I can’t think of anything the government does that wouldn’t be done cheaper and better by private industry or the people.

[DWornock]

For starters, I want the government completely out of drugs. That means people could buy any drug, prescription or otherwise, without the government’s permission. The only exceptions would be drugs that will cause harm to others. Antibiotics is one because overuse of antibiotics results in them being ineffective. Also, there may be psychotic drug that can cause people to become violent. Just being impaired such as alcohol is not included. That can be address with laws that prohibits certain activities such as driving while impaired.

Also, not included are drugs that people may take to harm themselves provided it does not harm others. If someone wants to harm themselves, he or she will find a way. Drugs such as opiates have existed without drug laws even before the existence of humans and humans have done fine without the drug laws. Regardless, “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” – Herbert Spencer

The annual cost of prescription drugs in the USA is $200 billion to almost $500 billion depending on source. Seventy-five percent of that is the cost of the time it takes to verify, count and fill a prescription. And, that does not count an equal cost for the time you must wait on getting a prescription filled. Furthermore, if the prescription drugs didn’t require obtaining the government's permission often you could order the drugs for as little as ten percent of the cost in the USA. For example, insulin that cost $100 can be purchased $3 in Turkey and for $12 or less in many countries including Switzerland.

Furthermore, if something goes wrong such as you misplace, drop, spill or perhaps it wasn’t properly filled, you cannot buy more even if you have refills because the druggist will tell you have to wait a certain number days for a refill. Perhaps you can call your doctor and after auguring with the nurse for 10 minutes, maybe you can get refill. However, that is a lot of needless stress.

[Sixgunsound]

The benefits of government involvement in anything only benefit the government.

[Sixgunsound]

Thanks for MHO

[KelleyNice]

[KelleyNice]

Regarding prescription refills: I don't believe anyone should have to wait a certain number of days to get a refill. What if I'm going to summer camp for two weeks? In my case my parents mail it to me but they shouldn't have to. What if someone is going to be gone for 2 to 4 week, due to their job, a family matter, on a vacation? They shouldn't be forced to transfer the prescription and then have it transferred back after they return.

[KelleyNice]

I agree! The government should get completely out of the drug business. Whatever, benefit the citizens get from government involvement is outweighed forty times by the harm from government involvement.

[Anonymous]

I also would like to add this pandemic. Our government told us we must have a shot that will help you, keep the virus away from you. So we as a world group decide to go out and get this shot they kept telling us our antibodies aren't going to fix it. This is all before the shots came out. I got the covid I was in bed for 2 weeks out of work for a month. Like a good citizen I went to my local pharmacy to receive the shots that were required. Talking to the pharmacist I asked him about our natural antibodies he says it's stored in our bone marrow. We really did not need to have that first shot. A little bit later on another strain came out. Got a little slightly ill. Our chief clown in charge came down with covid after he got all his presented shots. I think this covid thing is though the government can control us. Some of the people in our government want a One world order. This is one way of getting one world order.

[exitseven]

yes, the government usually makes thing s worse. Look at washing machines. You have to buy a special water saving washing machine that won't get your clothes clean so you have to wash them twice. That really does not save water. Like the toilets that you have to flush twice. The government needs to leave people alone.

[Shark_61695]

How about things like arrange for garbage collection, street cleaning and highway maintenance?

If you didn't have to pay taxes to pay for services like these, you would have to buy them all individually. Who is going to repair a road if they need to collect donations before they can start?

As for drugs, prescription drugs in the UK cost around £9 each. Having a private health service run for profit means everything costs more.

[KelleyNice]

There is no free lunch. Whatever prescription drugs cost, they would be a third or less if over the counter. For example, a 10 day supply of 500 mg amoxicillin will cost $20. 100 FISH AMOXICILLIN 500mg cost just under $25. Since most people want garbage collection private companies would offer at a lower price. At first, there would be many companies but competition would eliminate most until there only 1, 2, or 3 choices. Roads, water, gas, electricity, etc. require the right of eminent domain whether government or private industry.

[Anonymous]

Health insurance costs a US citizen more than the UK who have national health insurance

[TwinTonyz]

Are you sure about that? US health insurance is negotiated into salary, whereas European HE is explicitly defined by government and is non-negotiable.

[Opinion Owner]

@TwinTonyz national insurance as its called here is a under 4% of your wage. In the US it costs the average us Citizens 10% of their wage, which when you consider that the health insurance company is a middle man that needs to be paid, drugs are more expensive and the huge obesity crisis in the US that drives up health insurance and medical treatment that sounds about right.

[Opinion Owner]

Most people in the uk even think about health insurance because they've been covered automatically from the day they were born to the day they die

[TwinTonyz]

It seems the deviation would be cultures and their impact on health rather than the source of insurance.

I'm critical of the proposition that Democrats offer because it doesn't resolve the costs issue. Inflated costs of healthcare in the US come from the hospitals themselves who've inflated the cost of everything from Saline to Stretchers. We've only recently been allowed to get detailed invoices for our visits, but obscurity still hides where the money goes. I'd used the Saline analogy a few years ago, when you could still get saline from Amazon. It costed something like $15 for Amazon to ship you a full drip bag. It's something like $200 for the 'premium' brand at an American hospital. Why?

Changing who pays doesn't fix that, but establishing a committee or agency to review the specifics of hospital spending just might. What's more is that's likely a bipartisan solution which could be proposed in congress, but no one on either side wants to.

[goaded]

@TwinTonyz Hospitals can inflate the costs because the insurance companies get a fixed slice of a bigger pie. It's a feedback loop.

[musclesimp]

Just admit you want USA streets to be polluted with steroids and anarchists.

[Snakeyes7]

Problems you ask the state to solve is like chopping a head off a hydra. Even if they solve it, which is rare, several more pop up.

[Juxtapose]

Anarchy doesn't work, go ahead and point out a single country that has anarchy and is at all desirable to live in.

[KelleyNice]

That worked for eons. It is only recently, the last 10,000 years, that criminal thugs have taken over the world. Hang all the criminal thugs and you find how wonderful life can be.

[Juxtapose]

@KelleyNice even native Americans and other primitive tribes had government.

[DWornock]

Just like fathers, tribal chiefs were related to and loved the member of the tribe and would die fighting to protect them. No criminal government thug is willing to risk his life to protect you.

[Juxtapose]

That's still a form of government dude.

[DWornock]

@Juxtapose There have always been leaders and followers. Not only in humans but in chimps, wolves, and most all species with groups so it that is your definition of government then not all government is harmful. The difference is, the members are free to leave. Try leaving North Korea, You can't even give up citizenship in the USA without jumping through hoops which take many months and paying thousands to millions in fees and exit taxes.

[goaded]

@KelleyNice "It is only recently, the last 10,000 years, that criminal thugs have taken over the world" That's hilarious! It's only recently, the last couple of hundred years, that the general population have had a say in their government. And it works well, until someone manages to game the system, like Mussolini, Hitler, or Trump is trying to.

[Anonymous]

You hit the nail on the head.

[goaded]

"I can’t think"

[love_conquers_lust]

War. That’s not necessarily a compliment.

[msc545]

Medicare is better run by the government.