Is Healthcare the worst possible product to distribute by price and profit?

[abumbyanyothername]

I submit that healthcare is quite possibly the worst possible product or service to be distributed solely based on ability to pay.

One, it is critical and vital. Lack it and you die. Therefore, you are unable to bargain at the point when you, or more tellingly, your loved ones, need it.

Two, it is (arguably) technical and complex. The common purchaser does not understand why s/he needs these drugs, or whether some other alternative treatment might be just as effective or even better.

Three, price and profit makes the incentives completely wrong for the provider. The sicker you get, the better the provider does. Tellingly, in England's NHS Doctors are given bonuses for hitting patient weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and other targets. In the US the doctor, and especially the drug company, does better if the patient gets sicker. Maybe these are the people behind our horrible "food" practices?

Maybe an argument could be made that military and police protection or education are functions that would be worse off being regulated by price and profit, but it's by no means clear to me that that is the case.

[PDJane]

1. right after health care and schools

comes the jail system and the military. Health care is ahead, but barely.

[Warpy]

2. Until illness is a consumer decision

health care will never, ever belong in the public marketplace.

[billyoc]

3. Health care pales in comparison to food and water.

[abumbyanyothername]

4. You could be right

Although in the case of food and water it is not immediately apparent to me that you create a larger market by providing a worse product. This does seem to be the case with medical care where compensation (profit) is based on the amount of services delivered to sick people.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Food and water pale in comparison to breathing

Although some people (especially the young & healthy) give short shrift to healthcare in their personal hierarchy of needs, for most people it's pretty fucking important.

It's my contention that we would be better off as a society if we didn't have to make choices between basic survival needs like food and getting medical attention; plenty of people have to make such life-and-death decisions. Freed from the onus of deciding whether to eat or get medical treatment, people are able to devote more time to activities that fulfill their human needs.

I'm not saying that universal healthcare will lead to a nation of self-actualized individuals, but it would go a long way toward reducing our collective stress load as a society.

[Terry_M]

5. I don't think it's wrong to put prices and profit on it in general

The real problem seems to be that everyone's looking at $$$ for the next quarter, at the next year at best. If they looked just a bit further than that, there would be a lot of emphasis on prevention and it would make a lot of sense for companies to "encourage" their customers to have a healthier lifestyle (or if they refuse, to continue charging them more than those who do have healthier lifestyles).

[Prophet 451]

7. Quite possible

One could make an argument that a for-profit law-enforcement, military or schools would be worse but if healthcare isn't the absolute worst, it's bloody close.

(BTW, I live under the NHS)

[moondust]

8. The profit motive does not belong in health care.

It will inevitably lead to amoral/immoral behavior.

More profits for providers and their suppliers are typically gained by delivering more services: more office visits, more drugs, more tests, more stents, and especially more surgeries all generate more revenues. "Forget about preventive medicine, we need more sick people!"

On the other end is the insurance company holding the pursestrings that derives more profits from increasing premiums and denying payouts on claims. "Sorry Charlie, it's in the fine print."

And out in the marketplace is the anonymous shareholder who wants them both to make him rich no matter what they have to do as it won't be his fingerprints on the scalpel.


How much is that kidney in the window?

[varelse]

9. Government is the worst

all the other ills follow from that one.

[lexanman]

10. I would say

food, water and shelter come before health care. In terms of survival.

[kenfrequed]

11. Yeah...

Environmental protection, police, Education, fire protection...

There are just some things that cannot be "for profit"

[Wednesdays]

12. K&R

:kick: