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Single payer is really no different than school vouchers. It provides a free market choice to the patients what doctor, hospital, clinic they see and when and how often and its paid for. Its nothing more than an open ended healthcare voucher.

There are too many profit motives in the current system that do nothing to lower costs. Insurance has no incentive to lower costs, they will either lower their coverages and reimbursments or raise premiums, co-pays and no-pays.

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is this the answer???

found this at http://www.800padutch.com/amishpeople.shtml
“Self-employed Amish do not pay Social Security tax. Those employed by non-Amish employers do pay Social Security tax. The Amish do pay real estate, state and federal income taxes, county taxes, sales tax, etc.

The Amish do not collect Social Security benefits, nor would they collect unemployment or welfare funds. Self sufficiency is the Amish community’s answer to government aid programs. Section 310 of the Medicare section of the Social Security act has a sub-section that permits individuals to apply for exemption from the self-employment tax if he is a member of a religious body that is conscientiously opposed to social security benefits but that makes reasonable provision of taking care of their own elderly or dependent members. The Amish have a long history of taking care of their own members. They do not have retirement communities or nursing homes; in most cases, each family takes care of their own, and the Amish community gives assistance as needed.”

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Who do you think these people get their technology/medicine etc from? The U.S.A because we don’t have a universal health care system. The people creating these great things don’t do it solely based on curing the sick. They think yea in America I can make a killer profit on inventing this. When we don’t have that kind of innovation will we look to countries with universal health care that have always waited for us to create the technology first and sell it to them for pennies to our dollars?

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Statement: “There are thousands of natural, herbal, and generic drugs out there and work much better than the patented monstrously profitable drugs that are pushed on doctors and taught about in medical school.”

Response: Many prescription medications are derived from natural products. See lovastatin. These medications are profitable, I agree. This is generally taught in medical school. Generic medications are the preferred medications for many physicians. Generic substitutions are performed by most pharmacies and mail order pharmacies. Cost-effective is not the same as plain “effective” for other medications. Direct to consumer drug advertising also drives high priced brand name medications.

Statement: “They only spend two years in the classroom, learn nothing about immunology, nutrition, biochemistry, or a number of other essential medical subjects, however they tend to take three courses in behavioral medicine where they’re told to prescribe anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines for nearly anything and everything.”

Response: You can generally see each medical schools curriculum online. Most if not all require immunology, biochemistry, and nutrition. Not sure what “three courses” of behavioral medicine you are referring to. Modern medical education prepares the student to deal with behavioral issues in four years of medical school with further training during residency.

Statement “You can’t find doctors that understand the causes of disease, because it’s more profitable to treat the symptoms, this is what they’re taught.”

Response: Pathology, histology, pathophysiology, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, etc are all required courses in medical school. Generally, treatment can only be initiated after thorough evaluation. “The cause of disease” is the cornerstone to medicine training. Preventive medicine is taught and practiced by all primary care.

Statement: “You can’t get your insurance to cover an herb at 1/100th the cost of a patented prescription drug because the herb was never able to be patented to start with.”
Reponse: Patients have the ability and right to pursue alternative medicine. Insurances generally don’t pay for over the counter options. I agree, however, drug costs are often inflated.

Statement: “Our doctors are for profit drones of PHARMA and the AMA.”
Response: Great majority of physicians aren’t members of the AMA because they no longer feel this organization represents them. You can find these statistics through reputable sources. PHARMA “kickbacks” are not the norm in my experience. A free lunch to discuss new medication still occurs, however. The vast majority of physicians are reimbursed by our current medicare, medicaid, and insurance system.

Statement: “With a totally free market, PHARMA, AMA and even AHIP, still control the schools, the research (which is mostly fraudulent to manipulate data allowing them to make a profit on something).”
Response: Can’t necessarily prove a negative. Certainly data can be manipulated. With large businesses such as Enron and Worldcom operating under questionable business practices it stands to reason PHARMA may as well. However, most research is performed in academic centers with government funding.

Statement: “That allows them to keep as many people sick as possible, on as many brand name drugs as possible, and as many doctors uneducated in science based medicine as possible.”
Response: God help us if this were true.

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