While healthcare is not medicine, medicine is a subset of health care.
There were gains in health from healthcare with cleaner air water and such before medicine made major advances. Can you imagine practicing in the pre penicillin earn?
Major money began to pump into medicine with the government programs (Medicare and Medicaid) and the start of insurance companies for medicine. I'm old enough to remember open wards with 12 beds that's not even close to being allowed anymore. What started as a tiny fraction of the GNP has grown to almost 18% (for HEALTHcare).
So yes, financiers need to be involved especially given our for profit mentality. We spend twice the GNP vs Great Britain (9%) and don't have any better statistics nor complete coverage. Medical care is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. It's a financial racquet and we are but cogs in the wheel.
To it's benefit medicine has become more outcome driven. More science less art, but there will always be an art to medicine and not an insignificant portion.
We as a country have a significant streak of laisse fare belief. Do it on your own! But give me clean roads, water and support my favorite pork barrel project.
In the past the cost of medical care was such that it was affordable to anyone with a job. It was not a significant expense for employers to provide it. That's no longer the case and we now have less coverage and more cost and uncontrolled ancillary costs.
When was the last time the insurance plans increased YOUR fees? You ARE controlled.
Until we the people have legislatures that decide it's in the best interests for universal medical care we are not going to see improvement. It's the only way to contain costs and expand coverage.
I understand that not everyone agrees with me (including a majority of congress
) but I felt it needed to be said. Other than that I totally agree with Tom above
