately, many people don’t believe them.

Those who cannot afford health insurance or pay for health care themselves are part of the problem because they can always get care at an emergency room. It is, however, very expensive care. Encouraging store front clinics such as Walmart is setting up in some of their stores, could be a place where low cost and charity care could be dispensed that would take a load off the emergency rooms. Medicaid is basically medical welfare for low income people. These clinics could be for Medicaid recipients as well. That might help cut costs at the margins and make care more convenient to access.

It’s a knotty problem and there are no clear cut answers.

Also, speaking of getting the good stuff without payign for it- much of the rest of the world benefits from our system. Just as europe did not have to pay for their own defense during the cold war, they did not have to pay for innovation in health systems- they could, as megan mcardle has put it recently, “cherry pick” the best from our system while incorporating it into a national health care system. Those free rider days will be over.

Yeah, but it would be nice if they asked how I felt about it now and then. Oh, that and maybe a little gratitude instead of the vilification.

In case you’re not aware of it TennCare in my home state of Tennessee is a great example of the trials and tribulations of programs such as Obama wants to enact.

A link to it is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TennCare

But bottom line: it almost brought the whole of the state government’s annual budget down as people moved into Tennessee from everywhere to take advantage of this rich assortment of “free” benefits.

In the end—it will never be over— Gov. Phil Bredesen, a fiscal conservative Dem, has had to make some very tough decisions toning the program down, while the state has been sued by predatory lawyers every step of the way. All this has threatened schools, education, prisons, parks, highways, and everything in between. This state case needs to be studied by all honest people who struggle with universal care.

In the end, I’m with you Neo. I never mind paying more at the hospital—though I now negotiate all my bills and get a great rate and have very low insurance rates with a high deductible—in order to help others who don’t have insurance. Still, when the government starts mandating too much, it leave me cold.

Sadly there’s no free lunch here and the people who take the best care of themselve through diet and exercise and healthy lifestyles will be required to pay for those who want a high level of care while continuing to smoke and eat bon-bons.

But at some point a line will always have to be drawn and re-drawn. And if it’s a lesser line that’s when lawyers like John Edwards come rushing in to file massive class-action lawsuits. That only adds to the cost.

If nothing else we need to limit liability for these predatory suits. That alone would keep some costs down.

Because intelligence, being fairly common, is so readily mistaken for wisdom, a rare commodity indeed.