Reform health care by returning to a free market
It is absolutely crazy that us Americans accept this broken system.
Want to talk about broken systems?
The US government bailed out GM for $51 billion dollars. That's billions that could have been spent on schools, or healthcare or much needed infrastructure. This month, GM spent billions on stock buybacks and millions on bonuses for execs while firing a ton of regular workers.
I find it staggering Americans are not rioting in the streets. So many systems are utterly and completely broken.
The headline number here should be ~$11B [1] -- while the US put in more than that, they also got most of it back.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-gm-treasury-idUSBRE...
One of the following is likely to be true (or a blend of the two): 1 - The US subsidizes everybody else's lower prices by overpaying.
2 - BigPharma is taking advantage of regulatory capture in the US to charge more than a "free market" would allow.
If #1 is true, and the US starts negotiating prices, that's on the other countries to figure out. Not our concern.
If #2 is true, and the US starts negotiating prices (or otherwise fixes the market), great, we've removed rent seeking and freed up massive piles of money for more productive spending.
Is something actually stopping you from doing this? I've never tried Rx drugs but I've imported non-FDA approved sunscreen before and it went fine.
I'm allowed to physically travel there, get an Rx, fill it, and take it back home. Does the online nature introduce a different hurdle?
No, you are not allowed to travel there and take it home, but often the border guards look the other way
“ In most circumstances, it is illegal for individuals to import drugs or devices into the U.S. for personal use because these products purchased from other countries often have not been approved by the FDA for use and sale in the U.S.”
If you're significantly injured in a car accident (to use an example that does not weigh on past medical history), you do not have time, nor likely the wherewithal, to be looking up which EDs are going to be cheapest and then comparing it to their most common outcomes to similar injuries to make the informed decision to which hospital the EMTs will haul you. Rather, you will be taken to the closest available ED with availability.
And the follow-up question is: should it even be a free market given that healthcare is not very conducive to shopping around and price matching, it's always possible to allow private clinics while providing a decent level of care to society in general. I simply do not see how a free market healthcare will be any better.
Unless you're just an ideological parrot, then carry on.