Comments on: Will Preventive Care Control Costs?

By: Jeff Stays

Jeff Stays — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:07:47 +0000

So I guess we should do nothing, like the right has done for the past eight years? No one is 100% sure the government plans are going to work. But we owe it to ourselves and our children to at least see if it works.
You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.

By: Alpha Bootis

Alpha Bootis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:35:44 +0000

“A not perfect but somewhat corrected version”

Suppose that we can eat better, quit smoking, drinking, watching porn, drive slower, and get our test as we might, will that not stop the inevitable illness that comes as we age? Will the prolonged onset of illness allow the government to offset the eventual cost that comes with age? What are they shooting for, are they just looking to get more production out of their current batch of slaves on the gerbil wheel so that they can break even? â€¦Because it is obvious that even this is impossible in the end.

The idea that government can somehow reduce societal cost in healthcare is as obvious as the idea that it can somehow control the economy in general. All it does is extend and worsen whatever problem it tries to deal with and all that the politicians end up doing is passing the buck on down the line in order to play CYA games today â€“ for their bunch — while reality stealthily increases its opposing vacuum.

The great majority of people do not like reality and they may even be allowed a little sadness about that however when they start arrogantly laughing at it and ignoring it you know that the endgame is almost upon us and that the usurpers are near and ready to make their move .

By: Alpha Bootis

Alpha Bootis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:57:17 +0000

Suppose that we can eat better, quit smoking, drinking, watching porn, drive slower, and get our test as we might, will not stop the inevitable illness that comes as we age? Will the prolonged onset of illness allow the government to offset the eventual cost that comes with age? What are they shooting for, are just looking to get more production out of their current batch of slaves on the gerbil wheel so that they can break even? It is obvious that even this is impossible in the end.

The idea that government can somehow reduce societal cost in healthcare is as obvious as the idea that it can control the economy in general. All it does is extend and worsen the problem and all that the politicians do is pass the buck on down the line in order to play CYA games today while reality stealthily increases its opposing vacuum.

The great majority of people not like reality and they may even be allowed a little sadness about it but when they start arrogantly laughing at it and ignoring it you know the game is almost over.

By: RTB

RTB — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:44:04 +0000

Hunter Lewis

Hear! Hear!

By: hunter lewis

hunter lewis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:08:54 +0000

You have to watch carefully the definition of preventive medicine. The government is not really talking about true prevention. It is talking about early treatment. In practice, this becomes an excuse for more and more people to be subjected to invasive tests and dangerous drugs at earlier and earlier ages. The government favors this definition because special interests– in this case medical equipment and drug companies– are pushing it. True prevention involves diet, dietary supplements, exercise, and other “lifestyle” changes. This true prevention is inexpensive and therefore has no special interests behind it.

By: Eric M. Staib

Eric M. Staib — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:36:55 +0000

Mr. Orlowski-

Thank you very much. It is regrettable that the (phony) populist outrage which the left has offered has found a larger national audience than the rational writing found on the Mises page.

George-

Thank you for reading. I chose stents for my example because they are a very well-known preventive treatment for a very well-known disease, and because they include the quantitative decision I mentioned. Their medical merit is a different issue.

By: George

George — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:20:31 +0000

“Stents” are a particularly bad example of preventive care. From my reading it’s not proven that they work and the risk of installing them isn’t all that low. I knew someone who died…

http://www.whitakerwellness.com/health-concerns/the-truth-about-angioplasty-and-bypass-surgery/

How far are we from preventive care (even if it causes harm) being required?

By: Michael Orlowski(TheOrlonater)

Michael Orlowski(TheOrlonater) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:53:31 +0000

You hit the nail right on the head. The “Left” needs to seriously learn what makes health care outrageously expensive.