| Sep. 2nd, 2009 @ 10:45 am On the healthcare buffet |
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Blogs that I read are busily trying to come up with analogies for the healthcare system. NPR says it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Another blog says it's like eating out and then splitting the bill evenly. I think those analogies miss some important points. If our healthcare system was a buffet:
-Fat people would not be let in. And if one place didn't let you in, chances are the rest won't let you in. If you are not fat but were fat in the past or had fat parents, they probably wouldn't let you in. Or they would, but once they found out they would throw you out with no refund.
-If you become fat at one buffet, and you decide (or have to) go somewhere else, they won't let you in because you were already fat.
-You could eat all you want, but if you're in the top 1% of eaters you have a 50% chance of being thrown out with no refund. In fact, the restaurant can come up with a reason to throw you out if they decide that you eat more than they were expecting.
-Most people's bosses are picking up the check (NPR does mention this). Some people with no bosses have to pay their own bill, and they pay more, for some reason.
-When they can get away with it, they charge women more to eat there than men. Because, you know, women cost more to feed.
-There's arbitrary limits on some things you can eat, like you can only eat up to 3 crab legs or 5 slices of ham.
-The cooks and employees get paid per item that the customers eat. They have incentives to provide more food. The restaurant charges per person. They have incentives to provide as little food as possible. |
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