So, I'm out in Nashville, canvassing and making phone calls yesterday about healthcare reform, when a 30-something-ish man in a coral shirt walks up.
"So, what is this? Are you for or against?"
Me: "We're generally for it. Still some work to do. How about you?"
Him (smiling smugly): "No, I don't think so."
Me: "What are your thoughts?"
Him: "Well, there's no way it's going to work. Taxes are going to go way up, and all the rich people will move to Costa Rica."
Me: "Really? All of them?"
Him: "Yeah, Jesse Ventura already moved to Mexico, and you know, he's getting money from the Navy, and probably a little money from Minnesota. So, if he's leaving, and everyone else is leaving, there's gonna be no money left for taxes."
Follow me after the jump for some more of this mind-bending conversation...
Me: "You really think that's going to happen?"
Him: "It's already happening."
Me: "So what do you actually think about healthcare reform? Do you think it's a good idea?"
Him: "No, I'm pessimistic. I don't think the government can do anything right."
Now, by this point, I'm wondering if this guy is worth wasting my time. But my friend who's with me pipes up:
Friend: "What about now? Do you have health insurance? Are you satisfied with your insurance?"
Him: "Yeah, my insurance is fine. I pay about $200 a month. I'm in medical equipment sales."
Friend: "Well, what if you lose your job?"
Him: "Well, that's just capitalism."
And then he walked away.
This guy was the embodiment of the status quo for me. He's apparently doing just fine in the current system, making money selling medical supplies. He's part of the $800 billion in wasteful healthcare spending, selling clients, going on trips, and enjoying the income from the broken system. He knows full well that there's a sucker born every minute, and that the goal of a good business plan (especially in healthcare) is to create more suckers. Sell little blue pills, market the latest "keeping up with the Joneses" medical technology, invent a new diagnosis ... all in the name of "helping people." And at the end of the day, who benefits?
The industry.
People suddenly become aware of ailments they never knew they had. Can't get an erection that lasts 4 hours? Well, there's a pill for that. Treat the symptoms, not the disease. Are you overweight? Try this pill, it'll burn off the fat while you sleep!
We are spending $2.4 trillion a year on healthcare - 16% of our nation's Gross Domestic Product. The next highest expenditure comes in around 11%. And what do we get for these extra expenditures? A ranking of 37th in the World Health Organization's measures of best healthcare system.
For all the talk about people "living off the system" on Medicaid, my experience has taught me that the real leeches in this system are the medical professionals hucksters who waste taxpayer money on unneeded tests, unnecessary equipment, and substandard care. The fee-for-service system in this country rewards procedures, not performance.
And when the going gets tough and we start eliminating fraud and wasteful spending on healthcare, guys like this are going to move to Costa Rica.
They don't care about "Country First".
They don't care about driving up the national debt to $11.8 trillion.
They just want to milk the system for all it's worth.
They think we're suckers.