Comments on: Design Your Own Health Care?

By: Trinkwasser

Trinkwasser — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:33:18 +0000

Here in the UK we have the National Health Service, and now its offshoot NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which is basically newspeak for rationing treatment). The whole thing is rapidly becoming a sea of accountants and Deputy Chief Assistant Undermanagers, none of whom would last five minutes in industry (and in fact whose presence has already decimated manufacturing), all requiring healthy salaries and now outnumbering the actual medical professionals.

In order to afford them many aspects of healthcare are being rationed. What I need are glucose test strips – not available, regular Full Lipid Panels – not available, and to be left the hell alone to manage my own conditions myself. Not acceptable

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.fsascience.net/2009/02/10/the_appliance_of_science

http://barrygroves.blogspot.com/2009/01/nanny-state-at-its-worst.html

Then when we suffer from Type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular conditions, or obesity, we will be told it was our own fault for not eating enough carbs.

We seem to be adopting the worst of your system – PCTs which take government money and act like your HMOs – while you are adopting the worst aspects of ours.

Personally I’ve started watching my medical professionals, and especially dieticians, closely for lizard tongues, knees that bend the other way and other signs that they are space aliens come among us to decimate the population. The only other possible explanation is that they have decided to eliminate from the gene pool everyone who cannot live by grains alone.

Terry above has some equally plausible explanations.

By: John Sifferman - Real World Strength Training

John Sifferman - Real World Strength Training — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:16:24 +0000

I think personal responsibility is the number one solution for the health problems facing Americans, and prevention-based care is a good next step. But I’m with Josie on this one – I don’t think the US is ever going to reform its health care system to a point where it actually helps the majority of Americans stay dis-ease free. We’re a little too far down the creek.

“If the doctors of today do not become the nutritionists of tomorrow, then the nutritionists of today will become the doctors of tomorrow.”
-Rockefeller Institute of Medicine research

By: Joe Matasic

Joe Matasic — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:59:16 +0000

I wouldn’t believe anything Michael Moore’s name on it. I’m sure there are grains (even those are bad here on MDA, get it…grains? It’s early.) of truth in it however. I’m absolutely sure its extremely biased and distorted just like his other “movies.” He only tell you the view he wants you to believe and portrays it the way he wants, which in my opinion is the same as lying.

By: Yum Yucky

Yum Yucky — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:17:22 +0000

Have you seen Michael Moore’s “Sicko” movie about U.S. healthcare compared to other countries? It really made me mad. I don’t know if the U.S. is capable of massive healthcare reform.

By: Mama B

Mama B — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:34:41 +0000

The best health, most personalized, most respectful and thorough health provider I have ever had was the lay midwife who attended the birth of my second child.

Paid for her services largely out of pocket. Worth every penny, in my opinion.

All the rest of my family’s health care comes from the military hospital. I’m glad it’s there, don’t get me wrong.

But it’s chaotic, impersonal, and highly strained, despite the fact that it serves a very young and healthy population.

Anyway, the idea of “health counselors” sounds pretty bad to me; they’d probably be no better than WIC counselors, who are a lumpy and unwell looking bunch, reminding you to make sure your kids drink their juice.

By: George

George — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:06:10 +0000

Until people take personal responsibility for their health, wellness is a pipe dream. People have the right to live like crap and have the government take care of them and no matter how many people you teach to fish, only so many will go fishing.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:58:55 +0000

And one more thing, I tremble to think what gov’t health care will be for us aging baby boomers. We’ll be be getting old & decrepit & sickly so the gov’t will want us all DEAD ASAP to keep their health costs down not to mention keeping their social security costs down.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:53:16 +0000

Last post got a bit jaberwockied. Let me finish.

As I was saying, Government’s goals are frequently at cross purposes.

Example:
They must pay social security retirees, who when they reach retirement age, a monthly stipend is paid until death. The shorter the lifespan the less they must pay. How motivated do you think the gov’t is to extend lifespan – I say not very since every additional month a person live costs them money.

Also, politicians, being the slimy Cretins they are, will promote, via law, whatever “health policies” their biggest contributors tell them to. Examples include the corn growers (think Iowa caucuses), The AMA (think statins), etc., etc.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:33:40 +0000

By far the best approach would be to get government completely out of health care.

EVERYTHING the government touches becomes a politicized, fetid fever swamp.

For example:

Rge government must pay social security retirees who reach the ” to Government’s goals are frequently at cross purposes.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:57:32 +0000

Tax processed food and food additives like we tax liquor and tobacco and use that to pay for health insurance. That way the people eating the *rap would be paying for their own problems and may be encouraged to choose more healthy foods. Think how much a .01 HFCS tax on every can of soda would raise. (Yes, I know I’m dreaming.)