Blame the health-care crisis on scientific progress. If every American got all the health care that science now knows how to give, we would blow away the national income several times over.

Somehow the expenditures have to be rationed. Americans simply refuse to talk about how to do it.

Originally posted as a comment by Jon Claerbout on Think Gene using Disqus.

One proven way to ration a limited resource is to sell it on an open market. Historically, paying for a resource has been an extremely effective means of rationing and inducing the production of that resource.

I note that you [Jon] are a professor at Stanford, an institution that provides  “all the education science now knows how to give.” Yet, if every American received that education, we would “blow away the national income several times over.” This assumes such a program is physically possible, which is not —the resources to provide a Stanford-caliber education to every American do not exist.

Should Stanford be “integrated” into a national EMO (educational maintenance organization) to “ration” education because it’s not “fair” that Stanford exists while others can barely read? Or should Stanford revert to a “more affordable” model because its innovations in education are not economically feasible to distribute to everybody?

Or… do we allow institutions to freely exist as they choose to exist within the bounds of civil society?

Do we blame the forever-increasing production of literature for illiteracy? No. So why blame the forever-increasing understanding of human biology for poor health?

Warning: explicit language

Source: Grand Theft Auto 4: Public Liberty Radio
(yes, the video game)

It’s funny, it’s crude, but it’s interesting:

When joining an HMO to get health care is mandatory, when the forces-that-be have every legal advantage, when the fine-print is written intentionally to be incomprehensible, what checks HMO’s incentive to bill premiums yet not pay for care?

When all of health and biochemistry is too complicated for even doctors (hence, specialization), when  advertising has evolved into audiovisual crack, when the first obligation of a drug company’s officers is to its shareholders, what checks drug companies from producing addictive consumerist luxuries in the pursuit of greatest profit?

And when everyone credible has so must vested in the status quo, the only dissent is crazy.

Quotes!

Wilson Taylor Sr. of Copay Health Systems (HMO):

“and little Miss Drug company here sashes into the doctor’s office, flashes her perky bazookas, and the next thing you know, the doctor’s prescribing heavy sedatives for every splinter or rash.”

“That’s the dream hard workin’ people all over this country want: to see their lazy neighbors die because they didn’t go to work and get a job and have health care.”

“As an HMO, we want people to be healthy. Don’t go to the doctor, don’t get sick, pay your premiums on time, and everyone’s happy. Why would we want to sign up sick people?”

“If we were a sports team and we signed up sick people, people would be furious! If you’re sick, why don’t you harass someone can do something about it like God instead of calling and harassing our call center workers!”

“If you hip hurts, you should probably kill yourself.”

“Just because you have insurance, why use it? Why should we pay just because we said we would?”

“Nobody knows what officially is hokum-pokem, that’s a fact. What works is a fully integrated spreadsheet pyramid”

“Could you imagine the chaos if everyone could see a doctor and didn’t have to fill out reams of paperwork before they were denied a life saving procedure because it costs money?”

Sheila Stafford of Betta Pharmaceuticals (drug company):

“It’s yellow! That means it makes you happy.”

Moderator: “Sheila, a lot of people can’t afford your drugs though the conventional channels and their forced to buy them on the black market.”

Shelia: “Well boo hoo! Save your money! Stop buying silly things like lottery tickets, pickup trucks, …or food!”

“So, I did the responsible thing: I walked away.”

“What it does is irrelevant! Ask your doctor.”

“We helped usher in drugs for a society coping with anxiety due to the civil rights movement!”

Waylon Mason, The Down-Home Medicine man and Homeopathic (alternative medicine):

“Son, diabetes is a lie.”

“I wanna make this much offa this person who can’t breathe right or I’m gonna make that much off that doctor who is IGNORING THE WORLD playing golf!”

“You all need a good enema or you might explode!”

“You don’t need a pill for everything and barely for anything!”

“After my mom died, he let me burn the body. You can learn a lot from family.”

(is this a better podcast that Helix Heath’s?)