My personal opinion is the government should not even begin to think about implementing a socialized healthcare system until the budget issues are radically solved.
I mean, I could be a lot more healthy if I could afford that gym membership, but I'm busy buying all this beer and junk food instead. I'd have to reduce how much beer and junk food I purchase in order to afford a gym membership. The government is buying a lot of "beer and junk food" programs that make it un-economical to afford such an vast and expansive program in current-day (even though I agree healthcare expenditures are likely a much better choice to fund rather than some of the frivolous and redundant government programs).
Also, we'd need to somehow figure out how to not de-incentivize hospitals from hiring top-tier medical staff, equipment and facilities. There is a risk that if hospitals become more standardized (by means of standardized payments, etc), that it could reduce income revenue, and therefore the overall quality the hospital can afford (hospitals are businesses too). Currently, in socialized healthcare countries, the "everyday joe's" get the local healthcare treatments, while the country's elites fly out-of-country (mostly into the US) for treatments -- possibly because they perceive the treatments to be, or they are more superior to what they can get back at home (idk honestly, this should be studied more).
That's not to say we can't do it... only that our present situation may not allow it until a future time.
I mean, I could be a lot more healthy if I could afford that gym membership, but I'm busy buying all this beer and junk food instead. I'd have to reduce how much beer and junk food I purchase in order to afford a gym membership. The government is buying a lot of "beer and junk food" programs that make it un-economical to afford such an vast and expansive program in current-day (even though I agree healthcare expenditures are likely a much better choice to fund rather than some of the frivolous and redundant government programs).
Also, we'd need to somehow figure out how to not de-incentivize hospitals from hiring top-tier medical staff, equipment and facilities. There is a risk that if hospitals become more standardized (by means of standardized payments, etc), that it could reduce income revenue, and therefore the overall quality the hospital can afford (hospitals are businesses too). Currently, in socialized healthcare countries, the "everyday joe's" get the local healthcare treatments, while the country's elites fly out-of-country (mostly into the US) for treatments -- possibly because they perceive the treatments to be, or they are more superior to what they can get back at home (idk honestly, this should be studied more).
That's not to say we can't do it... only that our present situation may not allow it until a future time.