it seems to be entirely founded on a general mistrust of socialism.
Probably something to do with socialism's 100% record in regards to turning prosperous nations into burgeoning shitholes. Furthermore, Bernie isn't socialist, unless I'm misreading his policies rather severely.
Maybe not. Whether or not he's technically a socialist makes no difference to me (actually it's surely better for him if he really isn't). I just like some of his ideas. Some are maybe a little extreme, but I don't think there's any danger we will become a socialist country. I just think the idea of sharing the wealth a bit is sound.
We already spend more on welfare and healthcare per capita than any other Western nation. Our incredibly inefficient and overly large government is to blame for our ails, not the lack of money or "spreading the wealth". Bernie is proposing we hand over even more money to a government already proven to be completely irresponsible in handling money. The idea that our woes are caused because we're not handing over enough money to the government is blatantly untrue. All Bernie will be doing is exacerbating a problem already choking the nation. If Bernie wants to emulate European nations I suggest he start by trying to acquire more Europeans, because regardless of who has been president and who has been in Congress our country has been top down moronic when it comes to finances.
But why do we spend so much? Why does a normal vaginal birth with no complications cost $10,000?
I think the issue stems from high cost of drugs and high cost of medical school/education.
Think about it: if you have 200k in debt when you become a professional and you have 10 years to pay that off, you need to make a ton of money a year just to meet monthly payments and live on your own. Which is why doctors make over 200k a year.
The second is drugs. It costs millions to develop them so to recover costs from successes and failures, the drugs need to be pricy.
Finally: America is a very sue happy nation. Americans have it drilled into their collective cultural mind that pain = money in some way. Mostly by bad lawyers, I suspect. So malpractice insurance is expensive as hell. Most oay between 4-12k a year, averaging around 7k. Surgeons pay 30-50k. So yeah.
I believe the solution is a 3 pronged approach. First, grants for drug research. We probably already do this so expand it with benefits for cheaper costs to the government. Also drug price negotiations for basic stuff like saline packs and isulin. Maybe bulk buying for national distribution.
Second, educational loan forgiveness. A doctor who agrees to work for 10 years on a residency salary for public care (so medicare, medicaide, whatever...) Will have their loan forgiven without having any payments or interest. If they move to private, they need to pay whatever balance is left based on how long they worked publically.
Third, malpractice: government paid but can be dropped if you pile up too many claims. (Ie. You are not a good doctor)