Quote Originally Posted by rory_20_uk View Post
Nationalising companies is either extremely expensive or causes levels of capital flight that no Western country could countenance.

There are many types of food and housing. Does the system ensure that the best food and housing is as cheap as the worst? Given that these variables are also linked to health they should be to ensure equality.

Chemo is probably more neccecary for society than smartphones. So... it comes to that level before there are things that can be chosen which are not essential?
People with damaged knees can do many - if not most - jobs. Surgery might help some of them continue the jobs they were doing.

Unhealthy people are a macroeconomic cost. And the "logic" that making people healthier was part of the dream when the NHS started that after the initial high costs, things would get cheaper as people became more healthy. Clearly that didn't happen - and is one of the reasons why most countries run massive current account debts as costs for retired people are balooning as the longer they live the more they cost - and we can pay more for them to live longer.

Focusing resources on getting people back to work as quickly as possible then looking after everyone else would make economic sense - as the economy would be a lot bigger, meaning there is more money to spend on the health service - but of course is electoral suicide. Best we all pretend that year on year increases to health expenditure are sustainable... When a Government runs a Ponzi scheme it is OK for some reason.

So basically death panels, because money > people?