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Location: Health Care
Discussion: Make Medicare a debt based system like HECS
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Anonymous |
Make Medicare a debt based system like HECS
Feb 27 2008, 12:06 AM EST Medicare should be a defered payment system in the same way that HECS is a defered payment system. People should be expected to repay the cost of medical services via the tax system in the same way that people are expected to repay the cost of education services via the HECS system. In other words if you are on a high income you should be expected to repay your medical costs. 27 out of 44 found this valuable. Do you? |
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censere censere |
RE: Make Medicare a debt based system like HECS
Feb 29 2008, 6:20 PM EST HECS is a form of debt. Debt should be used as a means to increase wealth, not to take away from those amongst us who are unfortunate enough to incur poor health. Poor health can be devastating in many ways (and often comes completely unexpectedly). When you suffer from poor health, you also suffer financially - even if you can afford private health insurance. HECS is an excellent way to contribute to the cost of achieving higher education (I think it is possibly the best system in the world for this). However, it is inappropriate to apply it to our health system. The health system quite appropriately consists of a mixture of public and private health care. It is essential that the highest standard of care is available to all, regardless of wealth or social standing. Many may not realise it, but if you are gravely ill, the safest place to be is in a public hospital where health dollars may be spent on you in financially inefficient ways that optimise your recovery. If you are not gravely ill, and have time to consider your health care options, then private health care may be the best option for you. Our private health care system caters brilliantly to the financially efficient areas of medicine. An example - caring for someone who has suffered multiple trauma in a road accident is financially inefficient. They may require a long stay in an intensive care unit (expensive), multiple operations (expensive) and suffer multiple complications (expensive). They may not earn an income again for a long time, if at all. We must have a public health system that runs efficiently so that it may provide these financially inefficient care options to us, yet not also punish us individually in a manner directly related to the incurred cost of that care. We are a society. We must remember that that entails looking after each other if we need it. A high quality public health system is an essential component of that. 7 out of 8 found this valuable. Do you? |