I expect the continued growth of socialized medicine to continue the trend of less and less competence among medical professionals, and less and less medical professionals period (particularly doctors--which seem to be in acute shortage already). So, nothing will change overnight, but this certainly isn't going to allow things to get _better_, which would eventually happen in a more free-market medical system.

Americans are exceptionally good at everything the free market touches (consider the tech world). Medicine could, and should, be a lot like going to the vet. Extreme competence, speed, and low price. The difference? There honestly isn't that much of a difference, except veterinary practice is pretty much a free market.

By the way, I've personally been forced to undergo unreasonably waits at the ER (I was kicked out of the building by a security guard because I wouldn't take a seat or stand - I couldn't physically do either, and I went and laid down in a parking lot outside). I've also seen a loved one hurt--potentially very severely over what could have been the case, but who knows--by not getting competent attention during a stroke. And there is at least one other bad story I won't get into here.

By the way, I do think my stories are representative of a larger trend. The above-mentioned incidents occured in different hospitals mixed between the east and west coast. That still isn't enough to prove anything. But I'm hearing complaints from a lot of people. Also, if you talk to someone applying to med school, you'll see that the number of doctors is being artificially restricted.

The public discussion about healthcare is missing a huge component, which is: why is our healthcare so completely shoddy and incompetent today? What can we do to change that? And, why aren't there enough doctors? I'm talking totally independent of the _cost_, which admittedly is also a problem.

"Medicine could, and should, be a lot like going to the vet."

Yeah, and patients whose cures are more expensive than they can afford should be put down painlessly, eh?

There are some aspects of health care where free market mechanisms can improve efficiency, but efficiency is not by itself the ultimate goal a health care system should have.

How much does it cost to treat a dog for the most serious medical problems, like cancer? I bet it's trivial compared to the cost of a human. I bet it's so little, that we could actually think about treating everyone for everything, if we could get human treatment to that level of efficiency.

Seriously, it's the most humane way to go.

In the meantime, I'll be thinking about going to India if I or loved ones need serious medical care.