I would like to see where you get this info - the cost of research and development of a drug is through the roof, getting the FDA to approve it costs even more. Then what happens when they don't approve the drug? Like any other market, those costs get passed on. While I do not agree with the pharm. companies attempts to drug our country to no end, it does cost a shit ton to get a drug out to the people (before they start advertising).
All of the information I am quoting is readily available on
www.amsa.org. Obviously the site has a bias, but I really haven't seen anyone post any hard evidence or research to rebuke it.
Here is a direct link to the pharmacy issue, published in 2001 before we started seeing many more commercials and ads for prescription drugs, along with another link regarding the pharmacy issue:
http://www.amsa.org/pdf/will.PDF
http://www.amsa.org/hp/2005OffLabel_Marketing.pdf
If your entry level job in your field does not have good benefits, you should have studied in a better major.
Not everyone has the mind for an engineering or accounting degree (both mathematically-heavy fields). That's not to say that people who major in something else are dumb, it's just that engineering is too difficult or too boring for them to be able to pay attention long enough to grasp it.
Most entry level jobs require you to go through a period of probation lasting 3-6 months before they offer you benefits. It's just a matter of principle that a company is generally not going to spend money on someone if they aren't going to be a reliable employee. Moreover, a lot of these jobs can turn into quite comfortable careers 2-3 years down the line through promotions and salary raises, similar to the way an O-3 makes a hell of a lot more money than an O-1. I'm happy that you found a job fresh out of college with a good wage and benefits. However, if suddenly everyone in college switched their major to engineering and accounting, since that's apparently where all the killer jobs are, we'd have a lot of unemployment on our hands in the next four years because of an influx of workers and not enough positions. On top of that, not everyone lands their dream job on the first try, and there are bills that need to be paid in the interim. Health insurance, costing what it does, simply gets put on the back burner.
I agree that people really ought to be more careful about what they choose for a major and should start planning out career goals while in college. I would also go so far as to say that most positions that list a college degree as a requirement really have no business doing so. However, the fact remains that someone who takes all those steps still might not get picked up for a job that offers health benefits on graduation day.
Ahhhh.....I get it now. Force me to pay for insurance and let the government decide what level of coverage and benefits I need. That's a FABULOUS idea! I mean, after all, they've done such a bang up job with managing my retirement through social security, why should my healthcare be any different?
Not necessarily. There are many different models for UHC. One of the models for UHC involves the government providing a primary healthcare plan -- regular doctor's visits, catastrophic injuries, etc. You may, if you like, purchase supplemental insurance that covers other stuff like cancer treatment, if necessary.
Also, an ideal UHC single-payer system would be fully comprehensive. In other words, it would cover any and all medically necessary procedures. You might scoff at that notion by saying the government is going to be a tightwad with money, but there are very few insurance companies, if any, that will cover what they deem an "optional" procedure. And seeing that they're trying to make a profit out of the deal, they're more likely to deem something optional than the government. When I broke my teeth at 8 years old by falling off my bike, my parents had to foot the bill because it was considered cosmetic. A government health plan would be no different than this.
The whole crux of my argument for a single-payer system is that it would offer more benefits for less cost to the individual.
We have 2000 years of paperwork and counting. I love being Catholic!
