Re: @Change, @Lots of cutbacks #
> Geez, I wonder how the Chinese manage 9% growth with a national health care system and all those pesky Marxists in management?
When the Chinese are supplying technology & medication created by State-side companies without compensation, The West has been subsidizing the Chinese Communist Government by private insurance companies and high cost of health care to the consumer.
It does not take a genius, just follow the money.
> big pharma have been creating State-side while they've been enjoying record profits?
They have been laying off people by the hundreds of thousand and merging in order to try to keep from going out of business.
http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2009/03/17/pharma-merger-agreements-why-pretend/
I am not sure what dumb media outlet you are hearing about this from - such comments are devoid of reality.
Drug research and manufacturing is an inherently risky business, where 1 billion US$ is required for each successful drug to come to market in the United States - most drugs researched never make it to market.
Occasionally, a particular side effect may even take a drug off the market, costing billions in law suits.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/30/acetaminophen.fda.hearing/index.html
By nations stealing drugs and supplying them at cut-rate costs to their citizens, they enjoy all the benefits and take none of the risk. Their "national health" systems are subsidized by citizens of nations who actually pay for their health care they consume - what a concept.
Why don't governments just provide free natural gas, gasoline & diesel to people, so they can stay alive in the winter and go to the store to buy & cook the food they will die without? More people will die without Natural Gas, Gasoline, and Diesel than will die from lack of nationalized health care!