The Crisis In Health Care, Or, Cats And Dogs Sleeping Together...

Via Megan McArdle we come to an AEI chart depicting rising health care costs that ought to leave everyone scratching their heads and revising their talking points (but it won't!).

The apparent national crisis in veterinarian care due to explosive, out of control cost increases really ought to be compared to other countries to see why we are so mismanaging the health of our nation's pets.

I doubt the explanation will include the high cost of malpractice insurance, rapacious insurance companies with high overhead, or obese, heavily smoking, self-abusive pets that ignore their own health and expect others to pay for their care.

MONDAY CAT BLOGGING:  Just typing out loud here, but the driving Democratic impetus for health care reform has been the desire to create a new middle-class entitlement which Democrats can perpetually expand, thereby gaining the thanks (and votes!) of a grateful nation.  Grateful, that is, except for "the rich" who will be paying for it, but how many votes does 5% of the population have, anyway?

Well.  Since health care reform is struggling and veterinarian costs are clearly soaring in line with health costs as a percent of GDP, maybe the Dems should create a popular middle-class entitlement for pets.  I picture "MediPets" or some such.  The result - a popular vote-getting program for beloved dogs and cats everywhere.  And horses!  Goldfish?  Hmm, I worry about pre-existing conditions...

HEALTH CARE INNOVATION - DOA?  Will Wilkinson worries that health care reform will be the death knell of medical innovation in the US, which is bad news both for us and for the free-riders all over Europe and the world.  My question - has Medicare killed innovation in treatment of the elderly?  How would that be measured, anyway?

Comments

[J.]

Chris Dodd...resign NOW

[bad]

right on J....right on

[bad]

We knew we were paying our vet too much when his staff referred to our odd looking, found in a field, mutt kitty, as "striking."

They'll pry our vet out of our cold, dead hands.

[Amused Bystander]

Can we see a break out by Party. This might help us. Also by species and party? ( I refer to the pets here.)

[Old Lurker]

Great! We can bury Fido in the same coffin with Granny.

[Elliott]

Mass. Hysteria.

[Old Lurker]

Now this is interesting.

LUN is a WaPo link from Drudge yammering about how hard Obama's staff is working. Yawn.

The interesting part is how brutal the commenters are on the story. This is WaPo land, remember, so this much negativity is good to see.

[Ignatz]

--that ought to leave everyone scratching their heads--

Why? The richer a country becomes the more it pays for marginal services that push up costs.
Guess that's Barry's cost control strategy; makes us all so poor we'll be scratching our heads cause we can't afford to get rid of the lice.

[hit and run]

OL:
Great! We can bury Fido in the same coffin with Granny.

Not a chance. The way things are going, Fido becomes ... a food source.

Ignatz:
The richer a country becomes the more it pays for marginal services that push up costs.

That's exactly Obama's argument. He felt his granny's hip replacement was a marginal service.

[clarice]

This is very interesting and my own experience suggests that it's true. My last pet died years ago and dealing with the new vet with my new pet, I see they offer far more, far more expensive services and treatments as a matter of course than they used to.

[bad]

Hit, hopefully granny won't become a food source too...

[patch]

Help!

What does LUN stand for?

[centralcal]

Link Under Name

copy and paste a url in the "Your Information" third box.

Your name after posting will be bold and the link will be attached.

[Whitehall]

I had a friend who was an emergency room nurse for pets. In the SF Bay Area there are several 24/7 emergency rooms for pets.

And what they can get out of the clients is astonding. she's even done operations on pet tarantualas.

Guess we think we can afford to eliminate pain and suffering not only humans, but all adoptable species.

[hit and run]

Take two...

Ignatz:
The richer a country becomes the more it pays for marginal services that push up costs.

And....Action!

< Veterinarian's office >

MIRANDA: Doctor, is the squirrel going to live?

DOCTOR: There's been massive trauma. We could of course try to save him but it would be costly, difficult and we'd have to send away for some special really tiny instruments.

GEORGE COSTANZA: Well, uh, are there any other options?

DOCTOR: We could put him to sleep.

GEORGE: What might that cost?

DOCTOR: Well, it's by the pound. So ... about 80 cents.

GEORGE: Well? < Miranda hits George > I was just - I'm curious, that's all. We, uh. we'd like you to do everything possible.

DOCTOR: He, um. he's not going to be the same, you know?

GEORGE: yeah. yeah. I know.

< Vet's office, post surgery >

MIRANDA: Doctor, how's the squirrel?

GEORGE: Is he dead?

DOCTOR: No. Fortunately, the special tiny instruments arrived just in time. Would you like to visit him?

MIRANDA: Yes he would.

DOCTOR: You have 30 minutes. < exits >

GOERGE: So ... uh, squirrel.

< Doctor enters >

DOCTOR: One more thing Mister Costanza, we just need to know what time you'll be picking him up tomorrow.

GEORGE: What's that?

DOCTOR: Oh, we're discharging the squirrel. We think he'll be better off at home.

GEORGE: He has no home. He's a squirrel.

DOCTOR: Your home, Mister Costanza. Just make sure he gets his medicine six times a day and keep his tail elevated. < exits >

[...]

< Monk's >

GEORGE: Well, at least we know the prosthetic squirrel hips work ...

JERRY: So the squirrel's gonna make it?

GEORGE: Yeah, he's in my bed [with Miranda]. I'm sleeping on the couch.

[hit and run]

Heh, Whitehall, I was also going to label my Seinfeld bit with "Life Imitates Art Mocking Life" or something.

[Pagar]

From OL's link at 5:50.

"an 13, 2009

There's an easy way out. The law says that if you are Muslim, you are exempt from the requirement to purchase health insurance. In that case, the state of Massachusetts will pay for 100% of your health care. So, the solution is simple. Be a Muslim!

Anyone in Mass. that can tell us if this is true?

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I don't have any more data than anyone else who's commented so far, but I'll note:

(1) I would think the null hypothesis is that vet malpractice insurance would grow at the same rate as human. It's still driven by the same human factors: lawyers and money.

(2) Actually, pet obesity is an increasing problem, because pets, like two-legged animals, have genes that say "times are good, better save up for the bad times."

(What is interesting, in an aside, is that pets, like people, don't all become obese, suggesting that "lack of self control" isn't the root cause.)

I'll grant that relatively few cats smoke.

[MayBee]

(What is interesting, in an aside, is that pets, like people, don't all become obese, suggesting that "lack of self control" isn't the root cause

When it comes to food, the only self-control my dog has is mine.

[Extraneus]

I have a German Shepherd who doesn't care much for any food. She's quite a physical specimen.

I had a Lab who would eat anything he could. His diet had to be controlled.

[Rob Crawford]

maybe the Dems should create a popular middle-class entitlement for pets

Don't. Give. Them. Ideas.

[Dave (in MA)]

patch:

Help!

What does LUN stand for?

Lazy-person's URL Notifier

[PeterUK]

"And what they can get out of the clients is astonding. she's even done operations on pet tarantualas."

I got a hearing aid for mine. She walks quite well with sticks.

[PeterUK]

"Hit, hopefully granny won't become a food source too..."

Surely you have heard of Soylent Gran?

[Dave (in MA)]

Pagar:

Section 3. Exemption for refusal of coverage based upon sincerely held religious belief

The General Laws of Massachusetts

PART I. ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT

TITLE XVI. PUBLIC HEALTH

CHAPTER 111M. INDIVIDUAL HEALTH COVERAGE

Chapter 111M: Section 3. Exemption for refusal of coverage based upon sincerely held religious belief

[ Text of section effective until November 29, 2007. For text effective November 29, 2007, see below.]

Section 3. An individual shall be exempt from section 2 if he files a sworn affidavit with his income tax return stating that he did not have creditable coverage and that his sincerely held religious beliefs are the basis of his refusal to obtain and maintain creditable coverage during the 12 months of the taxable year for which the return was filed. Any individual who claimed an exemption but received medical health care during the taxable year for which the return is filed shall be liable for providing or arranging for full payment for the medical health care and be subject to the penalties in subsection (b) of section 2.

Chapter 111M: Section 3. Exemption for refusal of coverage based upon sincerely held religious belief

[ Text of section as amended by 2007, 205, Sec. 16 effective November 29, 2007. For text effective until November 29, 2007, see above.]

Section 3. An individual shall be exempt from section 2 if he files a sworn affidavit with his income tax return stating that he did not have creditable coverage and that his sincerely held religious beliefs are the basis of his refusal to obtain and maintain creditable coverage during the 12 months of the taxable year for which the return was filed. Any individual who claimed an exemption but received medical health care during the taxable year for which the return is filed shall be liable for providing or arranging for full payment for the medical health care and be subject to the penalty assessed under section 2.

[clarice]

My cat's quite slender but then she's fed what she was meant to eat--raw meat..

[PeterUK]

Clarice,
So she misses you legendary cuisine?

[Pagar]

Thanks, Dave (in MA) I tried Google, but didn't use the right search words, I guess.

[Dave (in MA)]

No problem, Pagar; I wasn't having much luck with Google either, until I narrowed it down to the Mass. site.

[PD]

From OL's WaPo link:

"The grueling schedule has forced most of the presidential aides to abandon physical exercise, and the few who persist -- often because of incessant goading from their fitness-fixated commander in chief -- have planned their workouts at times that stretch their schedules even further."

Scold-in-Chief? Wouldn't it be just grand to work for such a boss? These people must be serious masochists.

[Dave (in MA)]

PD:

fitness-fixated commander in chief

Disclaimer: Fake But Accurate™*

*Fake But Accurate™
© 2004 CBS News

[Danube of Thought]

Our two Goldens eat like hogs and take very little exercise. Their vet bills are exorbitant. If a burglar entered the house they would make him a drink and show him where the silver is. We spend a lot of money on these two oafs because we love them. It's the life we have chosen.

[clarice]

Cats are meant to eat raw meat, PUK--Feed them cooked stuff only and all that acid has nothing to do but create trouble.

Her favorite is chopped bunny rabbit (bones and all)--About 2 big mice sized dollops. She gets a bit of canned stuff and I leave kibble out only cause you can't leave the raw lying about.
Her coat is absolutely gorgeous.

[Here I sit all broken hearted.]

My sister had a dog who ate wet cement and sand as wet mix and you guessed it, shat concrete turds. It didn't even appear to cause her much distress.

[cathyf]

We lost our senior cat a month ago to a nasty condition called idiopathic chylothorax. It cost us about $2500 in vet bills, and we didn't even get into the really exotic stuff. Ignatz is completely right, though -- we spent the money because we could (thank you mastercard) and because we valued our cat's life enough that we were willing to spend it.

[sevenjoyce]

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[Soylent Red]

Soylent Gran?

Hey, hey, hey! Let's not bring the revered Soylent brand into this.

I prefer "Gran Flakes" or "Raisin Gran"

[Granny]

How do you think I feel?

[Rick Ballard]

Much, much better than you will shortly, Granny.

[Slocum]

Nah -- in a government health-care world, medical innovation would continue. Those with private insurance will be the 'early adopters', and then news of great drugs that 'the government won't let you have' will lead citizen groups to demand them. The last thing politicians will want to do is say no to an organized group of citizens demanding government goodies. The only way to prevent this process would be to try to mimic Canada in banning private health coverage. But that just ain't going to happen in the U.S.