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Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

whitehouse.gov

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Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#171

Post by anamax »

Retric wrote: post #161
anamax wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US and Canadian government spend the same amount per person on healthcare but Canada has universal health care. As does the US, it just doesn't go by that name. Yes, there is free healthcare in the US. It isn't unlimited and you can buy better, but the same is true of Canada. However, I'll note that the US govt directly pays for about half of US healthcare (employees, etc.). If US govt healthcare will be so goo…

why isn't it? Because in the vast majority of cases the US government does not provide heath care it provides heath insurance. The only large scale government healthcare in the US is the VA which costs a lot less than the rest of the US healthcare system because they pay for the doctors directly and cut out a lot of middle men that drive up costs everywhere else in the US system. They also have more leverage when it…

> But, in the end it's only going to save around 40% because until we see some real automation there is only so much costs you can cut before quality is impacted.

How can that be? After all, we have all these stories about significantly lower costs in other countries. Do they have automation that we don't?

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#172

Post by anigbrowl »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #167
anigbrowl wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We just had a candidate that flamed out in the race for the GOP nomination speak with approval of an electrified fence. I have never claimed this to be the majority position on the right (it isn't; about 40% of GOPers support restriction ist policies), but if you think immigration restrictionists aren't in love with the idea of walling off the border you're in denial.

I never disputed that many people want to secure the border. I disputed that "people who want to militarize the border with Mexico [...] explicitly hold[...] it [the Berlin wall] up as a model."

Per your own comment, you are ignoring some sources, including those which present counterexamples. In any case, I suggest you back up from this indivudal tree and take a look at the whole wood.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#173

Post by anamax »

specialist wrote: post #154
anamax wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. No, it's not "almost free". It's paid for by the company. And yes, paying yourself is tax-deductible in many circumstances. I've actually paid for health insurance out of pocket as an "older american". Rent…

> healthcare could be a lot less expensive, but since much of that expense comes from govt involvement Citation please. (In other words, you're wrong. And you know it.)

> Citation please.

Govt mandates that "health insurance" cover things for which I have no interest. Those things increase the cost. Govt mandates that I can't buy health insurance across state lines, which reduces competition.

There are so many ways in which govt increases the cost of healthcare that I could post large numbers of citations and not even scratch the surface.

> (In other words, you're wrong. And you know it.)

Are you claiming that govt involvement hasn't increased the cost of healthcare at all, or just quibbling about the size of the net increase?

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#174

Post by Retric »

anamax wrote: post #171
Retric wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why isn't it? Because in the vast majority of cases the US government does not provide heath care it provides heath insurance. The only large scale government healthcare in the US is the VA which costs a lot less than the rest of the US healthcare system because they pay for the doctors directly and cut out a lot of middle men that drive up costs everywhere else in the US system. They also have more leverage when it…

> But, in the end it's only going to save around 40% because until we see some real automation there is only so much costs you can cut before quality is impacted. How can that be? After all, we have all these stories about significantly lower costs in other countries. Do they have automation that we don't?

Umm a 40% discount on healthcare is huge is ~16% of US GDP which is significantly higher than the rest of the world. For reference that's savings is larger than the interest on the national debt. In other words the money we waste on healthcare is like doubling the national debt. Or twice what we spend on oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:International_Comparison_-...

PS: Japan spends 1/2 what we do on healthcare despite a rapidly aging population. But, I would assume we would end up somewhere between them an Canada, because a significant portion of Canada's costs relate to it's vary low population density.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#175

Post by specialist »

anamax wrote: post #173
specialist wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> healthcare could be a lot less expensive, but since much of that expense comes from govt involvement Citation please. (In other words, you're wrong. And you know it.)

> Citation please. Govt mandates that "health insurance" cover things for which I have no interest. Those things increase the cost. Govt mandates that I can't buy health insurance across state lines, which reduces competition. There are so many ways in which govt increases the cost of healthcare that I could post large numbers of citations and not even scratch the surface. > (In other words, you're wrong. And you kno…

Those are opinions, not citations.

I'm surprised you didn't mention "tort reform" too, another one of the debunked talking points.

If government is so bad, why does Medicare/Medicaid help more people at less cost than private insurance?

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