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comment by OftenBen
OftenBen  ·  3281 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Donald Trump

I'm mostly libertarian, with certain exceptions. We probably agree on more than we disagree.

Healthcare being the biggest exception, in this example.





user-inactivated  ·  3281 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It's something I'm interested in seeing changed. You're right that costs are too high for what we get, and that this would be changed for the better if there was a governmental body negotiating with all the companies for health care costs. Medicare/Caid often gets the best prices on medical devices for example based on its power and customer base.

What I would like to see is a government plan offered in tandem with the private options. Like when Google Fiber goes out and says, "Hey, we're going to undercut AT&T to force them to beef up their network and lower prices." I want the government to do that. It would be cool if you just had the option to join Medicare as it stands and not just be paying a private company because you're forced to give them your business or pay a huge fine.

OftenBen  ·  3281 days ago  ·  link  ·  

All of which is mIles better than what we have now.

With regard to healthcare/cost management, I think of it as a tool that the species needs to refine. Right now the US has a flint knife and Europe has a crude bronze blade. Sure the bronze blade might not be great, but it's better than the flint. The US has the choice of making a bronze knife, or trying to sharpen a flint blade past it's useful tolerances.