Rand Needs To Hit the Big Parasite

[idiom]

You walk into a grocery store. You get to the checkout counter and present your basket of groceries. The checkstand operator asks you to swipe your card first, before ringing them up, and the store's computer checks both your available credit line and bank balance.

It then decides what the basket of groceries on the belt is "worth" to you and what you can afford, setting a multiplier that results, if you happen to have a lot of money (or credit) in a price that is 10x as much as the person behind you pays.

Oh, and to keep you from figuring it out the checkstand doesn't display any prices either; you find out how much your card was hit for your groceries only after you leave the store.

How long would this sort of thing last in the grocery store, the auto repair shop or the coffee shop?

It would take less than five minutes, I suspect, before the police showed up and led the store manager out in handcuffs.

Note that this is not just a pharama practice -- it is true across the board when it comes to medical goods and services in the United States today.

So why, given that one dollar in five spent in this country (that is, one dollar in five of your money!) winds up subject to this sort of outrageous practice are you not right now taking legal but forceful action to stop it -- such as either cutting your income to the point that you pay an effective zero tax rate, refusing to provide any sort of service to anyone in the medical field and picketing everyone involved in this "industry" along with "occupying" your state legislatures?

https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=230439

The medical industry, at 20% of GDP is a bigger parasite than the FED. It is one people understand better than the FED.

Rand as a Doctor has very good ground to stand on. Its pure GOP read meat. Ending the monopoly protections is more anti-establishment and populist than anything Trump is spouting.

Its extremely suspect that neither he nor his Father have ever raised a fist to the medical establishment.

Imagine cutting medical costs by 80% overnight, matching the cost of private medical care anywhere else in the world. It would solve 70% of the budget problem too.

[timosman]

Its extremely suspect that neither he nor his Father have ever raised a fist to the medical establishment.

There were some mentions during Ron's run, but nothing specific was discussed beyond "the government involvement is causing this".

This is indeed interesting.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=site%3...lthcare%20cost

[idiom]

It really really bother me that this gets so ignored here.

Its like people want to focus on esoteric issues, but not anything that could actually get changed.

[dannno]

There were some mentions during Ron's run, but nothing specific was discussed beyond "the government involvement is causing this".

This is indeed interesting.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=site%3...lthcare%20cost

To say that Ron Paul simply said, "the government caused this" and left it at that is totally inaccurate.

Ron talked about how the corporatization of health care in the 70s along with government programs like medicaid caused this - they gave tax breaks to companies to offer insurance instead of letting individuals have tax breaks on their health insurance. This got everybody onto company policies where people are grouped together so there is little cost incentive for individuals to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to get better insurance premiums and most importantly it took away the incentive for individuals to shop around for the best priced health care because their providers are usually chosen for them in the plan. It cost about the same for individuals to get full coverage health care through their company as getting individual catastrophic insurance and this encourages overuse of the medical system. Medicaid of course increases costs for everyone.

Ron Paul was spot on. What is your explanation?

[cindy25]

FDR caused it, when he forced, in a de facto way (with wage-price controls companies completed with benefits) employers to cover health costs. that is the link that has to be broken first.

[Mad Raven]

Those of us who are self employed do not pay too much because of employer plans. We pay too much, as does everyone, because of the health care monopoly granted to the conventional medical establishment. Nobody but those who have gone through their system are allowed by law to treat most conditions. At a minimum, doctors have to charge a lot to pay back their student loans for the extraordinarily expensive training. All kinds of other entities have their claws in the monopoly, and the prices only go up as each one gets involved and makes special deals. People will pay because they have little alternative.

Even people who take charge of their own health and do not see doctors can't escape the system. Get in an accident, bam, you're bankrupt unless you paid for medical insurance. Whereas with competing certifications for doctors rather than required AMA licensing, paying for care without insurance would be manageable.

[dannno]

Those of us who are self employed do not pay too much because of employer plans.

Yes, you do.

We pay too much, as does everyone, because of the health care monopoly granted to the conventional medical establishment.

Yes, that's also true.

[puppetmaster]

Competition.....that's all we need. Deregulation would help.

[idiom]

Competition.....that's all we need. Deregulation would help.

I am yet to hear Rand address certificates of need, or restraint of trade, or making it legal to import or resell medical products you have purchased.