Comments on: People…Get Your Facts Straight http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2007/05/15/people%e2%80%a6get-your-facts-straight/ The Progressive Pulse is a blog about the issues, debates, and people that affect North Carolina public policy. As with the organization that sponsors it, NC Policy Watch, its ultimate objective is to improve the quality of life in the state, in this case by promoting the development of an informed, energetic and progressive online community. The Progressive Pulse welcomes the contributions of interested people of all points of view provided they are of a reasonable length, have some relevance to issues of North Carolina public policy and abide by the common rules of online etiquette (i.e., please avoid inappropriate language and show a measure of respect for others --even the John Locke Foundation). To post a comment, simply click the comment line then provide your name and email. Your email address will not be collected or shared. If you would like to be contributing writer, please send your post to info@ncpolicywatch.com with 'blog' in the subject line. If the post meets with our criteria (has a progressive perspective and is relative to our state), we will publish it. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:34:39 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: sturner http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2007/05/15/people%e2%80%a6get-your-facts-straight/comment-page-1/#comment-993 sturner Wed, 16 May 2007 12:29:42 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=376#comment-993 Thanks for making my point, mad dog. (By the way, is the "mad" for "mad as a hatter," or are you just angry.) "Healthcare only becomes more bureaucratic and more expensive when the government steps in." Wrong. Please explain the Medicare administrative expense of 2% as opposed to private insurance administrative expenses of 20-30%. "Back in the 60's....people would pay only a few dollars for a checkup, and not a penny more." Mad dog...what did an MRI cost in the 60's? Heart bypass surgery? Care of a 24 week premature infant? A liver transplant? A prescripton for Lipitor? An implantable pacemaker/defibrillator? Oh yeah, I forgot, none of those treatments were available in your glory years of medicine. I'll bet if you agreed to abide by 1960's era medical treatment and technology your costs would be lower. Of course, you risk a sicker and shorter life, but that's your call. Finally, which government regulations do you believe have increased the cost of medicine? Most of the cost drivers in healthcare are market driven. People choose access to the latest technologies, choose the latest medicines, choose to see their doctor more frequently and demand specialist care, choose to demand "everything be done" for their dying family member in their last week of life. Which government regulation is forcing consumers to make these expensive decisions? Thanks for making my point, mad dog. (By the way, is the “mad” for “mad as a hatter,” or are you just angry.)

“Healthcare only becomes more bureaucratic and more expensive when the government steps in.”
Wrong. Please explain the Medicare administrative expense of 2% as opposed to private insurance administrative expenses of 20-30%.

“Back in the 60’s….people would pay only a few dollars for a checkup, and not a penny more.”
Mad dog…what did an MRI cost in the 60’s? Heart bypass surgery? Care of a 24 week premature infant? A liver transplant? A prescripton for Lipitor? An implantable pacemaker/defibrillator? Oh yeah, I forgot, none of those treatments were available in your glory years of medicine.

I’ll bet if you agreed to abide by 1960’s era medical treatment and technology your costs would be lower. Of course, you risk a sicker and shorter life, but that’s your call.

Finally, which government regulations do you believe have increased the cost of medicine? Most of the cost drivers in healthcare are market driven. People choose access to the latest technologies, choose the latest medicines, choose to see their doctor more frequently and demand specialist care, choose to demand “everything be done” for their dying family member in their last week of life. Which government regulation is forcing consumers to make these expensive decisions?

]]> By: mad dog http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2007/05/15/people%e2%80%a6get-your-facts-straight/comment-page-1/#comment-988 mad dog Wed, 16 May 2007 04:54:11 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=376#comment-988 Perhaps you progressives ought to get YOUR facts straight. Healthcare only becomes more bureaucratic and more expensive when the government steps in. As more and more government controls got placed on healthcare, things continually got worse. Back in the 60's, before all this nonsense, the American health care system was not only extremely cheap, but also had next to no regulations. People back in those days would pay only a few dollars for a checkup, and not a penny more. Health insurance only covered emergencies. But no, Ted Kennedy thought he knew better. And now look at where we are. Perhaps you progressives ought to get YOUR facts straight. Healthcare only becomes more bureaucratic and more expensive when the government steps in. As more and more government controls got placed on healthcare, things continually got worse. Back in the 60’s, before all this nonsense, the American health care system was not only extremely cheap, but also had next to no regulations. People back in those days would pay only a few dollars for a checkup, and not a penny more. Health insurance only covered emergencies. But no, Ted Kennedy thought he knew better. And now look at where we are.

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