Escondido
Wow. Fascinating discussion. And, a very complex issue.
From an economic point of view, I believe the main reason for higher costs is the ability of companies to demand unreasonable prices. I have read that pharmaceutical companies have markups ranging from 200% to 30,000%. Yes, 30,000%. Then, some counter that this pays for research and development. I’m not buying that argument. To some degree, perhaps, but come on !!! My child’s drug costs $18,000 per year. Do I feel guilty every time I refill that drug? Yup. Is the situation beyond my control? Yup. Am I disgusted with the pharmaceutical companies. Oh yes. Are their shareholders happy ducks? Yup. Compound just this with hospitals that are “for profit”. Not a good idea; the result being intense competition that drives up costs as well as having to keep the shareholders happy. Imho, it should be a non-profit industry in general, but our society is not mature enough to handle that concept and follow it through.
From a philosophical point of view, I am astounded when I hear the thought that it is each man for himself. Either you ‘pay the toll’ or you are out of the race. Jeez. Every major religion states in one way or another we must look out for one another. Do some take advantage of others? Sure. But overall we can’t turn our backs on each other. We will always have our poor. We will always have those that are unable to make good choices and get themselves into bad situations. We will always have those that come down with catastrophic or chronic illnesses. This is the nature of life.
The question is, are we going to be smart enough to figure out a way to take care of ourselves, and others that need our help, or are we going to say ‘I did it and you better do it too’, and not acknowledge that our good fortune may have played a part in our success? (ie: born with high I.Q, and E.Q., excellent executive management skills, trust fund, good health…… )