It turns out one of the ways the bureaucrats in England think they can improve their National Healthcare System is by somehow getting NHS workers to stop calling in sick so often.
Here's the way it breaks down:
NHS employees on average call in sick 10.7 days each year. This is one full day above the 9.7 day average for all public sector employees. (Gee, why do I suspect that government employees in England get 10 paid sick days per year?)
In case you're wondering, private sector employees in England take 6.4 sick days each year.
Officials are looking at all sorts of health and wellness issues and scheming expensive ways to bring down the NHS employee sick days.
I can save them the trouble. Here's the answer: privatize the healthcare system. The statistics indicate that this move alone should bring healthcare workers sick days down to about 6.4 per year.
You don't have to thank me.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
More Moveon.org Disinformation
In response to Moveon.org's TOP FIVE HEALTH CARE LIES—AND HOW TO FIGHT BACK:
1. Of course President Obama doesn’t want to euthanize your grandma. (Although by his own words, he might prefer she take pain pills rather than get an operation.) However, do you want government-backed end-of-life counseling when there will certainly be overwhelming pressures to keep healthcare costs down? The pressure on the poor and handicapped to make themselves less of a burden on society will be powerful.
2. Just because the bill has “words” that say it will not outlaw private insurers doesn’t guarantee there will continue to be private insurers. If one of the options is a public “health insurance” that has the full faith and credit of the US government behind it, not to mention Congress and the President, it will eventually put private insurers out of business. In candid moments lawmakers say this very thing.
3. Of course President Obama doesn’t want Soviet-style rationing. Actually, the Soviets didn’t want it either. There is rationing with any system. The question is: would you rather have the free market allocate the resources, or federal bureaucrats? I agree our healthcare system must be improved. I don’t believe it needs a total redesign.
4. True, Obama is not secretly plotting to cut Medicare. He is very open about it. Anyone who believes the government can cut $200 billion out of Medicare without reducing the care it provides is dreaming. And if you do believe this, by the way, you are signing on to the proposition that the government that allowed this “fraud and abuse” in the first place is now suddenly capable of running a lean-mean healthcare machine. Right.
5. When the government passed the income tax, lawmakers guaranteed no one would ever pay more than six percent. When they passed social security they guaranteed no one would ever pay more than two percent. Medicare is not funded. Bush’s Medicare drug reform is already under-funded. Whenever a politician from either party says something will pay for itself, grab your wallet. Can we please learn something from history?
And finally, puleeeeze, Moveon.org? Gimme a break.
1. Of course President Obama doesn’t want to euthanize your grandma. (Although by his own words, he might prefer she take pain pills rather than get an operation.) However, do you want government-backed end-of-life counseling when there will certainly be overwhelming pressures to keep healthcare costs down? The pressure on the poor and handicapped to make themselves less of a burden on society will be powerful.
2. Just because the bill has “words” that say it will not outlaw private insurers doesn’t guarantee there will continue to be private insurers. If one of the options is a public “health insurance” that has the full faith and credit of the US government behind it, not to mention Congress and the President, it will eventually put private insurers out of business. In candid moments lawmakers say this very thing.
3. Of course President Obama doesn’t want Soviet-style rationing. Actually, the Soviets didn’t want it either. There is rationing with any system. The question is: would you rather have the free market allocate the resources, or federal bureaucrats? I agree our healthcare system must be improved. I don’t believe it needs a total redesign.
4. True, Obama is not secretly plotting to cut Medicare. He is very open about it. Anyone who believes the government can cut $200 billion out of Medicare without reducing the care it provides is dreaming. And if you do believe this, by the way, you are signing on to the proposition that the government that allowed this “fraud and abuse” in the first place is now suddenly capable of running a lean-mean healthcare machine. Right.
5. When the government passed the income tax, lawmakers guaranteed no one would ever pay more than six percent. When they passed social security they guaranteed no one would ever pay more than two percent. Medicare is not funded. Bush’s Medicare drug reform is already under-funded. Whenever a politician from either party says something will pay for itself, grab your wallet. Can we please learn something from history?
And finally, puleeeeze, Moveon.org? Gimme a break.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Obama's Fight for, er I mean against, Civil Liberties
Bush waged his war on terrorists. Obama wages his war on dissidents.
If the truth may be told, both “wars” threaten civil liberties. Bush’s war threatened the civil liberties of terrorists and a small group of ACLU-type terrorist sympathizers. Obama’s war threatens anyone who opposes his policies and has the courage to say so publicly.
We live in an imperfect world. Which civil-liberty-threatening war do you prefer?
My wife said this morning that for the first time she was “scared” by what Obama and the Democrat operatives were doing to silence the political opposition. As I read through various news stories and political commentaries, the word “terrified” started popping up. Something unprecedented is happening in this nation.
Our president started his career as a community organizer. But when communities of Americans who hold moderate and conservative political views “organize” it is suddenly a bad thing. If a community of doctors, or (shudder) insurers, organize it is evil.
Get ready for a mega-dose of the truth: whether we leave our health care system primarily in the hands of private insurance companies, or we go entirely to a government-run single-payer system, costs are going to increase.
Here’s the difference:
The government-run system will cover increased costs by raising your taxes and rationing care, although it will never be called “rationing.” The insurance-based system will cover increased costs by raising premiums and rationing care, although it will never be called “rationing.”
These facts are undeniable. The advantage of the system based on private insurance is that it can have the element of competition injected into it, which will tend to decrease the rate of premium hikes. There is nothing to check increased costs in the government system. In fact, citizens will perceive health care to be “free” and we know what happens when people think things are free.
Let’s put all our cards on the table: Has any federal program ever been known for saving us money?
Believe it or not, sometimes in private industry middle managers lose their jobs to streamline corporate operations. How often do mid-level civil service system bureaucrats get laid off? Does anyone locked into the civil service system ever lose his job except for extreme malfeasance?
What should we do? Level the playing field. Give employees the money that went to their insurance and let them spend it as they see fit. Give the self-employed the same tax advantages businesses receive when they purchase health insurance.
Build more medical schools and nursing schools. Encourage more use of nurse practitioners.
If the uninsured are clogging up our emergency rooms for minor medical problems, establish an adjunct to the emergency room that is staffed by nurse practitioners who can handle minor problems.
Limit malpractice settlements to actual damages. Eliminate punitive damages. When doctors screw up badly, take away their licenses. That should be punitive enough and send a message to the medical profession.
Give patients access to some quality of care rating system for physicians and hospitals. The fast food place where I grab a burger has a health department rating posted for everyone to see. Are doctors and hospitals any less critical to my well being?
If the truth may be told, both “wars” threaten civil liberties. Bush’s war threatened the civil liberties of terrorists and a small group of ACLU-type terrorist sympathizers. Obama’s war threatens anyone who opposes his policies and has the courage to say so publicly.
We live in an imperfect world. Which civil-liberty-threatening war do you prefer?
My wife said this morning that for the first time she was “scared” by what Obama and the Democrat operatives were doing to silence the political opposition. As I read through various news stories and political commentaries, the word “terrified” started popping up. Something unprecedented is happening in this nation.
Our president started his career as a community organizer. But when communities of Americans who hold moderate and conservative political views “organize” it is suddenly a bad thing. If a community of doctors, or (shudder) insurers, organize it is evil.
Get ready for a mega-dose of the truth: whether we leave our health care system primarily in the hands of private insurance companies, or we go entirely to a government-run single-payer system, costs are going to increase.
Here’s the difference:
The government-run system will cover increased costs by raising your taxes and rationing care, although it will never be called “rationing.” The insurance-based system will cover increased costs by raising premiums and rationing care, although it will never be called “rationing.”
These facts are undeniable. The advantage of the system based on private insurance is that it can have the element of competition injected into it, which will tend to decrease the rate of premium hikes. There is nothing to check increased costs in the government system. In fact, citizens will perceive health care to be “free” and we know what happens when people think things are free.
Let’s put all our cards on the table: Has any federal program ever been known for saving us money?
Believe it or not, sometimes in private industry middle managers lose their jobs to streamline corporate operations. How often do mid-level civil service system bureaucrats get laid off? Does anyone locked into the civil service system ever lose his job except for extreme malfeasance?
What should we do? Level the playing field. Give employees the money that went to their insurance and let them spend it as they see fit. Give the self-employed the same tax advantages businesses receive when they purchase health insurance.
Build more medical schools and nursing schools. Encourage more use of nurse practitioners.
If the uninsured are clogging up our emergency rooms for minor medical problems, establish an adjunct to the emergency room that is staffed by nurse practitioners who can handle minor problems.
Limit malpractice settlements to actual damages. Eliminate punitive damages. When doctors screw up badly, take away their licenses. That should be punitive enough and send a message to the medical profession.
Give patients access to some quality of care rating system for physicians and hospitals. The fast food place where I grab a burger has a health department rating posted for everyone to see. Are doctors and hospitals any less critical to my well being?
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