Why Bernie Sanders Isn’t Worried About Overpromising | NowThis
https://youtu.be/HVwtUmn0zJY

It is easy for the bernster to promise all that...he might as well promise everyone a million dollars, he is not going to be the Dem nod to rune as president.  Funny how he sits as independent and wants to run as democrat nominee for president...

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Remember when someone said it was all nice and dandy because he could pay for his MRI scan, so everything was a-ok.

https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1149839860108279808

900 dollars for 5 pills every month. 

Comparison with other countries:



Which system has the most compassion for its citizens - one where they just have to spend 350 dollars per capita or one where it is 3 times that amount?

#Sanders 

1) Pricing of medications obviously is going to look very different in a country with a private insurance model versus a further socialized model (these being set by the manufacturers). I'd want to know the direct patient spending (i.e. prorated health insurance costs per medication plus co-pays plus uninsured purchases also prorated per capita) for the pharmaceuticals per country (since the graph appears to be showing total spend)
2) The more esoteric the drug, the higher its cost can be (typical supply and demand economics). Logic would suggest that the larger your population, the greater your odds of encountering esoteric ailments and needing those esoteric drugs, which means the data should be normalized across countries for fair comparisons, or should be restricted to specific standard pharmaceuticals
3) Logistically, distributing meds across a large country like the US carries a larger cost than distributing over a smaller area like Sweden
4) The extremely powerful pharmaceutical lobby is a force to be reckoned with, and is likely an inhibitor of change

I agree with you that it's a flawed system, however I feel it's important to note that the story is more complex than can be meaningfully distilled down to one infographic, and I think it's important to touch on the nuance.

^^^  Is the issue really that Americans are just sicker than the Swedes and therefore take more medicine?

When will a candidate turn to the American people and say, "Take responsibility for yourselves. Quit eating shit, start exercising, drink all your water, quit smoking, get enough sleep, manage your stress -- then maybe you won't be spending so much on medication"?  When will someone turn to the industrial food manufacturers and say "Enough is enough, you're killing people"? At what point will WE demand that Congress stop subsidizing corn, wheat ,and soy to produce all the crap food people are eating, and start subsidizing a sustainable agriculture system that produces a wealth of crops known to be human life-sustaining? When does a candidate run on "Free Gym Memberships for Everybody!!" instead of promising them "Free Pills!!" to keep them alive in their miserable health? 

Marianne Williamson for President!!

For goodness sake, let's change the conversation in this country around health care. 

what dreams said:

^^^  Is the issue really that Americans are just sicker than the Swedes and therefore take more medicine?

When will a candidate turn to the American people and say, "Take responsibility for yourselves. Quit eating shit, start exercising, drink all your water, quit smoking, get enough sleep, manage your stress -- then maybe you won't be spending so much on medication"?  When will someone turn to the industrial food manufacturers and say "Enough is enough, you're killing people"? At what point will WE demand that Congress stop subsidizing corn, wheat ,and soy to produce all the crap food people are eating, and start subsidizing a sustainable agriculture system that produces a wealth of crops known to be human life-sustaining? When does a candidate run on "Free Gym Memberships for Everybody!!" instead of promising them "Free Pills!!" to keep them alive in their miserable health? 

Marianne Williamson for President!!

For goodness sake, let's change the conversation in this country around health care. 

hedonist said:

what dreams said:

^^^  Is the issue really that Americans are just sicker than the Swedes and therefore take more medicine?

When will a candidate turn to the American people and say, "Take responsibility for yourselves. Quit eating shit, start exercising, drink all your water, quit smoking, get enough sleep, manage your stress -- then maybe you won't be spending so much on medication"?  When will someone turn to the industrial food manufacturers and say "Enough is enough, you're killing people"? At what point will WE demand that Congress stop subsidizing corn, wheat ,and soy to produce all the crap food people are eating, and start subsidizing a sustainable agriculture system that produces a wealth of crops known to be human life-sustaining? When does a candidate run on "Free Gym Memberships for Everybody!!" instead of promising them "Free Pills!!" to keep them alive in their miserable health? 

Marianne Williamson for President!!

For goodness sake, let's change the conversation in this country around health care. 

I don't disagree at all, but what of those who have been taking the (supposed) right steps and still get sick?  Those who by the luck of the draw become ill?  People like me who had a hand in their illness (cirrhosis) but are now on a healthier path?  The cost of insurance alone is prohibitive...being out of work and having to pay over $800 *edit - monthly for coverage could be considered pretty stressful.  And the healthy ones whose insurance is still sky-high?  Then factor in dependents, spouse, etc...

Or simply when life happens.

These questions aren't for you - or anyone, really - to answer.  I'm not sure there are answers. 

(Brian, what the hell is an "Official Curator of Feminine Divinity"?  I feel like I'm missing some newfangled buzzword you crazy kids use.) 

Hedonist, I understand that life happens. I am a thyroid cancer survivor, and other than living in Chernobyl, there is really no other known cause for it besides just bad luck. Great health insurance enabled me to get well for the low, low cost of $1300 out of pocket. I have a best friend who recently died from a rare autoimmune disease after four liver transplants and a new kidney. Thank God for her and her family that she had excellent insurance. This is the essence of insurance. It's supposed to be for unexpected catastrophes.

Metabolic syndrome, caused by feeding on cheeseburgers and lasagna while sitting in front of the TV over a lifetime, is personal negligence, not an accidental catastrophe. I just looked up the costs of this epidemic and found this:

"The total cost of the malady including the cost of health care and loss of potential economic activity is in the trillions. The present trend is not sustainable unless a magic cure is found (unlikely) or concerted global/governmental/societal efforts are made to change the lifestyle that is promoting it."  (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5866840/)

I am not against getting to universal healthcare by allowing people to opt in to Medicare. I am not against the individual mandate and required coverage of pre-existing conditions. I would like very much for there to be price controls on life-saving drugs and for insurance companies to bring premiums and deductibles down. But we will never, ever get there if we continue to excuse people from their responsibility in their exorbitant health costs.       

hedonist said:

what dreams said:

^^^  Is the issue really that Americans are just sicker than the Swedes and therefore take more medicine?

When will a candidate turn to the American people and say, "Take responsibility for yourselves. Quit eating shit, start exercising, drink all your water, quit smoking, get enough sleep, manage your stress -- then maybe you won't be spending so much on medication"?  When will someone turn to the industrial food manufacturers and say "Enough is enough, you're killing people"? At what point will WE demand that Congress stop subsidizing corn, wheat ,and soy to produce all the crap food people are eating, and start subsidizing a sustainable agriculture system that produces a wealth of crops known to be human life-sustaining? When does a candidate run on "Free Gym Memberships for Everybody!!" instead of promising them "Free Pills!!" to keep them alive in their miserable health? 

Marianne Williamson for President!!

For goodness sake, let's change the conversation in this country around health care. 

I don't disagree at all, but what of those who have been taking the (supposed) right steps and still get sick?  Those who by the luck of the draw become ill?  People like me who had a hand in their illness (cirrhosis) but are now on a healthier path?  The cost of insurance alone is prohibitive...being out of work and having to pay over $800 *edit - monthly for coverage could be considered pretty stressful.  And the healthy ones whose insurance is still sky-high?  Then factor in dependents, spouse, etc...

Or simply when life happens.

These questions aren't for you - or anyone, really - to answer.  I'm not sure there are answers. 

(Brian, what the hell is an "Official Curator of Feminine Divinity"?  I feel like I'm missing some newfangled buzzword you crazy kids use.) 

Just some dumb thing I made up, haha!  Williamson is an interesting lady.  She's sometimes intense, she's sometimes marginally metaphysical, she's sometimes airy fairy, and by observing the kind of people who buy her books (just FYI, 95% of whom are women which is partly where my made-up title came from), she's kind of a spiritual guru.  I don't think she has anywhere near the experience to be president (come to think of it, kind of like that current guy in the Oval Office), so I surely can't support her bid for POTUS, but she could sort of be like our Popette-- so I came up with "Official Curator of Feminine Divinity".  But I'm open to other suggestions.  Maybe "Madame Spiritualist" or something.  I dunno.

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Bernie ad. 

A Living Wage

https://youtu.be/2m8Ijm4J6_s

Did she say $8.50 an hour? In Sweden seems the lowest pay in that business would be $14.50. 

Hard to see why Sanders wouldn't take inspiration from us up here.

#sanders

Again, who's paying for it?  No thanks.

Easy to answer (billionaires), hard to achieve (billionaires).

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Bernie ad. 

A Living Wage

https://youtu.be/2m8Ijm4J6_s

Did she say $8.50 an hour? In Sweden seems the lowest pay in that business would be $14.50. 

Hard to see why Sanders wouldn't take inspiration from us up here.

#sanders

Again, who's paying for it?  No thanks.

"Working people having a legal right to vacation - NO THANKS!"

"McDonalds paying a living wage to their employees - NO THANKS!"

I mean...just a question - where do you get these kind of opinions? Because something is seriously wrong here... like on a basic human level.