Do The Math
August 8th, 2009
The problem with making decisions is often short sightedness. For everything, there is an equation. If you have ever seen the movie about John Forbes Nash you probably understand this. “A Beautiful Mind” is the true story of an MIT mathematics professor. For something as complicated as the economy, there’s a complex equation. Lately, I have heard a few shortsighted opinions in the media regarding the likelihood of national health care being successful. They used the military health care system as an example. It is true that the military has a highly regarded health care system. It is easy to assume that if the federal government could provide superior care to its military members surely they can do the same for the rest of us. That conclusion comes from not doing the math. The equation that enables the military to provide such quality care is quite different from the equation that applies to the entire United States. The health care providers of the armed forces of the U.S. are recruited from all over the world. The world population is over 6 billion. The military personnel are 3 million plus their defendants. The military recruits from a vast pool. The advantage is the relatively small number of those needing care compared the vast population of the civilian sector. Two very good things happen when you have such a large pool of hopeful providers. One is such a small percentage makes the cut that it narrows the choices down to the cream of the crop. Second within this large populous of military health care personnel hopefuls you can find individuals that are willing to work for less. They are more concerned with quality than money. The military doesn’t pay as much as the private sector but they have excellent benefits and high quality of life. When you have such an enormous mass of applicants, their price goes down. It’s the equation of supply and demand. It’s a high demand for jobs and a low supply of positions. In the civilian sector, it is just the opposite. In other words, there is a high volume of people in need of care and the same pool of health care providers to provide care.
The equation now grows longer. The health of those in the military is nothing compared to the outside. To be accepted for service one must be fit and healthy. One must be disease and drug free. To be part of the U.S population you have to be breathing. There is no age cutoff or weight standard. The military has physical fitness standards that must be maintained while on active duty. If any of these standards are not met, a discharge is inevitable. Retirees are only treated on a space available basis. Is that what we want for the American public? Another factor is the absence of malpractice insurance. Active duty members can’t sue. Dependents can sure, but they are not as likely due to the funding and quality of health care providers. The military has a bottomless bank account for those isolated suits. It’s called the U.S treasury. If they do win, the massive U.S. tax base pays them. These are just some factors of a long mathematical equation relating to military health care.
There is no comparison between military health care and civilian health care. They’re two completely different equations. How many really do the math in relation to matters of life not to mention the federal government. The politicians don’t even do it and it’s their job. Oh wait, that’s not entirely true. They do the math but their desired outcome doesn’t involve what’s best for you, just them. The worse they manage your money the more they benefit.
Bill Maher bragged on the Post Office for delivering a note across the country for 44 cents, but they operate at a loss. FedEx and UPS are profitable. The post office is planning to ration mail service. Thanks for making my point Bill.
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I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!