From: CHARLES DITTELL     
To: DRAGONFLY           
Subject: If I were...   
Date & Time: 05/21/91 20:49:48
Message Number 16975

Re health care, gotta say you're wrong. First of all, the costs of
health care are NOT determined (well, less than 5%) by lawsuits.
That accounts for an insignificant costs. And "good" doctors should
be determined by ensuring good medical schools who will only graduate
those who demonstrate appropriate competence. Look at Canada, England,
many other countries: not that they don't have funding problems for
health care, but the free health care system works! The real reason
for escalating health care costs is the costs of modern diagnoses and
treatment. NMR's are outrageously expensive. Brand name medications
are incredible: I needed an antibiotic (available for at least the
last 10 years), which costs $150 a month!! And no generic!! Therefore
no competition!! My bro is a bigshot hospital finance person - I'll
talk some more with him re costs (tho of course hospital health care
is only one facet of it). BTW and only slightly related, have you ever
wondered why health insurance almost invariably covers dental checkups
but NEVER medical checkups?? Wouldn't one think that they would help
keep longrange medical costs down by catching disease earlier??
 
If there were free health care, where would the "good" doctors go? Maybe
some would go into research, a couple, perhaps, overseas (but they
don't want to leave this country any more than you or I, even when we
disagree with a variety of political/social trends).... We know that
private practice of professionals is just as much based on greed as
private industry - and I for one don't think medicine should be.
 
Your comments?