Swine Flu, Health Care Decisions and Morality

""Stealing from the drug companies and removing all incentive for innovation. "That's the path of morality".

That's it. Now, I know why I would never be a Wiccan.

Posted by: edbyronadams ""

Maybe that's just because you don't understand what we call 'incentive.'

You see crying and sick children and moralize about 'theft' if the sickness isn't profitable.

For us, it's just we, the Mother's world, and crying and sick children.

But what's in it for you, right?

We say our Lady said, 'find it within yourself.'

You never know. It might be the most precious thing you could 'have.'

Edbyronadams,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall, I got the polio vaccine in 2nd grade, at no cost to my parents, as a public program, at a public school. Is that theft? Did Dr Saulk have "no incentive for innovation?" I'm pretty sure eliminating the scourge of polio from the world was a pretty good incentive.

That's the problem with trying to pretend medicine is just another commodity. It's not. If you can't get a new coat, I don't get cold. (Perhaps folks would be more generous if this weren't true.) However, If you get sick, I may catch it from you. Things like communicable disease just don't fit with the standard fee-for-service model.

If you don't get a vaccine because you can't afford it, the disease has a starting point. Then it spreads. And remember, vaccines aren't 100% effective. So, if you sit next to one of those "undeserving" types on the bus, or stand behind them in the grocery store, you are at risk, even if you were able to purchase the vaccine.

If care of your fellow people isn't enough of a reason to pony up for vaccines, how about self interest. It worked to eliminate polio, on the taxpayers dime. And I don't recall anyone complaining, either.

I thought this would have been obvious, but... Starhawk didn't say that drugs shouldn't be tested for safety.

It is a conflict of interest for the safety of a drug be determined solely on tests done by the drug companies, and the FDA is way too underfunded (and possibly corrupt) to be relied on.

"Stop letting drug companies run the trials that are meant to assure the safety of their drugs." Surely this is a typo. If not how do you propose to insure that drugs are safe?

The Goddess gave us brains to use and to avoid using them particularly in these times of crisis will only insure the destruction of innocents.

Taking Capitalism out of health care—"That's the path of morality."

I'll [ahem] buy that . . .

Stealing from the drug companies and removing all incentive for innovation. "That's the path of morality".

That's it. Now, I know why I would never be a Wiccan.