One of These Things Just Doesn't Belong
I’ve been thinking about health care recently because with the job change came the health care change came all the options and choices and paperwork that accompanies moving from one bureaucratic system into another. That started me thinking about the percentage of our economy that goes to fund health care expenditures (a percentage that is already higher than most other developed nations and promises to go even higher as the boomers retire and our government expands the social programs to fund old folks’ drug habits) and why our system truly is screwed up.
Consumers demand:
Access to unlimited drug benefits.
Easy access to (and availability of) the latest and most expensive technology.
Portability.
Choice.
Expanding coverage.
All of the above at little or no cost to themselves.
It is understandable that we would demand great health care with a trusted physician of our choosing and coverage for all the ailments at which you can shake a pointed stick. That all makes sense.
Demanding it all for a $5 co pay with no limits on services, though, is ridiculous. We consumers are demanding an awful lot without wanting to shoulder much of the burden for the attendant costs.