Salve Lucrum: The Existential Threat of Greed in US Health Care

[MBAnderson]

"The cycle is vicious: unchecked greed concentrates wealth, wealth concentrates political power, and political power blocks constraints on greed."

jamanetwork.com/journals/ja...

[Bolt_Upright]

I'll save my comments for the Zoom call

[park_bear]

Wow. Great find. I knew it was bad but did not realize this bad.

[WinnieThePoo]

Happy to be living in France 😊

[chartist]

Marc,

Very true, but lobbying congress is where this problem started! Lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance industry, the health care industry and others is how we got here. Expecting congress to force these industries to rein in the greed is a bit of a laugh as it is congress's greed that allows all of this to take place as they accept legal bribes from these exact industries in the form of "campaign contributions"! I'm not holding my breath for congress to turn this around. When the obscene amount of money that these industries take in is taken into consideration, you can bet they will continue to grease the palms of politicians in order to guarantee that these profits continue for them.

Art

[MBAnderson in reply to chartist]

So well put

[chartist in reply to MBAnderson]

Seems like the only way to turn this around is to take the money out of congress and not allow lobbyists to give money in any form to the politicians. Once politicians realize the only money to be made is their salary, they can get back to their real job, representing the people who elected them rather than the corporations who paid them off.

Art

[MBAnderson in reply to chartist]

It'll never happen because the politicians are the ones who would need to change the laws. It would be asking them to put the people before themselves.

[chartist in reply to MBAnderson]

We can vote them out!

Art

[Stillstandingstill]

A glimpse of things to come in the UK I fear.

[Sydney75]

When hedge funds own healthcare practices patient well being is not a priority. Sad.

[Gioc]

Down at the Rockefeller Foundation they’re not very satisfied. They would like laws that give them the ability to own everything, including the body through health care obligations. They are a little envious of their peers, namely the Russian oligarchs and the Chinese government who are the pinnacle of total capitalism, but they are working to catch up. Soon with the war, hyper inflation and restrictive ecological laws will reach the Communist Party of China where the state owns everything, which is the goal.

The last time it happened a simple but effective spiritual message was enough to bring down the entire Roman empire, but this time there are atomic bombs and there is no shortage of madmen in disguise in governments. Let's hope.

pompeiiinpictures.com/pompe...

youtu.be/hX8__GzcTj0(Not working as expected?)

[Despe in reply to Gioc]

Hello Gio!

I thought I was looking at pictures from Greece.

Yes, it is called GLOBALIZATION!!!

[Wonky-Bride]

Truly amoral and utterly depressing.

Where are the boardroom disruptors when you really, really need them?

[PalmSprings]

I am so glad you found this article. Now, unraveling greed is so complex. I sure hope someone is willing to get after the avarice.

[Bolt_Upright]

Full text no paywall: nakedcapitalism.com/2023/03...

[PalmSprings in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Thanks! Cheers!