Alert Michael Moore! Both he and the World Health Organization say France has the best health care system in the world, and America's system is barely better than Slovenia's. However, French professor Alice Teil not only said the French system is “not sustainable anymore,” but copying parts of America's could save it.
Teil turned to a privately-owned hospital in Utah after a survey of international health care experts ranked Salt Lake City's Intermountain Health Care the number one hospital in the world. You would think that a media so hyper-worried about the “broken” US health care system would report the encouraging news, but other than some bare bones local coverage, this story was ignored.
Maybe it was ignored because Teil's startling description of France's situation did not match the media's typical positive depiction of “free” health care. The earliest online report of Teil's trip was a brief August 22 article posted on Salt Lake City radio station KCPW's website, and it did not stick to the usual MSM script (bold mine throughout):
"It's true we really have good access, but what if the system is not sustainable anymore?" says Teil. "It's going to break. It's going to blow. And then no more accessibility for anybody."
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Tiel says the cost of France's socialized health care is growing faster than its economy. Workers pay about fifty percent of their paycheck each month into healthcare, retirement and unemployment and more companies are outsourcing jobs to avoid those costs. Quality of care also suffers in France, says Teil, because hospitals and doctors resist government requirements to report their success and failures.
(...)
By contrast, Tiel says privately-owned hospitals in the U.S. are motivated to measure and report their quality of care, which leads to better care.
As of 6 am Monday, the MSM hadn't reported this story. The only coverage was KCPW's Wednesday piece and a Sunday August 26 article in Salt Lake City's Deseret Morning News. Not even the Salt Lake Tribune covered this. That's five days for the MSM to notice this under-reported side of the “free” health care story.
Considering America's aging population and earlier Democratic stabs at socialism (the failing Medicare and Social Security), why wouldn't the media find Teil's opinions vitally important and interview her about France's ailing health care system, which she condemned as having "no incentives to be the best?" Good thing the Morning News spoke to her:
It was a democratic ideal that worked well when there was enough money to pay for it, says Teil, but it has become problematic as costs have risen, baby boomers have aged and the economy has stalled.
Maybe it's time to rethink the extent of France's notion of egalite when it comes to, for example, providing 100 percent of the costs for knee replacements and other "comfort services," she says. "We need to raise those issues to the population, because it's not sustainable anymore."
Contrary to the media standard portrayal of top-rated French health care, Teil stated that the system of “free” unlimited care requires high taxes, and with unlimited care, including costly sex-change operations, in vitro fertilization and alternative medicine, France has a dying system and should look to America for a fix, especially now that the French protested rationing benefits and the government stopped bailing out over-budget public hospitals.
As far as Democrats and advocates of “free” health care are concerned, it's a good thing that the media ignored a story about the sorry state of the "best" health care system in the world.
Contact Lynn at tvisgoodforyou2 AT yahoo DOT com
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Workers pay about fifty
August 27, 2007 - 08:14 ET by motherbeltWorkers pay about fifty percent of their paycheck each month into healthcare, retirement and unemployment and more companies are outsourcing jobs to avoid those costs. Quality of care also suffers in France, says Teil,
Did you hear that, Mrs. Clinton? Did you hear that, all you presidential candidates? Do you really think Americans are going to bite on a proposal that promises to take half their paychecks?
But of course, you won't tell them that. You will tell them it will be paid for by taxing tobacco companies, or by taking Big Oil's profits, or by some other "pie-in-the-sky" good-time scheme. Maybe by tackling the old "fraud-waste-and-abuse". HAHAHAHAHA
And how about this?
it has become problematic as costs have risen, baby boomers have aged and the economy has stalled.
Does this sound like a possible scenario here?????
How about this one?
more companies are outsourcing jobs to avoid those costs.
Nah. Won't happen here.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
not surprising
August 27, 2007 - 09:20 ET by ksimm81Of course the media 'yawned'. Anything pro-American is boring, you know.
The reason lefties are
August 27, 2007 - 09:54 ET by robert108The reason lefties are always looking for more successful people to extract money from is that collectivist schemes can't pay for themselves; new sources of revenue are always needed. You have to know that sooner or later, they will run out of money. It's simple arithmetic.
Clintonette Care
August 27, 2007 - 09:59 ET by Mica the MagnificentA future liberal supreme court will determine that the Constitution guarantees 'free' health care for all; except the rich and families earning $50,000 or more a year. They will have to pay a deductible, just as the founding fathers wanted.
Yep. And it will begin with President Clintonette.
"Rich" and "Poor" are
August 27, 2007 - 10:07 ET by motherbelt"Rich" and "Poor" are flexible terms, meaning whatever liberals want them to mean. For purposes of taxation, a family earning $80,000 a year is "rich." For purposes of the "SCHIP" program, providing free health insurance for the "poor", the same family will soon be classified as "poor" if the libs have their way.
}}---> Rich pauper - poor pauper
August 27, 2007 - 10:12 ET by Cool ArrowMakes perfect sense to me. Tax the sh!t out of them so they can afford sh!t healthcare and William Jefferson's freezer (now located in his DC office to avoid evil law enforcement) gets filled up.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
W. Jefferson's freezer
August 27, 2007 - 10:16 ET by Mica the MagnificentI bet Jeffrey Dahmer wished he were a liberal congressman.
Socialized medicine is not sustainable!
August 27, 2007 - 10:03 ET by TheTruth"It's true we really have good access, but what if the system is not sustainable anymore?" says Teil. "It's going to break. It's going to blow. And then no more accessibility for anybody."
"Eventually, Socialists run out of other peoples' money...." Margaret Thatcher
}}---> Socialized medicine
August 27, 2007 - 10:09 ET by Cool ArrowAnd what calibre of Doctors will our institutions produce when costs are synthetically homogenized?
It's a slamdunk the Dem trial lawyers are going to continue their efforts to litigate Doctors into oblivion. Where's al the lawsuit money going to come from?
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Le Logan's Run
August 27, 2007 - 11:22 ET by Dr_LibertyNot to be a fearmonger or anything, but do you remember Farrah Fawcett's cinematic debut in Logan's Run?* The essense of that film (and the book that inspired the film) was that in the future as a way of controlling population, people would be terminated" (mixed movie metaphor) at a certain age. Some guy named Logan figures this out. All I can say is "Run, Logan. Run!" (And take Farrah with you.)
Well, the movie and book got it kind of right. But instead of population control, the bigger issue is cost control. Consider this:
* The vast majority of health expenditures tend to come in the last six months of our lives as we try a variety of ways to deal with terminal illnesses.
* Increasing health expenditures for a government mean a couple things: 1) raise taxes in the short term to fix short term shortfalls; 2) inspire greater productivity and economic growth so as to create a larger revenue base; or 3) control health care costs.
* Points 1 and 2 above tend to work at cross-purposes, but since politicians get elected in the short-term, and often based on promises of redistributing wealth, # 1 is the more likely option.
* Eventually, a society will no longer want to be taxed at an increasingly higher rate. Great turning points in history have often been motivated by tax rebellions (e.g., Magna Carta, English Civil War, French Revolution).
* That leaves option #3 an almost default imperative for politicians -- control health care costs.
* Thinking about my first bullet point above, what is the easiest way to control health care costs? Answer: Eliminate the last six months of life.
Sound ridiculous? Well, if I am right, European nations will start adopting policies such as age limits on various health care procedures (e.g., no heart bypass surgery after age 70), begin rationing care (meaning that financial costs are replaced with time costs [waiting lines]), or liberalize euthanasia laws (calling Dr. Kevorkian).
I will leave it up to you folks to determine whether this is happening.
(As a postscript to how we are moving towards this scenario, an Anglican bishop in the UK recently said it would be acceptable for society to euthanize severely handicapped children after birth.)
* Technically speaking, Farrah has a number of bit parts prior to 1976's Logans Run, but this film was her major breakout leading to her subsequent Angelic status.
<insert witty signature here>
}}---> No surprise, Dr. Liberty
August 27, 2007 - 11:32 ET by Cool ArrowIt's both logical and pragmatic, as I've posted several times before. In addition:
All of us old retired people will be a 2 to 1 burden on the working class.
The working class will be increasingly made up of Immigrants and Illegals who despise us and don't look like us.
We've already aborted our heritage. Why should we expect strangers to support us.
Health coverage isn't broken, it's health care that works too good, extending lifespans 30 years longer than FDR's sucker's bet of 59.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Good point
August 27, 2007 - 11:41 ET by Dr_LibertyGood point. I forgot to add in the aspect of social security, which is also a crushing burden on Europe (... coming soon to a country near you).
I am in slight disagreement though with the immigrant issue. I think Europe's biggest problem is that they have extraordinarily poor policies for integrating immigrants into their societies, particularly France. While some may disagree here, I think the US does a much better job at integrating immigrants into our society.
I am not so much concerned about people who don't look like me (as I'm basically short, fat and ugly). I'm more concerned that we don't have people who respect the values of individual liberty, limited government, personal responsibility, and private charity that underly this nation's Founding. There are immigrants who do adjust to these values and I welcome them. On the other hand, there are long-term citizens (e.g., Michael Moore) who don't hold by these values and I would like to boot them.
<insert witty signature here>
}}---> Facts of Life Liberty
August 27, 2007 - 11:47 ET by Cool ArrowOk, here's the "don't look like us" angle.
We are currently a country keeping a class of slaves. These slaves are already sending money home to benefit existing families. These slaves understand they are slaves until amnesty takes over. After amnesty, what is the motivation of these "ex slaves" to support us as they would the families they have back home?
OK, let's substitute "slave" for "indentured servant". Do they really have a motivation to keep the old master alive?
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
One Word Solution for Much - including healthcare and schools
August 27, 2007 - 12:05 ET by mattmPRIVATIZE!
Privatize Schools and Healthcare
August 27, 2007 - 14:38 ET by River CityMatt:
Ditto. The two institutions that always have rates of inflation higher than the economy are health care and college education. Don't see that comparison in the MSM either. Both are smothered with government interference. The GOP should jump on this and push to privatize both and reduce government at the same time.
“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” Ronald Reagan
Privatize???
August 27, 2007 - 14:41 ET by Sergeant ROCKAnd remove government control? That's just crazy talk.
Term Limits
August 27, 2007 - 14:56 ET by River CityIf we stopped re-electing some of these *ssholes and elect people who will do what's right for the people and the country it is within dreaming distance.
OK, you're right. I am crazy but I still think its what we need.
“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” Ronald Reagan
yeah, it's too bad the nutty
August 27, 2007 - 17:17 ET by mbuelyeah, it's too bad the nutty Ron Paul is the only one that has seriously talked about goverment down sizing.
the invisible man will pay in the end.
August 27, 2007 - 17:16 ET by mbuelThe liberals ignore reality and truth once again... How can I be shocked about something so obvious anymore?
I heard this quote on Glenn Beck, I forget who he attributed it to, but it was a scholar from the late 19th century who was trying to deal with the "progressives" (aka Marxists) of the time;
Man A sees that Man X needs something (health care, cars, shoes, etc.), He goes to Man B, and gets Man B to agree, and together they go and pass a bill to tax Man C. Man C, is the invisible man to marxist idealogy. The man that is ran over to help their non-working proletariet.
The point is, they tax the majority to support the minority... that was always the plan with the marxist social security. The majority of workers, would support the minority of employees that made it alive to retirement. Well, our private health care has helped people live longer.... hence the marxist systems within this country will begin failing like they have started to in Europe.
read this incredible essay on the subject at front page:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={07DDDCCE-AD4D-4FCF-A283-10E79EE026F1}