Socialized Medicine Good - Some Place Else

[Ian McColgin]

July 30, 2012, 8:34 PM19 Comments New York Times

Look Who’s Praising Socialized Medicine

MItt Romney’s inability to stay on script is really getting surreal. Today he lavished praise on the Israeli health care system, which has indeed done a fine job of controlling costs while maintaining high quality. But as everyone who knows anything about it quickly pointed out, the secret of Israel’s success is … intense government involvement. It’s a single-payer system; but unlike Medicare, it also sets a budget per capita (adjusted for health status), so that the nonprofit plans are in effect forced to set priorities for treatment and also negotiate hard over provider payments; think of it as price controls plus death panels.

Romney’s remarks here fit the classic (Galbraith?) definition of a gaffe: it’s when a politician accidentally tells the truth. The truth in this case is that America’s uniquely privatized system is also uniquely expensive and inefficient; health care is one area in which the public sector does it better than the private sector, and in which free-market doctrine is just a dangerous fantasy.

But of course Romney can’t admit that.

And like everyone else, I’m really beginning to wonder about him. All he has to do to avoid creating a mess while on this trip is to stay bland and talk in generalities; instead, he’s causing international incidents every step of the way. Something is very wrong with what’s going on inside that impressive head of hair.

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[Norman Bernstein]

This trip has truly been a disaster for the guy.....

[Uncle Duke]

Not really "single payer", of course. All citizens are required to join (and pay) one of the accepted HMO's (4 at this time), each of whom must provide the same level of services at essentially the same price. You can change HMOs once per year, and the HMO cannot deny anyone for any reason. Citizens are required to pay 40% of the cost, and the government picks up the rest.

So it's really standardized private insurance with an individual mandate and large government subsidies.

[Ian McColgin]

Like so much of Israel at its best. Such a shame their mullahs and fascists are advancing.

[Gerarddm]

It 's not just Mitt. I thought, and still think, that Obama missed a golden chance to really reform the medical system here and make it more healthcare rather than disease maintenance oriented.

[Norman Bernstein]

It 's not just Mitt. I thought, and still think, that Obama missed a golden chance to really reform the medical system here and make it more healthcare rather than disease maintenance oriented.

I don't think he had a chance... and he knew it. The AHCA, warts and all, was a reemarkable achievement in the face of extraordinary opposition.

[wardd]

it looks like health care is here to stay, if it's here to stay it will be improved

[David G]

Not really "single payer", of course. All citizens are required to join (and pay) one of the accepted HMO's (4 at this time), each of whom must provide the same level of services at essentially the same price. You can change HMOs once per year, and the HMO cannot deny anyone for any reason. Citizens are required to pay 40% of the cost, and the government picks up the rest.

So it's really standardized private insurance with an individual mandate and large government subsidies.

Yes... we've got a good bit to go before our system closely resembles the 'socialized medicine' that works well for most of the industrialized world. So I guess it's safe for Romney to praise socialized medicine... cause he sure ain't talking about Obamacare. Of course... it does go against many of the anti-socialized medicine pronouncements he's made while a candidate. So... we're back again to the "I'll say anything to anyone anywhere, if it means they'll applaud and write a check" mode of operation <sigh>.