Both Democrats and Republicans say the ever rising cost of health care is unsustainable. Republicans want sensible cuts, less regulation, tort reform, more competition across state lines, and less graft and corruption to lower our costs; Democrats are aiming at single payer--i.e., government pays all, which will raise the cost for everyone through higher taxes, just not at the doctor's office.
But who decided we pay too much? Have you looked at what the "average" household unit pays for health care compared to other items in our budget? 5.7% or $2,853, is what the household unit of 2.5 people with a gross income of $63,091 pays for health care. That household, imaginery as it is, pays 6.9% of its spendable income on household funishings, supplies and operations. Who in the government is demanding that Obama pay for your next couch or dining room suite? That household is paying 6.5% for vehicle purchases, and 17.6% total for transportation. Except for the recent cash for clunkers, when the government paid people to take out new car loans and destroy the only cars poor people could afford, we don't hear the government demanding that Honda and Toyota lower their prices or give away their products.
We pay 12.4% of our spendable income on food--7% at home and 5.4% away from home. I doubt that Obama is going to suggest that all the employed women quit and start cooking more at home so they won't be taking the kids to restaurants--or maybe he will if it's McDonald's. And entertainment, if you toss in cigarettes and alcohol is higher than healthcare at 7%.
So the next time you hear a reporter whether CNN or Fox, or a politician, left or right, moan about the rising costs of health care, ask him about the mortgage on his house, or the loan on his car, or what restaurant she's stopping at after work.
Taxes cost us 14.8% of the average paycheck, not household unit, much more than healthcare, and it will be going up as healthcare costs get buried in every additional piece of paper and rule change the government will throw at us with PPACA.
It just could be, health care is the biggest bargain in our budget.
Consumer unit
Paycheck percentage for taxes
Thursday, February 03, 2011
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4 comments:
Murray sez:
This was good. I'm passing it on! Should make sane people question just why they passed a bill to supposedly to revamp our whole healthcare system. Must have been for some other reason. Hmmmm!
Wait--wasn't Obama supposed to shut this blog down?
You cherry-picked a fluff website that doesn't have any documentation for its assumptions. Average spending per person is closer to $8,000 per person. Even with a bare bones plan from a Fortune 500 employer your family's premiums will be higher than that $1,600. You would know this yourself if you weren't collecting gold-plated medicare benefits from the government.
Health care costs account for nearly over 16% of GDP and continue to climb. They're the highest in the industrialized world even though we have below average care.
Pass this on, Murray sez: http://www.kaiseredu.org/Issue-Modules/US-Health-Care-Costs/Background-Brief.aspx
Poor Snerdley. I don't have any mortgage at all and haven't had one in many years, but that doesn't make this hypothetical "household unit" less valid. Also, I don't know a single household with 2.5 people. Back to school for you! I'm guessing this figures out not to your liking because some people pay almost nothing for their health care and some pay double this figure.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/focus/volume1_number8/cex_1_8.htm
This is the source, just in case pretty pictures are too much for you.
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