pragmatics of my health care proposal
Topics: Health
10 Apr 1992
From: ervan
Regarding my previous radical free market health care proposals,
Pete said:
----
All correct in theory, but I have to take the Chau-wen approach to this
problem. This would result in millions of people being bilked, injured,
or killed by their own stupidity. Despite the resultant gain to the gene
pool, all those people dying on the streets would be just a bit too messy.
----
As evidence to support the pragmatics of my position, I read the following
in the Post this morning:
Fear of being sued by patients is slowing and even stopping some AIDS
vaccine research, according the to the journal Science.
If such a thing as an AIDS vaccine might exist, how many people are going
to die because our current system has destroyed the incentive to find
the vaccine? There is some middle ground to the extent that limits could
be placed on the tort process, but it is tantamount to the same thing that
I am advocating, people should be allowed to accept risk. I merely propose
that it be made explicit instead of implicit in laws that set various
caps on law suits.
As for a more general defense, Mexico has far more drugs available OTC
than does the U.S. (including antibiotics but excluding the truly
recreational). Presumably, their population is even less informed than
ours. I don't see people 'dying on the streets' there due to improper
use of medication. Though I do not know the details, Mexico's licensing
of doctors is far weaker than in the U.S. Is this a problem? For instance,
people often cross the border to get cheap, very cheap, dental care in
Mexico. The price comes not only from the general price of labor but
the lack of regulation. In the interest of protecting the health of
consumers, do we prevent U.S. citizens from getting dental care in Mexico?
If we can tolerate that, why can't we tolerate people going to quasi-dentists
here (ones that don't meet all of the other requirements)? This applies to
major things like oral surgery as well.
The 19th century U.S. had very few drug laws, including cocaine & marijuana
being legal. While there were a lot of snake oil salesmen, it was not a
huge disaster.
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