MERCY

Although the Health Care Debate in the United States has been presumably dead for several years, I recently stumbled upon a brief discussion on the subject.

Anyway, this short discussion did nothing more than remind me of my old position:

I believe that, similar to Fire and Police protection, Health Care should be provided for the public by the public. Leaving something so critical to the wellbeing of the citizens of this country in the hands of a for-profit system, would seem to be counter productive.

The point of running a for-profit business is to make money (turn a profit) and in order to do this, it only makes sense that the least possible services are offered for the maximum possible price. As someone who appreciates profitable businesses, I can't argue with this logic.

However, as a person who depends upon health care providers to continue living a comfortable life, I do not appreciate the idea that my well-being may be weighed against some company's ability to make money off my enrollment. Additionally, as a person who cares greatly about the wellbeing of more than a handful of other people (i.e. friends, family, ect), I don't appreciate the idea of their health being weighed against profits either.

I'm sure the same could be said if we were to employ Fire-Fighters in the same way. I wouldn't want the safety of anyone being held against the profitability of a Fire Department.

-Great Example of the capability of Government Health Care

Regardless, when it comes to the subject of keeping costs down, which is always a good thing, the United States spent approximately $2.5 trillion dollars on Health Care in 2010. During that same year TriCare operated on an annual budget of $48.5 million dollars. (reference) (Reference)

What is interesting about these numbers is that the United States was comprised of 308 million people in 2010 while TriCare had 9.5 million enrollees. (reference). Population considered, the average health care expenditures (per person) in the United States total approximately $8,097 and the TriCare expenditure (per enrollee) is $5,105.

With all of the above being stated, I believe that a publicly run health care system would provide the best care for the most people. I also believe that, were we to operate on the TriCare system, we would be saving almost one trillion dollars in annual health care expenditures.