Kliff could produce important work!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

But would the Times permit it?:
Sarah Kliff joined the New York Times a bit more than one year ago. Unlike others at the Times, she lacks the twin excuses of incompetence and ignorance.

Today, at the very top of page A1, she suggests the way a person like herself might perform some large-scale, major health care reporting.

In the bulk of today's report, Kliff reports price gouging by certain concerns who are performing coronavirus testing. Along the way, as she starts her report, she places this apparent gouging within a much larger context:
KLIFF (6/17/20): How can a simple coronavirus test cost $100 in one lab and 2,200 percent more in another? It comes back to a fundamental fact about the American health care system: The government does not regulate health care prices.

This tends to have two major outcomes
that health policy experts have seen before, and are seeing again with coronavirus testing.

The first is high prices over all. Most medical care in the United States costs double or triple what it would in a peer country. An appendectomy, for example, costs $3,050 in Britain and $6,710 in New Zealand, two countries that regulate health prices. In the United States, the average price is $13,020.
The United States government doesn't regulate health care prices, Kliff reports. One result "is high prices over all"—massive overcharging for medical care, as compared to the cost of health care in other developed nations.

"Most medical care in the United States costs double or triple what it would in a peer country," Kliff reports. The gouging Kliff describes in this way is paid for by Americans across the board—by red and blue voters together!

This is the basic story newspapers like the New York Times have long refused to report or discuss. Kliff understands the basics here—the basic facts concerning the looting of every American by the various entities which comprise our "heath care system."

Kliff understands the basics of this relentless looting. But will she ever report this topic? Would the New York Times permit her to? Will she simply knuckle under, as all good "journalists" do?

Also this: Your cable news favorites never discuss this. Can you explain why they don't?

22 comments:

  1. "The United States government doesn't regulate health care prices"

    The US government doesn't regulate a lot of prices for goods and services. Are we to believe that we pay a lot more for sandwiches, writing implements, clothing, haircuts, and all of the other things we buy? My understanding was that competition was supposed to regulate the market to produce lower prices for consumers. Why is the health care market any different than these other unregulated markets?

    Somerby cannot blame health care prices on lack of regulation unless he can explain why health care is different and needs to be regulated when food and other necessities are not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My understanding was that competition was supposed to regulate the market to produce lower prices for consumers.

      My goodness! But isn’t that just adorable?

      Here’s a couple of hints:

      How much a month do you pay for sandwich insurance?

      When you need critical medical care, including emergency care, do you shop around for the best price?

      Have you ever seen a price board for medical procedures like the one they have at Subway for sandwiches?

      The ER doc says you need an expensive emergency tracheostomy. You’d like to find out which, if any, of a retromolar, a submental, or a submandibular endotracheal intubation would be cheaper and as effective. How do you find out?

      (For extra credit, compare and contrast with the decision of which Subway sandwich is the best — Black Forest ham, chicken & bacon ranch melt, or the classic tuna. Assuming of course that if you choose the wrong sandwich or don’t choose within three minutes, you’ll die. But, then, you’re eating at Subway: how much is your life really worth anyway?)

      Delete
    2. deadrat, is your name Somerby?

      And, congratulations on missing 4:58’s point.

      Delete
    3. Another hint - if a test costs $100 from one provider and $2200 from another the free-markets system (which we are supposed to have) is not actually regulating prices.

      Delete
    4. So, then, the reason we have no regulation of health care pricing is because Republicans won't let Democrats implement anything beneficial, just as they have intransigently opposed ACA and other health care improvements.

      How does Somerby propose to change Republican minds by carping about NY Times articles?

      Delete
    5. Is my name Somerby? No, my name is deadrat. I can’t prove that I’m not Somerby, but if we’re to be taken at our word, we hold opposite opinions on some things. For instance, Somerby says he doesn’t like to see people locked up. And, of course, I can’t prove we’re both to be taken at our word.

      But I can offer up some more evidence that we’re different people. It should be obvious that I understand a modicum of mathematics. Also, I read the TDH comment section.

      Have I missed 4:58’s point? Possibly, if you think that TDH must explain the blindingly obvious to Anonymous Ignoramuses like 4:58.

      Delete
    6. How does Somerby propose to change Republican minds by carping about NY Times articles?

      Do you think TDH is aimed at Republicans?

      Delete
    7. “Do you think TDH is aimed at Republicans?”

      Who knows or cares what audience Somerby is aiming for? Nobody reads his fricking blog, so it has zero influence over anyone. Why he keeps launching entries into the vacuum of space about “nobody is discussing this issue that i’m also not discussing” is beyond me.

      Delete
    8. I read him because I find it useful to consider ideas not entirely congruent with my own.

      What you're doing here is what's beyond me.

      Delete
    9. "How does Somerby propose to change Republican minds by carping about NY Times articles?"

      This is why he carps at the NYT:

      Most people, Democrats and Republicans, don't know how much our medical care "system" rips them off, every single day. They don't know b/c major media, like the NYT, have never told them.

      If the NYT told people that we pay 2x more per capita for health care than the rest of the world, even Republicans are going to ask "where the hell is all that money going?"

      Our health care system is a giant fraud, and if the mass of people, D and R, understood that, then the system would change, no matter how corrupt the GOP is.

      Delete
    10. It costs many more times to live in the Hamptons than to live in Detroit. Where is that extra money going? How can people tolerate getting ripped off like that?

      It costs many more times for a sandwich in NYC than in Albuquerque. If people understood how much they are getting ripped off would they tolerate it? Where is that extra money going?

      Health care in the US costs more because there are many differences between health care here and in other countries. The extra money goes to pay for those differences. One difference is that people here are allowed to choose their own treatment, and to refuse treatment. Another is the general lack of preventative care here compared to elsewhere. Another is the widespread use of "alternative" medicine, until cases become too serious to treat inexpensively. Another is the insurance industry and the lack of a coordinated national health service, but places such as Switzerland manage to have an insurance-based system without charging as much. People in Europe laugh at how fat Americans are. So there are cultural differences in the underlying population that exacerbate health conditions.

      Somerby ignores all of this and suggests that we make straight-across comparisons and then ask why. In no other situation would we do that. Cars and gas cost a lot more in Europe than here. Health care is much cheaper in Mexico and more widely available to people. Why does Somerby only compare with Europe?

      Somerby does nothing to advance any serious discussion about health care. It is just another stick to beat the "fake news" media with, so that his buddy Trump can get reelected and papa Putin will be happy.

      Delete
    11. Some of what you write makes sense, and some of what you write is absurd. People here are allowed to choose their own treatment or refuse treatment? Do you suppose that people in the US really have a “choice” to get treatments not approved by insurance companies or that people in Europe can’t refuse treatment?

      But beyond that is your whining that TDH doesn’t “advance serious discussion of health care.” Here’s a blog right here on blogspot.com: http://hailtofantasyfootball.blogspot.com, with a tagline that starts “A blog by someone completely obsessed with fantasy football….” He doesn’t seem to get many comments, so I’d guess he’d welcome some attention. Why aren’t you over there haranguing the blog owner about why he doesn’t discuss knitting?

      Maybe TDH should be discussing what you want to discuss, but he doesn’t. Isn’t it time for you to find a blog amenable to your interests or start one on your own?

      And TDH’s “buddy” Trump? TDH thinks that Trump is possibly insane. Some buddy.

      Well, at least you think that TDH only wants Putin to be happy. Or do you think TDH is on Putin’s payroll?

      Delete
    12. Somerby's blog sin't about healthcare.
      It's about repeating right-wing gripes.

      Delete
  2. "the basic facts concerning the looting of every American by the various entities which comprise our "heath care system.""

    Indeed. But you know, dear Bob, it could've been over by now.

    The system was collapsing under the weight of its own greed, when your Demigod Barry shored it up with his infamous 'obamacare'; adding more taxpayers' money in it, and forcing - by law! - individuals to feed the beast.

    And that's exactly how your liberal cult does it: singing your sweet, sweet songs while shaking money out of your pockets.

    ReplyDelete
  3. “Kliff understands the basics of this relentless looting. But will she ever report this topic? Would the New York Times permit her to?”

    She just did that, and the New York Times permitted her to.

    ReplyDelete
  4. “she suggests the way a person like herself might perform some large-scale, major health care reporting.”

    She has written 127 articles on healthcare at Vox over the past few years, and has been reporting on healthcare for over a decade.

    Also, “Prior to joining Vox, Sarah covered health policy for the Washington Post...She has also covered health policy for Politico and Newsweek magazine.”

    Despite all that, apparently only the New York Times is a “major” venue for such reporting.

    And it’s certainly not clear if Kliff is one of those liberals who doesn’t really care about healthcare, despite her years of reporting on it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Somerby apparently knows that there is looting in our health care system. How does he know that? Where did he get his information? From writers like Kliff perhaps?

    Why will he not share those sources with us? It could be of vital importance. Instead, he tells us no one discusses the thing he already somehow knows.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Are you looking for a way to restore back your broken relationship? If yes help has come your way i got a testimony online about Dr.Nana how he helped someone to get back his ex wife and i contacted him for help also, I am so happy that right now my husband is back to me with so much love and happiness with the help of Dr.Nana if you need help in getting your ex or to fix your relationship back, you can contact him he will help you just the same way he helped me brought back my husband after 1 year of separation contact him today and be happy in your relationship you can email him on nanakwakuspiritualist@gmail.com Call or WhatsApp +2349029905501 webpage https://lovespellsite.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. MY TESTIMONY ON HOW MY HUSBAND WAS RESTORE BACK TO ME AFTER BEING UNDER A SPELL FOR SOME MONTHS,BUT DR OKOSUN A GREAT SPELL CASTER WAS A ABLE TO RESTORE HIM BACK TO ME.


    I want to thank Dr okosun a very powerful spell caster who help me to bring my husband back to me, few month ago i have a serious problem with my husband, to the extend that he left the house, and he started dating another woman and he stayed with the woman, i tried all i can to bring him back, but all my effort was useless until the day my friend cameto my house and i told her every thing that had happened between me and my husband, then she told me of a powerful spell caster who help her when she was in the same problem I then contact Dr okosun and told him every thing and he told me not to worry my self again that my husband will come back to me after he has cast a spell on him, i thought it was a joke, after he had finish casting the spell, he told me that he had just finish casting the spell, to my greatest surprise within 48 hours, my husband really came back begging me to forgive him, if you need his help you can contact him with via email: (drokosun12@gmial.com),or via WhatsApp (+2348136785562)

    ReplyDelete

  8. Hi viewer

    We are professional traders, who earn weekly on forex and binary for investors, we will love to tell you all about our investment platform in which you can invest funds starting from $ 250 and start earning $ 3000 weekly, many people have benefited from this investment offered before and during this convid-19 virus, if you are experiencing financial difficulties due to this coronavirus and you need help paying your bills simply choose an investment plan suitable for yourself and start making profits

    $ 250 weekly to earn $3000 in 7 days
    $ 400 to earn $ 5,000 in 7 days
    $ 1000 to earn $ 10,000 in 7 days
    $ 2000 to earn $ 30,000 in 7 days
    $ 5000 to earn $ 50,000 in 7 days

    To start your
    WhatsApp investment immediately : +1(301) 329-5298 or email: int.hackers002@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. EFFECTIVE LOVE SPELL TO GET EX HUSBAND/BOYFRIEND OR EX WIFE/GIRLFRIEND AND CURE HERPES AND INFERTILITY THAT WORKS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

     Contact Dr. Odunga at odungaspelltemple@gmail.com OR Whats App/CALL +2348167159012

    I got my ex husband back to me and also got fertile and gave birth to twin girls after 12 years of marriage.
    When I came online last year, I saw a testimony about Doctor ODUNGA and how he has been helping people with marriage issues and I decided to contact him. We spoke on email at odungaspelltemple@gmail.com and later he gave me his WhatsApp number which is +2348167159012. He assured me he would help me get my ex husband back after 3 years of no contact. Doctor Odunga is the best spell caster I must say. My husband called me after 24 hours of contact. The third day, I received natural herbs for fertility and after using it, I became fertile and conceived. I and my husband reconnected, had sex and I was pregnant. Presently I am happy to say I am the mother of twin girls and this is ALL THANKS TO DOCTOR ODUNGA. I came online to say this If you need help, I believe you are saved with this man.  

    Contact his email at odungaspelltemple@gmail.com

     OR Whats App/Call +2348167159012 and you too will give a testimony too to help others

    ReplyDelete
  10. LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
    Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever


    ReplyDelete