Healthcare Models

T

Timshel

New member
Should we be using Singapore's healthcare system?

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2008/01/singapores_heal.html
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/europe/pubs/healthcare/render2.asp?ID=13850

I have been looking into it and it seems like a pretty good model and though certainly not laissez faire might be more free market than our current mess. Singapore's healthcare is at the top in all measures and quite efficient. The only thing that concerns me is that I don't know the extent of the price controls.
 
The only reasons countries like Singapore and others have low prices is, I think, because of the price controls. We are, I believe, the only non-price controlled health market.
 
Holy Mother of God! We're all socialists now.

If what wiki reports about the singapore healthcare is even semi-accurate, the democrats would be run out of the country by the teabaggers if they ever offered up singapore's health care system for american consumption.

A universal health care system managed through a government ministry; mandatory payroll deductions (aka, evil liberal taxes); price controls, and a network of government and private hospitals; nationalized catastrophic health insurance coverage.

What the hell is the world coming to, when even Libertarians are telling us to get a universal health care system managed by the government, and funded in part, through compulsory payroll deductions.

This is a teabagger's worst nightmare, I tell you!

Can't we all just buy our own insurance on the internet, through magical free market insurance monopolies?
 
I prefer Japan's if we're going to just copy somebody else's plan. However, I think we could do better than that.
 
RStringfield said:
Should we be using Singapore's healthcare system?

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2008/01/singapores_heal.html
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/europe/pubs/healthcare/render2.asp?ID=13850

I have been looking into it and it seems like a pretty good model and though certainly not laissez faire might be more free market than our current mess. Singapore's healthcare is at the top in all measures and quite efficient. The only thing that concerns me is that I don't know the extent of the price controls.
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This is nothing new RS. Singapore is a small city state and so it's percentage of GDP spent on health care would not be representative to much larger and geographically diverse countries. However Singapore does the same exact thing that all modern industrial nations, except the USA does.

#1. It requires all person to carry some form of health insurance. The poor are subsidized with public health insurance.
#2. They provide a public health insurance option funded by taxpayers. Private insurance is available and competes with the public option but must meet the same minimum standards of coverage as the public version.
#3. They implement price controls for medical services and prescriptions.

So in that respect Singapore's system is in no way unique and in fact, the price control fee schedule book they use is quite similar to the one used in Japan. In fact their whole system is very similar to the Japanese system.
 
Damocles said:
I prefer Japan's if we're going to just copy somebody else's plan. However, I think we could do better than that.
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I'd prefer the French or the Taiwan system. There more costly (about 10% of GDP) but they do achieve higher results with a more flexible private market segment but the Japanese system is certainly superior to ours. They are also superior at implementing modern IT technology in health care.
 
TheKingOfCarrotFlowers said:
Japan also utilizes price controls...
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That's an understatement. They implement very strict price controls. For example. A medical facility can't defray the cost of expensive equipment that has low utilization rates by charging $25 for an asprin as is commonly doine by medical facilities in the US. They can only charge what the list price in the national fee schedule book lists for asprin (something akin to ten cents.).

Such price controls would be incredibly controversial in the US where the Gods of Wall Street rule all.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
That's an understatement. They implement very strict price controls. For example. A medical facility can't defray the cost of expensive equipment that has low utilization rates by charging $25 for an asprin as is commonly doine by medical facilities in the US. They can only charge what the list price in the national fee schedule book lists for asprin (something akin to ten cents.).

Such price controls would be incredibly controversial in the US where the Gods of Wall Street rule all.
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Where is any of this authorized by the Constitution? :pke:
 
Southern Man said:
Prior to FDR it mattered to most. It still matters to Conservatives. Its a slam-dunk issue that no progressive, liberal, or Democrat can ever win, so I'll bring it up at every opportunity.
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It's a strawman. The US constitution makes absolutely no provisions about mandating universal public education but we have done so. Are you suggesting that this is unconstitutional and that we should abandon universal public education?
 
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