Gorgon

20% of 100 is 20 20% of 200 is 40. Now, 40% of 300 is 120, not 60. See where I'm going with this. If you each pay 13% more it comes to 13% of something + 13% of something else. Not 26%.

13% of what, do you make exactly the same salary. If not it literally is apples to oranges.

See, I dont even understand this mentality. Like we have to "stick it to the man" because he makes more then me? What? No, just that you are the one paying the bonus. If most of the health care sector wasn't profit driven, it would cost a lot less. Ensurers charge whatever they can get away with, the more the merrier. Now if they were competing with a public alternative they would have to really step up their game to survive. There is still a market for private insurance in UHC countries, it allows companies make sure their workers can get 'non essential treatment' right away (what Taks was meant with rationing). A few weeks of rehab without a waiting list after a back injury will get the employee back to work faster, that kind of thing.

How much do you pay now through your employer. What if it turns out even you would save money by switching to UHC. What if there were practical benefits in servicing a much larger group of people, less administration, fewer million dollar bonuses for the execs, etc. They are just practical advantages though, and obviously not as studly as the American self made and self sufficient way.

Where does this idea come from that all rich people are employers. I'd wager a good percentage of them sit around in their fur coats doing nothing, their money in mutual funds producing nothing. Anyway the argument about personal freedom is one I can understand, I don't subscribe to it personally, but it's straightforward at least. The other scare stories about UHC seem to miss the mark by quite a margin for someone who has had experience with it. There can be waiting lists, but guarantees are offered and this is where the private sector picks up the slack to ensure that no one is left without treatment.

delish

Keynes made sense before Globalization. It's a lot harder to stimulate demand or predict how people are going to spend their money with everything so interconnected. Whats the use of a stimulus package if you are just giving the money away to China.

socialist systems cannot afford the "true cost" of health care - socialized systems ration care to satisfy the law of supply and demand, period. hence, the total expenditures may go down, but by no means are they getting the same amount of care for their dollar. once the last bastion of even remotely free market health care goes under, we will see the effects throughout the world, and more importantly, here in the US. Voters want to see their taxes go to pay for health care and eduction over everything else, it's an easy sell. Even in a global economic downturn our government had no choice but to offer treatment guarantees in the form of wavers for private hospitals, should capacity be exceeded, even including treatment overseas. If the system proves infective people will not stand for it, it's beautiful really, democracy in action. The overall impression is that the system works quite well and is not sub standard to anything, I dunno maybe excepting the platinum shield with oak leaves and complimentary caviar and spungebaths. Now, do you have any actual experience or evidence of UHC offering poorer quality treatment or is it really just apprehension and suspicion based on your personal conviction about what health care should be like ?

you're joking, right? do you actually think that going to a public health care system will cut our health care costs (7% is nearly half)? ah, walsh... i am saddened. taks There must be some numbers available on this. How many people live in the US, what is the income per capita. Compare cost with NHS or equivalent. If one were so inclined one could find out instead of arguing about it.

I don't know if markets have ever been free, completely, in the history of mankind. Business sectors seek the upper hand by gaining political influence by lobbying and campaign contributions, and they do this whether they are 'left alone' by government or not. In order for there to be no incentive to do so government would have to spend no money and make no laws affecting the economy. Impossible.

Every other kind of ensurer has a section dedicated to finding reasons not to pay, and we are not just talking about fraud, any reason not to pay. It couldn't surprise anyone if health ensurers were exactly the same. Like their counterparts in other areas of the industry they are good at media management, and not every case has all the right elements to sell newspapers and get attention. The bottom line for these companies are in direct conflict with the best (medical) interests of their claimants. This is not really an area where you want 'market forces' to do their thing and magically improve everything. Health care needs responsible and accountable management, not just to make a profit for the ensurers.

The market is all well and good, keeps prices low, makes sure everyone performs to their best etc. In this case though the most cost effective health care ensurer one could imagine is the one that finds the most excuses for denying expensive treatment. PR firms are a lot cheaper than payouts and they do a lot more for a company's reputation than simply conducting business fairly. The market still wins and the shareholders make money, the patients lose though. You pay all this money into the system, and if you ever get a life threatening illness your ensurer might pay, probably will pay, and then again maybe not. It's utterly insane that a majority of Americans prefer it this way.

How about if you only work 1 hour a year.

Call me stupid, but I actually think there would be money in a PST sequel.

Today I watched all four episodes of a documentary on the Vietnam war from work, then stayed late and scuffled madly do get my workload done before everyone had left the building.

It's things like switching off the million dollar scanner and going home because it's a Sunday, instead of maximizing on it 24/7 until the people in need of it have been serviced.

Our govt was just in a scandal for overpaying private hospitals who were to take the overflow from the public system, so yes we do worry about what the govt does with our money. Apparently the Germans and the Swedes are much better at managing UHC than us, to the tune of being 10-20% more effective.

I think they call that animation, anime is the really weird stuff. You might want to check out tonari no totoro, I think that might possibly be my favorite. Nausica is ok I guess, but it's, well, a little old and not as well crafted as the newer stuff. Making an animated films a lot of the quality depends on budget. I thougth Chihiro was the good kind of weird, not the 'I don't understand what the hell is going on' kind.

Try this for emotional impact, the first 2 minutes: Other emotionally powerful moments: *Shadow of the Colossus as a whole *FFX endgame *BGII ToB, conversations before the final confrontation/epilogues *final scene in Mafia, even thought you know its coming *Planescape Torment as a whole Some really great scores in those games. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjjoxtX7VU...feature=related I couldn't find my other favorites. You can extract them from your game though, although they were never otherwise released.

I guess maybe PST. Dionara and Annah, and also talking to D'akkon. I was really annoyed that that game had to end.

You know what annoys me about our great socialist health care system. I've only been in hospital once, I broke my arm when I was 8, and the last time I went to the dentist I had to pay 12000 kr. What did I get for all those years of exorberant taxes exactly, a cast ?. Free dentist treatment would have made me feel I got something back for my trouble. Everybody goes to the dentist, regardless of how much a drain they are on the hospital system. Given the choice though I prefer living in a country where you can get quality professional care regardless of your ability to pay Nothing in life is certain, but honestly, you pay all this money and when or if you ever get in serious trouble your HMO is motivated by the great invisible hand of the market to find a loophole in the contract and turn your claim down. I would want a medical professional who is paid to look out for me to make decisions on treatment.

Ohh I'm well aware they don't fly the flag to support slavery or racism, it's a statement of identity. A lot of people are very offended by it though, it's divisive even in the south, and the confederacy does have something to do with slavery. With all that you might be tempted to ask, why bother.

Also, how cool is this

The Higaran(s) My favorite moment was when the Bentusi sacrificed their harbour ship to allow the fleet to escape in Cataclysm. Great voice acting, great score.