The American healthcare quandary

In the current discussion about Obamacare vs. Trumpcare, most people are focused on one single idea, but fail to see the larger picture. Sure, the American healthcare situation is a catch-22.

In 2015, the USA, healthcare cost ran about 18 percent of GDP at about $10k per person. Other OCDE countries are around 10 to 12 percent.

Unlike other industries, and because of Big Pharma's control of our politicians, as medicine advances, it become exponentially more expensive (x-ray vs. MRI), so don't expect the trend to abate. Now, if we don't take care of folks who can't buy insurance or have excessive deductible, we'll end up paying for their care, no matter what, making the whole package even more expensive because of total lack of screening and preventive care.

I'm under Medicare, it works very well, but cost $11k per beneficiary per year since it covers a very frail and broken-down age group. It seems to me that either through higher taxes or through excessive health care costs, we will all end up paying dearly for it, except that in a single payer system like Medicare, we can eliminate the Insurance industry share of profit.

We could also negotiate Big Pharma prices down if we could take money out of politics as it egregiously stands now. If Trumpcare passes, which in fact might create an interesting test, it might unleash a popular uprising that could accelerate a bruising GOP defeat and the advent of some form of public option.

That's my two-cent.