Michael Moore: ""There's No Room For Concept Of Profit When It Comes To Taking Care Of Sick People"

[kpete]

"What kind of sick, cruel system is this?...There's no room for the concept of profit when it comes to taking care of people when they're sick. That question, of how this will affect our bottom line, how will it affect our profit, is an immoral question, and it should never be asked. There's no room for compromise here. There's no room for the health insurance company in an emergency room. There's no room for a health insurance company in a hospital room. There's no room for them in the executive headquarters of their own companies, because I believe that we have to eliminate the private health insurance companies from our health care system. We have to get of them once and for all. It's time for them to go."

VIDEO AT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OmAsXmyVeQ
http://lefti.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html#5680276652634383379

[bryant69]

1. Yeah but Medical Care isn't free. Even if we go to socialized medicine of some kind

We'll still have to pay for it, and we will still have to determine who gets what service and in what priority.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. True but we can surely do better than supplementing CEO retirement packages

the way we do now?

[kestrel91316]

7. We need to leave corporate profits OUT of the picture, period.

The only people who should make a dime off medical care are the actual providers, the worker bees if you will - doctors, nurses, those who make the drugs and supplies.

No corporate profits from the act of providing care. Period.

[bryant69]

8. How then are medical providers, not to mention researchers

to be incentivized?

Bryant

[endarkenment]

11. incentivized isn't actually a word.

But I give up, how on earth do other nations with socialized healthcare systems manage to have better healthcare at lower per capita cost than we do?

[bryant69]

13. That didn't take very long - I hardly had to put any pressure on you at all

Why do you give up so easily?

At any rate, I not in favor of maintaining our current system as it is, I merely question the wisdom of eliminating the profit motive entirely.

Bryant

[endarkenment]

15. No answer?

"how on earth do other nations with socialized healthcare systems manage to have better healthcare at lower per capita cost than we do?"

and your answer is?

[bryant69]

16. There are a number of reasons depending on what country you are talking about

Which nations have eliminated the medical industry entirely?

Bryant

[endarkenment]

19. Eliminated the medical industry?

The subject is taking profits out of the healthcare system, in particular eliminating the health insurance industry. There would still be a medical industry building and designing equipment for profit, inventing and manufacturing drugs for profit. Perhaps not so much profit as is baked in right now, particularly in the drug industry, but profit. It is the healthcare system that I am talking about and that Moore is talking about.

[PA Democrat]

22. Much of that research is already funded by the government or

by private organizations like the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, etc. Check out what Physicians for a National Health Program have to say on this topic:


http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#medical_research

[NMMNG]

9. Bingo

Insurance CEOs and the like shouldn't be making millions (or billions) while the people who provide the actual patient care are often making peanuts, particularly by comparison. The money should go to those who provide the care and not to the bean counters. That's not to say profits should be exorbitant, but at least adequate for them to live on and be motivated to go into the field in the first place.

[endarkenment]

10. Uh yes that's true and also beside the point.

Moore is not saying healthcare is free.

[TahitiNut]

12. It's simple.

Just put all politicians at the back of the line. (You'd see the most rapid improvement imaginable.)

More seriously... this is an area where Rawls' "Veil Of Ignorance" would be supremely useful.

[jpgray]

17. You're betting the insurance company you'll get sick, they're betting you won't

And you're hoping that you'll lose that bet.

:crazy:

That's what has to be removed. Once profits are out of the picture, out of pocket expense for the average person may change very little. Certainly for a person who is at risk and without insurance, who is sort of the person we should most want to help?

[Toots]

24. Anytime you give of your time it is not free

But to base your decision on how much you make on whether you help a person in need is the question. IMO it is better to pool our resourses and provide care for all those that need it without thought of how we will profit from it. The country as a whole will profit just by having a healthy populace and industry will profit by having the same. Healthy employees make for good business both in selling and creating...Providing government paid for health care is a win win situation for the entire world and I agree completely with Moore on this one. It is immoral to ask how can you profit off someone's distress....

[KaptBunnyPants]

25. Fine. Just remove the profit motive, and have it come down

to the severity of illness, probability of recovery, cost of treatment, etc... I don't think anyone expects it to be free, but many people are tired of being locked out of access to modern medical care because some jackass wants another ivory plated yacht. At least a govt. run service would serve the entire population, w/o invasive medical background checks to screen out those people who *gasp* may be sick already. And they would do it a damn sight cheaper than the bloated monstrosity foisted on the public right now.

[Phredicles]

2. Agreed. And where exactly is there a "right to make a profit" spelled out

in either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence (or Federalist Papers, for that matter)?

[jaksavage]

3. Now you're talkin

Love M Moore
Love K Pete

go go go go go

This society for profit is unsustainable.

[Kerrytravelers]

5. My father-in-law, who is in health care & rabid republican, has been saying this for years.

It is one of the few things Mr. kt and I can agree with him on.

[dogday]

6. God Bless The American Health System with liberty and justice

for all....NOT NOT NOT

[Raven]

14. There is a difference between making a profit and making a killing.

My grandfather was a "horse and buggy" doc who delivered babies on peoples' kitchen tables. After he died we found a stash of homemade wine that the Italian barber had given him over the years in payment of his medical services. My grandfather led a comfortable life. The issue today is greed, pure greed. Moore is absolutely correct.

[Tyler Durden]

18. We have the example of France, Japan, Canada....

...and the only thing screwing up Canada's system is being too close to US so we can cherry pick their medical personnel.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. Amen. If they want to make profits, go sell MP3 players, junk food, or designer clothing. -nt

[PurityOfEssence]

21. This is my line: "medicine for money is murder"

Physicians should be paid very well, but they shouldn't work for profit. Hippocrates understood this, and the many who've sworn the oath either agree or mouth the sentiment on their way to riches.

I started my college matriculation at a school famous for pre-med education. (I was in the arts, as I still am.) There was only one person I met who was pre-med who answered my question of "why that" with anything other than "you can make a lot of money". That person was a friend who had been saved from some very ugly lung diseases when she was very young and felt that she should give something back. Sadly, she dropped out.

Those who practice medicine should be well-paid, but not there to be disgustingly rich. If the profit element was taken out of it, the huge premiums for malpractice insurance would disappear and practictioners could make a VERY comfortable living. The idea of getting rich from the care of one's fellow humans is UGLY. The idea of being EXTREMELY comfortable for going through the horrors of that profession is not only fair, and should be guaranteed.

To lock physicians into a profit system is to put their patients and them at risk. That shouldn't be.

[chaska]

23. AMEN! Get the goddamned insurance companies out of health care.

[depakid]

27. Out of the basic benefits package would suffice

[K8-EEE]

26. Can you believe the woman who had to call 911 FROM THE HOSPITAL

Because they were ignoring her to the point of, she died on the floor in the hallway?? And 911 is like, sorry, you'll just have to find somebody there who cares. She was lying on the floor vomiting blood and staff walking by her.

Is this as the GOP is always claiming, "the best system in the world?"

For who? If that same lady was a Canadian citizen, she'd probably be alive now.

[gravity]

28. I disagree

The problem isn't the profit driven insurance companies, the problem is the lack of universal government sponsored health care.

Insurance companies exists because there is a lack of health care provided by the government. Removing the profit incentive will just could just make there less insurance companies and less people with insurance which could be worst.

My personal view is that government should provide some form of health care to all, and if some people don't think it's enough, then they should be able to go through the private sector. I think this system will satisfy the most people, and force insurance companies to compete with the government, and if insurance doesn't do a good job, then they will go out of business.