The plain truth is that private charity and religious foundations
can't possibly cope with the health care needs of people without
insurance or who have inadequate health insurance. There are too
many people needing too much care--even simple things like having a
tooth pulled--let alone things like getting insulin, if they're
diabetic. Or major surgery, such as an appendectomy or a lumpectomy.
Cf: look at the difficulties that charities and religious
organizations are having coping with widespread but much less
expensive needs and projects--such as food pantries and soup
kitchens. There are more and more people needing services, and the
funding is either stable or diminishing. It's hard to see how the
charities can afford to give out free or low-cost appendectomies to
everyone who needs one, if they can no longer afford to give out as
many free peanut-butter sandwiches as are needed. Providing all the
care that is "wanted and needed"? Given current conditions, that's a
fantasy. I don't know what criteria the charities will use to ration
the care--to decide who gets the emergency care and who doesn't--but
I don't envy them, with hard choices like that. How would YOU like
to look a breast cancer patient in the face and tell them, "I'm
sorry, we didn't get enough donations this month; come back next
month, when your cancer may be incurable, and maybe we can operate
then"?
What makes it doubly sad is that most of the people who need care
have held up THEIR end of the social contract: they work hard, pay
taxes, and don't get into trouble. A large percentage of the people
who need care are the working poor; an increasing number are solidly
middle-class. Don't try to tell THEM that medical care isn't rationed.
--Constance Warner
On Mar 28, 2008, at 9:46 AM, Matthew Taylor wrote:
Yes, if you want to assume that there is no charity in the US. No
religious hospitals that will care for the uninsured, no children's
hospitals providing endowment / other sourced care.
The issue is should the power of government compulsion be used to
pay for care, which WILL result in government deciding what care is
provided, or should the private sector, including private charity
provide care based on what is wanted and needed.
Matthew
On Mar 27, 2008, at 9:04 PM, katan wrote:
On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:28:14 -0400, Matthew Taylor wrote:
To be rationed requires that there be a shortage of supply.
There is
no shortage of supply for those able to pay - if you can afford the
procedure you will get the procedure in the US (organ donations
being
And those that can't afford it can just go away and die. Yes?
--
R:\katan
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