"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness---That to secure these Rights, Gov-
ernments are instituted among Men." (emphasis added)
Our history has been spotty at best in securing the necessi-
ties of life for all; and the conversatives and libertarians
assert that our freedoms have been unduly curbed after 200
years
of legislation at all levels of government.
So far the government, with the help of private citizens and
charities, have been successful in providing food, clothing,
shelter and medical care to all.
However, our system of providing health care has evolved into
an overly excessive, uneven, potentially disasterous financially
for those unfortunate to need use of its services.
The advent of medical insurance, especially by Blue Cross and
Blue Shield (founded by doctors for the benefit of doctors) was
an important advance to mitigate the financial burden of an ex-
tensive illness. (And for the doctors, had the important advan-
tage that they would be paid for their services.)
As some doctors abused their own insurance system through ex-
cessive billing above the "reasonable and customary"
charges
agreed to by them in joining the "blues", Gov. Nelson Rockefeller
and others successfully promoted the creation of more
medical
colleges to graduate more doctors, with the expectation that
this would lead to more competition among doctors in setting
their fees, and hence bring doctor costs within reason.
Other developments were to increase the salaries of register-
ed nurses to more satisfactory levels, and the privitization of
community non-profit hospitals into profit-making entities, with
the addition of new, expensive,additional layers of "administra-
tors to manage them.
The basic components of health care are, together with their
national costs and percentage of total medical costs:
1990 1950
Hospital care $256 billion
Physician services 125.7
Dental services 34
Other professional services 31.6
Home health care 6.9
Drugs & medical nondurables 54.6
Vision & medical durables 12.1
Nursing home care 53.1
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness---That to secure these Rights, Gov-
ernments are instituted among Men." (emphasis added)
Our history has been spotty at best in securing the necessi-
ties of life for all; and the conversatives and libertarians
assert that our freedoms have been unduly curbed after 200
years
of legislation at all levels of government.
So far the government, with the help of private citizens and
charities, have been successful in providing food, clothing,
shelter and medical care to all.
However, our system of providing health care has evolved into
an overly excessive, uneven, potentially disasterous financially
for those unfortunate to need use of its services.
The advent of medical insurance, especially by Blue Cross and
Blue Shield (founded by doctors for the benefit of doctors) was
an important advance to mitigate the financial burden of an ex-
tensive illness. (And for the doctors, had the important advan-
tage that they would be paid for their services.)
As some doctors abused their own insurance system through ex-
cessive billing above the "reasonable and customary"
charges
agreed to by them in joining the "blues", Gov. Nelson Rockefeller
and others successfully promoted the creation of more
medical
colleges to graduate more doctors, with the expectation that
this would lead to more competition among doctors in setting
their fees, and hence bring doctor costs within reason.
Other developments were to increase the salaries of register-
ed nurses to more satisfactory levels, and the privitization of
community non-profit hospitals into profit-making entities, with
the addition of new, expensive,additional layers of "administra-
tors to manage them.
The basic components of health care are, together with their
national costs and percentage of total medical costs:
1990 1950
Hospital care $256 billion
Physician services 125.7
Dental services 34
Other professional services 31.6
Home health care 6.9
Drugs & medical nondurables 54.6
Vision & medical durables 12.1
Nursing home care 53.1
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