Jul 30, 2012

Romney Praises Government Run Health Care

     I suppose this is off topic but I cannot resist posting this from BuzzFeed Politics:
“Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? eight percent," Romney told donors at a fundraiser at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, speaking of a health care system that is compulsory for Israelis and funded by the government. "You spend eight percent of GDP [Gross Domestic Product] on health care. You're a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18% of our GDP on health care. Ten percentage points more. ... Our gap with Israel is 10 points of GDP. We have to find ways — not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to find and manage our health care costs."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

terrific--how much does it cost. Tried internet search--cannot find any source revealing how much Israeli citizens pay for their health insurance. might be important.

Anonymous said...

total health care expenditures per capita in 2009 (in US dollars adjusted for purchasing power parity), OECD:

US $8233
Israel $2165
Canada $4317
UK $3379
Germany $4225

Don Levit said...

Folks:
Half of the health care is provided by state and federal governments.
So, the responsibility for our health care costs is shared by public and private entities.
The employer exclusion for health care premiums, generously provided by the federal government, is the largest tax exclusion offered, higher than mortgage interest and retirement deductions.
Now, we have the ACA, which combines the "best" of both private and public!
The taxpayers are providing the subsidies to the for-profit insurers, so they can make their 15-20% cut, a profit they would have never realized without the generosity of the American taxpayer.
Are any of you familiar with IRC section 501(m), passed in 1986, stripping Blue Cross (and similar insurers) of their federal non-profit status? The primary reason cited by the IRS was that the Blues (and similar insurers) had evolved into their for-profit competitors. This wake-up call, 26 years ago, for 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) insurers (which IRC section 501(m) applied to) to distinguish themselves from their for-profit competitors turned into an unused snooze alarm.
Here we are, awake (or maybe asleep) 26 years later, and we are subsidizing these me-too insurers for their overpriced insurance.
Don Levit

Anonymous said...

My question remains, how much do Israeli citizens pay for their health insurance. It stands to reason that per-capita expenditures would be much lower than the U.S., since most of the Israelis are fit enough for combat at all times. Imagine if the U.S. did that, instead of just guaranteeing to cover pre-existing conditions like smoking, obesity, etc.

Anonymous said...

I got sick in Israel (Dehydration) and was taken by ambulance to Hadassah Hospital and evaluated in the ER for a possible MI, given two IV solutions and when no problems developed, released.

Total charge with no insurance
Ambulance $120 for a one hour ride
ER charges $320.00 (They took VISA)

The cost in the US would have been a trifle higher I believe