So who's the terrorist again?

[ambler]

Three years ago I had a cochlear implant installed. I understand the total cost, including rehab, was around $50,000. Cost to me, thanks to the NZ health system, $0. If I had not had this op, by now I would be totally deaf, and probably unemployable. As I have remained in employment, I have in that time "paid back" the $50K in taxes, and I don't begrudge this one damn bit.
The same operation in the USA costs around $250,000, NOT including rehab afterwards.
The NZ health system, for all its faults, works pretty well most of the time. As it did when I had a heart attack, but thats another story.

I don't understand why the same operation costs five times as much in the USA.... why is that?

[Ixion]

Well, one reason is the enormous cost of public liability insurance, which the hospital, and all the surgeons, doctors, nurses etc have to buy. Can be near a million dollars a year for a neurosurgeon.God knows what the hospitals insurance bill is.

NZ medical costs don't have to figure in those enormous costs. One effect of that so-maligned ACC scheme.

[moT]

if osama came to nz what radio station would he listen to?

[moT]

Is this cognitive dissonance?

Surely the nation that causes the most terror in the world is in fact its chief terrorist?
You gotta admire yank spin even if you detest their principles and scruples.

And this is what the National Party wants us to become, a little cheerleader for amerikan capitalism

Preparing the Battlefield (July 7, 2008)
According to the New Yorker's Seymour Hersh, the Bush administration is seeking war with Iran even though it lacks a legitimate reason. In 2007 the US Congress dramatically increased funding for US covert operations in Iran. The Presidential Finding - a highly classified federal document - details the expanded scale of operations that aims to undermine Iran's nuclear ambitions and destabilize the regime. For example, the US funds an Iranian opposition group of Baluchi Sunni fundamentalists, even though this group has ties to al-Qaeda.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/intervention/iran/general/2008/0707battlefield.htm

Why fight the war your self when other ppl are killing the opposition for free. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" all the us is doing is giving there friend a little helping hand

[pete376403]

I don't understand why the same operation costs five times as much in the USA.... why is that?

Not having experience the US Medical system I can't be sure. I read on CI forums that the surgery in the US is very involved, lots of people involved, many tests before and afterwards. All personnel seem to charge individually ie surgeon has his charge, anaethisist (sp?) has his charge, hospital have their charges, etc.
Possibly the Americans own love of litigation may have much to do with this, with malpractice law suits being so common,hence the medical professions need to cover itself with expensive insurance. Dunno, just very happy that I live here and not there.

[moT]

I personaly think that the americans invading is a good idea. Were on good tearms with them so far (better if we allowed there nuclear warships port here). So nz will reap the rewards of any invasion from America the invasion of iraq has meant that america has control of there oil hense the falling fuel prices. Since oil is scarse and valuable who would you rather have the oil? Support your allies!!

[dipshit]

if osama came to nz what radio station would he listen to?

Radio Rhema would have him feeling quite at home I'm sure.

[ambler]

Ok. It's just that the much higher cost of medical procedures in the US has been pointed out twice in this thread, as if to strengthen the argument that the US system is bad - but if litigation risks are the cause then it's kind of irrelevant.

[ambler]

I personaly think that the americans invading is a good idea. Were on good tearms with them so far (better if we allowed there nuclear warships port here). So nz will reap the rewards of any invasion from America the invasion of iraq has meant that america has control of there oil hense the falling fuel prices. Since oil is scarse and valuable who would you rather have the oil? Support your allies!!

Great, onto Iran next then I suppose, got to get those rewards eh
Here's a question for you, when would it not be ok to invade another country?

So what benefits to America or NZ are being reaped from the invasion? While you're examining the effect American 'control' of Iraq has had on oil prices, you might want to look for correlations in this graph: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:O...edium_Term.jpg

[Robert Taylor]

I believe there should be an appropriate balance between guns and butter.

Indeed, at the moment there is a massive imbalance of those two in NZ. As for a strike wing about the best we could do is to muster up a couple of aero club Cessnas and duct tape a rifle wielding army guy to each wing. What a joke.

[Sanx]

Indeed, at the moment there is a massive imbalance of those two in NZ. As for a strike wing about the best we could do is to muster up a couple of aero club Cessnas and duct tape a rifle wielding army guy to each wing. What a joke.

No, there's a AirNZ captain who keeps a late 60s Hawker Hunter jet fighter at Ardmore to use as a weekend toy. The armed services contract him to do high-speed low altitude runs every so often to test the country's defences.

Yes. I know. More like prove the country's wide open to anyone with a $200,000 military surplus jet.

[Ocean1]

I don't understand why the same operation costs five times as much in the USA.... why is that?

Well, one reason is the enormous cost of public liability insurance, which the hospital, and all the surgeons, doctors, nurses etc have to buy. Can be near a million dollars a year for a neurosurgeon.God knows what the hospitals insurance bill is.

NZ medical costs don't have to figure in those enormous costs. One effect of that so-maligned ACC scheme.

The same operation might cost about a tenth of US prices in Mexico or Singapore, maybe a third of NZ prices. And while the risks are higher there’s not a whole lot in it, mostly quality of post-op facilities. And lets face it, if your health or life depends on the procedure and you don’t meet the requirements for free health care here then how much would you be concerned about an extra 1% mortality? Law of diminishing returns; that last ounce of quality costs a ton.

Yes ACC has the effect of minimising liability costs, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that those costs are funded by any significant part of your ACC levies. What controls the liability costs is the legislation which makes the government responsible for the quality of health delivery services, and while they do set required standards, (the compliance to which adds up to a significant percentage of the overall health budget), they pay out far less in compensation than an equivalent private insurance based system without such legislative protection would.

That part of ACC works OK. The bit that worries me is the lack of budget accountability caused by the lack of competition. ACC levies are supposedly driven directly by accident related costs for any given year, a figure that we’re assured is plummeting. So why have ACC levies skyrocketed in the last few years?

The fix seems obvious, keep ACC but allow rebates for people who want private health insurance. Best of both worlds, as long as you can prevent privately funded consultants cherry picking the system any more than they already do.

[alanzs]

Indeed, at the moment there is a massive imbalance of those two in NZ. As for a strike wing about the best we could do is to muster up a couple of aero club Cessnas and duct tape a rifle wielding army guy to each wing. What a joke.

"Imbalance" may be being generous. There ain't much of a military. And from the ads that they have trying to get recruits, video games seem to be their selling point.

[moT]

For ahala death to the infidels!!

[pete376403]

So funny to hear of Dubya lambasting the Russians for their affray with Georgia -"Invading a sovereign country, massive overuse of force, attacking civilians, trying to push for regime change, ignoring the UN, etc"

Wonder where Putin got the ideas from?