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America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

newyorker.com

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Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#21

Post by dantheman »

refurb wrote: post #14
paulcole wrote: post #2

Well well well, if it isn’t the consequences of 50+ years of terrible policy making. Who could’ve seen this coming except every other country on the planet?

Canada is having a huge shortage of primary care doctors. So much many people don’t have one and have to rely on urgent care.[1] This isn’t a US only issue. [1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/despite-more-doctors-many-cana...

The US purposefully lowered the amount of doctors in the 90s. If anything we should be creating more need schools and creating more doctors.

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#23

Post by tharne »

dantheman wrote: post #21
refurb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada is having a huge shortage of primary care doctors. So much many people don’t have one and have to rely on urgent care.[1] This isn’t a US only issue. [1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/despite-more-doctors-many-cana...

The US purposefully lowered the amount of doctors in the 90s. If anything we should be creating more need schools and creating more doctors.

That's a big claim to make without providing any evidence or even some context.

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#24

Post by pengaru »

My understanding is that a major cause of America's burgeoning healthcare burden is the food environment.

The argument I've heard smarter, better informed people than me make is: If healthcare were nationalized, it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies.

When the government subsidizes farming corn on a massive scale, and all these corn-derived products make people obese and give them diabetes, it becomes counter to the government's own goals if its charter includes providing affordable healthcare to all.

If we don't stop subsidizing liquid sugar, it'll continue finding its way into everything possible.

What kills me is people proposing taxing products w/added sugar... talk about the American way; spend people's tax dollars on subsidies producing the sugar, then tax them again for consuming the thing you made cheap with their taxes! smh

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#25

Post by controversy »

dantheman wrote: post #21
refurb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada is having a huge shortage of primary care doctors. So much many people don’t have one and have to rely on urgent care.[1] This isn’t a US only issue. [1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/despite-more-doctors-many-cana...

The US purposefully lowered the amount of doctors in the 90s. If anything we should be creating more need schools and creating more doctors.

The AMA corrected course on this. The problem is not a lack of schools. The problem is a lack of hospitals to train them in as part of the residency. As long as residency is a thing, we have an insurmountable bottle neck.

Evidence to the limitations. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/4561/does-the-a...

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#26

Post by cortesoft »

pengaru wrote: post #24

My understanding is that a major cause of America's burgeoning healthcare burden is the food environment. The argument I've heard smarter, better informed people than me make is: If healthcare were nationalized, it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies. When the government subsidizes farming corn on a massive scale, and…

I think you are misunderstanding the incentives that drive politicians if you think extra health care costs would make them change their subsidy policy. They subsidize because the recipients are powerful donors who want them. It isn’t because it is sound fiscal policy.

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#27

Post by briandear »

pengaru wrote: post #24

My understanding is that a major cause of America's burgeoning healthcare burden is the food environment. The argument I've heard smarter, better informed people than me make is: If healthcare were nationalized, it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies. When the government subsidizes farming corn on a massive scale, and…

> it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies.

It would also incentivize the government to restrict all manor of activities in the name of “health.” Want to go rock climbing? Pay a tax. Want to ride a motorcycle? Pay a tax. Want ice cream after a hard running workout? Pay a tax. Don’t exercise enough? Pay another tax. Allowing the government “incentives” creates incentives for the government to restrict the risk management autonomy of citizens.

And “liquid sugar” isn’t a problem. People choosing to consume too much of it is. I am perfectly healthy, normal weight, plenty of exercise and I like to drink Coke. Should I have to pay a tax or higher prices because some fat-ass makes the choice to drink it like water? Perhaps instead of taxing food, we instead tax obesity. Put the responsibility on the individual.

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#28

Post by ArkVark »

pengaru wrote: post #24

My understanding is that a major cause of America's burgeoning healthcare burden is the food environment. The argument I've heard smarter, better informed people than me make is: If healthcare were nationalized, it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies. When the government subsidizes farming corn on a massive scale, and…

Cut out the middleman - fund national healthcare directly with a tax on air pollution and sugar.

The idea that nationalized healthcare (paid for by the middle class) will encourage politicians to tax the unhealthy food of the lower classes is fantasy - this has not manifest itself in other Western countries which do have nationalized healthcare systems.

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#29

Post by evan_ »

pengaru wrote: post #24

My understanding is that a major cause of America's burgeoning healthcare burden is the food environment. The argument I've heard smarter, better informed people than me make is: If healthcare were nationalized, it would incentivize the government to help fight the battle against itself in the context of unhealthy agricultural subsidies and policies. When the government subsidizes farming corn on a massive scale, and…

What if the money collected for the theoretical tax on sugar-containing products went directly to subsidize the sugar producers?

Then again just ditching the subsidies would get the same thing done with less paperwork...

Re: America’s Looming Primary-Care Crisis

#30

Post by tesmar2 »

controversy wrote: post #25
dantheman wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US purposefully lowered the amount of doctors in the 90s. If anything we should be creating more need schools and creating more doctors.

The AMA corrected course on this. The problem is not a lack of schools. The problem is a lack of hospitals to train them in as part of the residency. As long as residency is a thing, we have an insurmountable bottle neck. Evidence to the limitations. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/4561/does-the-a...

AFAIK due to regulation, hospitals can prevent other, new hospitals from being built and it happens often. Get rid of the regulation.
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