Wednesday Blogwrap
YES WE CAN. Photo by RYN TMRW. Barack Obama’s House [Curbed] 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Chandeliers [Remodelista] A Very Greenpoint Blind Item: Bad Finger [New York Shitty] We Were Wrong About Barack, Thank God [GL] Europe Is Finally, Totally, Awesomely Jealous [Daily Intel]
YES WE CAN. Photo by RYN TMRW.
Barack Obama’s House [Curbed]
10 Easy Pieces: Modern Chandeliers [Remodelista]
A Very Greenpoint Blind Item: Bad Finger [New York Shitty]
We Were Wrong About Barack, Thank God [GL]
Europe Is Finally, Totally, Awesomely Jealous [Daily Intel]
Snark,
Sure, zillions of things affect the market other than Obama’s election.
But raising taxes on businesses, especially the big ones like you mentioned, will make it that much harder for them to turn a profit and that much more likely they either move overseas or shut down.
The Obama Effect has already started. The smart money knows what’s about to happen and is scared shittless.
A doctor recently told me one of the biggest problems was the money health insurance companies were forced to spend when people are near death in order to try and keep them alive as long as possible.
He told me health insurance companies regularly spend as much as $1,000,000 in very expensive procedures to keep just one patient alive for an extra six months or a year.
As long as health insurance companies are required to pay for astronomically expensive near death procedures, how in the world can costs be contained?
And byny, I pay for my own health insurance with after tax dollars, why shouldn’t you? What makes you so special?
Tinarina – why I don’t disagree with most of your points, your claim that pharmaceutical companies “have taken over most original drug research” from universities and the fed is simply incorrect. Universites do the original basic science research and applied technology, in fact under Clinton they expanded that more and more. Commerical products have been the realm of private companies for a long time. Universities never were in the market for doing drug research, its always been a small proportion of their total. I say that as someone who spent many years in academic research in universities with medical schools. In any event, what they do discover is patentable, and all top US universities make a huge chunk of cash now from licensing their patentable discoveries. However, univerisites should be encouraged (financially) to do more research in treating “unprofitable” diseases.
ditto, agreed.
tinarina, that’s a far more comprehensive explanation than my overly simplistic one.
Healthcare is waayy too expensive in this country because:
Insurance companies’ administration and profits count for too much of the total;
Pharmaceutical companies have taken over most original drug research from universities and the fed, giving them far too much control and justification for increased profits;
The uninsured, often having no choice, wait until they’re very sick–and treatment is most expensive;
We as citizens demand too much when it comes to end-of-life care, which is often extraordinarily expensive and had little benefit;
Fear of malpractice causes doctors to do too many expensive tests;
We have hospitals that can’t agree on universal precautions to fight dangerous hospital-based infections and correct safety procedures.
I could go on.
Not enough people are yet ready to give up their piece of overpriced pie. What will it take?
Biff, I agree it is easier to jusitfy the salary, but we are talking about making US healthcare more affordable, not your private industry. The underprivileged masses aren’t your customers 😉
Ironballs you really believe this:
“But I think McCain’s healthcare tax credit plan is a million times better than Obama’s plan to force companies to provide healthcare to their employees or be taxed more for not doing so.”
Do you understand that McCain expected people to find healthcare for $5000 and to ‘cross’ state lines if they wanted to – does that sound feasible to you? McCain also wanted us to be taxed on the health insurance that our company provides. I don’t know where you work but I pay about 25% of the company plan which $500 a month for my family. Which means the true cost to my company is $2000 a month – so i should be taxed on $1500 a month, in addition to what i pay in federal and state taxes? hum? sounds like a great idea to me! i guess that why this plan went over so well with average americans like myself making under 250k a year!
dittoburg, I agree with you, but I think a lot of the problem in the States also has to do with the insane judgements people win against doctors and hospitals, thereby forcing malpractice insurance premiums to skyrocket; thereby putting a big dent in their salaries. Plus, I think it’s easier to justify doctors making good money than the crazy bonuses many IBankers make (and I’m saying this as an IBanker!).
Ironballs – doctor’s pay could be 75% of what it is and the right people would still go into medicine. An MD shouldn’t be a license to mint money, and if salaries were lower you can’t say that those with a vocation would be deterred.