Health Care Continued

For me - Health Care should be a provision of the govt. to all citizens. Cuba has been able with their unbelievably limited resources, to provide Health Care to all Cubans - and to go further in providing doctors to every neighborhood - so that in a case of natural disaster - every area has a medical specialist among them! People call that "Socialist" or "Communist" but for me it is simply good social planning. In that system, young people interested in going into health care are provided the education neccessary and then go on to serve their communities much as fireman, police, educators do. Justifying the ridiculous costs of a medical education - a USA med student pays $200,000 or more, depending on the school, and at least 8 - 10 years of their lives (without earnings)  our medical personel must charge many times the average hourly wage to pay back that investment! "Socializing" medicine makes health care readily affordable and available. There could certainly be extended degrees and medical procedures available for profit... any sort of enhancement medicine, ie; cosmetic surgery, weight/fat issues, sexual related procedures... lifestyle related medicine could be a profit area. Pharmeceuticals (excluding innoculations, antibiotics, and life sustaining meds) could also be allowed to generate profit. I think a well - socialized system of health care should not include any pharma other than those, because I believe other medications are optional and should be at the buyer's expense. (I have been appalled to hear of men being prescribed Viagra - and other publicly funded fertility treatments going to those with no means of supporting offspring) ... IMHO every citizen's general, everyday, health and well beig, similar to our program of free primary education, should be integrated into our economics and social structure as absolutes. After all, sickness is often contagious, so good health is a protection for the community at large. If  people had medical advisors who they saw regularly to help them stay balanced and healthy... our nation, as a whole, might rise from being ranked 37th in quality of health worldwide, and might reorder all our priorities to reflect that health!