I assume most conservatives oppose any type of national health program on general principles and understand that viewpoint.
However, in light of the "aging" of America I see a problem of large size down the road. Specifically as American companies convert to the new reality of most production facilities now being abroad and our companies maturing, the world is changing.
For instance Kodak, a great old American company is downsizing as the camera and film are now obsolete and as a result 52,000 retirees have just lost their medical benefits from Kodak.
So,the question is: as America "matures" and companies grow old and the number of old people greatly increases, how do we provide generally for the population to have medical treatment and how do we pay for it? Soon,they say, we will have like 100 million Americans 70+ in age and if they do not have employer provided insurance, what to they and we do? How can we provide medical services to a large aging population as well as the younger ones?
It is easy to say let them provide it themselves, but the basic reality is our wages in the US are slipping compared to the rest of the world and we no longer have a highly paid production type economy. And the cost of medical treatment is going up at a fast rate.
One approach to the problem I believe in fact is as national health service but I do not think Americans in general are ready for that and if not, then, what do we do to provide needed services for those who really cannot afford it?
I think in the next 15 years or so this will be a gigantic problem.
However, in light of the "aging" of America I see a problem of large size down the road. Specifically as American companies convert to the new reality of most production facilities now being abroad and our companies maturing, the world is changing.
For instance Kodak, a great old American company is downsizing as the camera and film are now obsolete and as a result 52,000 retirees have just lost their medical benefits from Kodak.
So,the question is: as America "matures" and companies grow old and the number of old people greatly increases, how do we provide generally for the population to have medical treatment and how do we pay for it? Soon,they say, we will have like 100 million Americans 70+ in age and if they do not have employer provided insurance, what to they and we do? How can we provide medical services to a large aging population as well as the younger ones?
It is easy to say let them provide it themselves, but the basic reality is our wages in the US are slipping compared to the rest of the world and we no longer have a highly paid production type economy. And the cost of medical treatment is going up at a fast rate.
One approach to the problem I believe in fact is as national health service but I do not think Americans in general are ready for that and if not, then, what do we do to provide needed services for those who really cannot afford it?
I think in the next 15 years or so this will be a gigantic problem.