Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyk72
So while someone "deserves" a summer home and 2-3 luxury cars, that means on the flipside somebody else "deserves" to be homeless and without health care?
Personally I don't think things need to be so lopsided. I would think one home and one luxury car would be enough. If these people need such excessive luxuries, what is their true motivation for even being a doctor??
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Not sure what the exact numbers are, but according to a few med students I know, there's a big misconception that all doctors are living it up. Neurosurgeons, spinal surgeons, anesthesiologists and a few other specific doctors are compensated well. Most other doctors aren't getting paid their true worth.
Take into account the debt that every doctor incurs- they've got 200K in extra four years of school. After that, they're probably raking in about 35-40K in residencies (where they're staying up every third or fourth night). Being a doctor certainly calls for sacrifice and they should be rewarded way more than many other professions.
Average salaries
I know a doctor who practiced general surgery for 200K a year... told me with all the stress, work hours, etc- it wasn't nearly enough to compensate what they go through. Add malpractice insurance costs, it's no wonder doctors skip to the private sector as soon as possible.
I think there would be a significant drop-off in talent, should the private sector be taken away. Eliminating private hospitals doesn't solve the inefficiency of the general ones. I haven't seen Moore's film yet, but the UK's system isn't perfect. In fact, when I visited London pubs, health care problems were always a topic of conversation. In terms of Cuba, their system is simplified: health care is directed for a healthy work force. There's little to no care for the elderly, extreme illness, mental retardation, etc. Are American families ready to "let go" of their loved ones earlier? Even if we're covered, are we ready to wait an extra six months for a hip replacement? Are we ready to scrap the notion of mental health care? ADD/ADHD are myths in Cuba.
This country has the best medical education institutions, the best doctors and the highest technology (including medical and diagnostic equipment). Why else do so many wealthy people in universal systems rush here for care? (the wait is too long elsewhere). The problem isn't the care itself... it's access. And even then, illegal immigrants receive emergency treatment here. Every person (regardless of class status) can get treated... the discrepancy lies with how long it takes for a poor person to receive treatment or the degree a non-insured is monetarily wiped out after an emergency.
Oh yeah... and I do plan on watching "Sicko" ASAP. Moore's techniques grate my skull, but I think I'm intelligent enough to use his film as part of a larger critique on the system. He's at least done a great service sparking debate. Honestly, there's probably very few people (in both parties) that are probably so misanthropic that they'd really want the poor to die off without proper health care. In a utopian society, I'd want everyone to get treated for unprepared illness and disease without having to live the rest of their lives in debt. We've just got to remember that nothing is ever free... the other countries (EU nations, Canada, etc) don't face the same elements the US has (sheer size, immigration), so they can probably afford to have universal plans that work. It's great to say that the US just needs to scrap the current system, but the pragmatists still have to make it work.