The High Cost of Questionable Health

Do you know what the ingredients are that are listed on the label? Do you even read labels?

Large manufacturers move to foreign countries. Rising costs are stated as the reason. When figuring costs it's necessary to look at more than just hourly wages. High health/medical insurance costs are a significant factor. In Asia, corporations don't usually pay health insurance. With a price tag of $1.6 trillion, we can see one reason we're losing our manufacturing base. I'm not defending corporations.

A large percentage of the price tag that used to be picked up by the employer is now being transferred to the employee. If your ex-employer moved to Asia you'll have to pick up the entire premium. Only 40% are satisfied with the "care" in the current health care system. A large majority feel we should have socialized medicine and it makes a good campaign promise, even if never fulfilled. If medicine is socialized more freedoms of choice will be sacrificed. It sounds great when some politician stands up and tells us the government will take care of us. Who is the government, the part that supplies the money, not the part that spends it? Last time I checked, we were it.

So, if the cost of health care stays the same, because we continue doing what we've been doing, and the government pays the bills, where are the savings? Socialized medicine can be an inverted pyramid. If you don't think you have to pay for something, the tendency is to be more dependent on some outer authority or use it more even if unnecessary, which means the price could go up instead of down. And, the bill will be on a different statement, from the IRS instead of your doctor. Consider this: if you don't pay the doctor bill things can get tough, you may go to court. If you don't pay the IRS, you go to jail.