Comment on: "Medicare for All comes with a price tag — and hard choices"

Medicare for All comes with a price tag — and hard choices

by Megan McArdle,
Washington Post, July 31, 2018

There is a very simple back of the envelope calculation which can demonstrate the net benefit of a Medicare-for-all type of health insurance plan:

The US spends about 2.5 times per capita on health care than most developed nations, or about 17.6 percent of GDP - that works out to $ 8,233 per person per year (2010) - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries - growing to $ 10,348 per year in 2016.

Germany, by contrast, pays an average of $4,500 per person per year (or about 11.3% of GDP) - lower cost for virtually 100% coverage and much better health outcomes and life expectancy (I know this from personal experience, as I with my family lived and worked in Germany for more that 10 years and we were insured under the mandated health insurance)

So, just as an example, if the US adopted the German model for universal health care, and was able to implement it with the same efficiency and effectiveness (unfortunately, that is not at all a given), the total national expenditure for healthcare should go down to about 11.3% of GDP.

2016 GDP (2016) was $18.57 Trillion
17.6% of that is $ 3.27 Trillion
11.3% of that is $ 2.10 Trillion
Potential SAVINGS is $ 1.17 Trillion PER YEAR

Comment on: "Why Trump Can’t Quit Tariffs", by Ross Douthat, NYT

Why Trump Can’t Quit Tariffs

by Ross Douthat

NYT, July 28, 2018

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/opinion/sunday/trump-tariffs.html?comments#permid=28037535

This interpretation points to what I consider a possibly fatal flaw in US governance - politicians are violating their oath of office to protect the Constitution in favor of protecting their political party and their own political futures. Douthat's analysis indicates that, by and large, GOP politicians understand that Trump's policies endanger the wellbeing of America and Americans, but that in spite of that, they support domestic policies (e.g. tariffs, massive tax cuts for the rich) which are self-evidently hurtful to Americans.

This, of course, ignores the disastrous effects which Trump's foreign endeavors (I cannot in good conscious call them "policies") has on the US position in the world - Canada and the EU are "foes," which endanger US national security? Really??!!

So on both counts, domestic and foreign affairs, the GOP controlled Congress is collectively violating its oath of office and willfully supporting what, for the most part, they probably see as detrimental, even catastrophic US policies to save their own political skins rather than working for the benefit of "the people".

Once the surge of Trump is over, it will be difficult to re-establish  vital American institutions, which Trump, and by gutless acquiescence, the GOP have severely damaged - a significant minority of Americans have been brainwashed to be willfully ignorant. Democracies fall because ignorant minorities follow autocratic leaders, and apathetic majorities allow it.