RadixJournal - December 11, 2024


Deny, Defend ... Doubt!


Episode Stats

Length

33 minutes

Words per Minute

138.37982

Word Count

4,611

Sentence Count

258

Misogynist Sentences

2

Hate Speech Sentences

7


Summary

In the wake of the mass shooting that took place in Norway in 2011, many have wondered why Anders Breivik chose to take his own life as his first act of terror. The answer to this question, and more, may surprise you.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 I don't know.
00:00:00.840 I mean, it's like, what happened in the six months?
00:00:04.100 Was he just training, almost like Anders Breivik style,
00:00:07.740 just like training constantly to do this?
00:00:10.920 Did he have a schizophrenic break?
00:00:13.340 Was he sort of, I mean, I joked about this on Tritter,
00:00:16.540 like he was MKUltrad.
00:00:17.860 Was he sort of taken in and brainwashed and fragmented
00:00:23.060 to the point that he would do something like this?
00:00:26.420 I think the way he was clearing the germ from the gun
00:00:29.600 in that moment of high stress
00:00:31.140 really seemed like very, very well trained.
00:00:34.280 Another possibility might be
00:00:35.800 he was just taking out his family competition
00:00:38.400 in true Italian fashion.
00:00:42.080 Well, I'm not sure they were competing with the insurance.
00:00:45.260 I mean, they were like getting money from the insurance.
00:00:47.240 Maybe their family got screwed over.
00:00:49.940 Yeah, that's possible.
00:00:51.640 I mean, there's also like an element of wanting to be seen here.
00:00:55.000 Like the idea of having a backpack full of monopoly money
00:00:59.300 and trying to create this mystique
00:01:01.320 as a sort of Joker type or a Batman villain.
00:01:05.460 I mean, I think comparing him to Breivik
00:01:10.300 is a bit of a sort of an insult almost to Breivik
00:01:14.300 because ultimately what he did really
00:01:15.940 kind of changed politics in Norway.
00:01:18.620 Whereas I think this ultimately was,
00:01:21.260 it was kind of a mediocre act.
00:01:23.080 I mean, I'm not, you know,
00:01:25.040 it's terms of like going,
00:01:27.540 kind of going off the rails and doing something.
00:01:30.180 There's a lot more you could have done to make it.
00:01:33.180 I think it's a totally mediocre act.
00:01:35.540 And the look at the people who resonate with this,
00:01:39.620 like if Taylor Lorenz is resonating with it ideologically,
00:01:43.880 then you should check yourself.
00:01:46.240 Where do I begin with this?
00:01:47.920 There is this notion that I remember hearing
00:01:50.860 10 or so years ago when there was the Obamacare debate
00:01:54.040 and it was like,
00:01:55.600 why doesn't everyone have insurance health?
00:01:59.020 And I would always say like,
00:02:01.420 why do you want insurance?
00:02:03.500 Like insurance is not the fucking point.
00:02:06.540 The idea is that everyone is healthy
00:02:08.700 and there are ways to get healthy
00:02:12.300 that include nutrition and exercise
00:02:14.240 and having reasonable medical facilities.
00:02:18.000 And I would probably even throw in a kind of Plato point
00:02:20.800 of we should be helping people who are injured
00:02:23.700 or temporarily sick
00:02:25.440 and not perpetuating people who are sickly or dying.
00:02:30.500 But there's this fascination of like,
00:02:33.600 everyone needs health insurance.
00:02:35.200 And it's this kind of American style socialism
00:02:37.780 of we don't want to just give people food
00:02:42.420 if they're hungry.
00:02:43.240 We instead want to give them a card
00:02:45.260 and like allow them to pretend
00:02:47.660 like they have a debit card
00:02:49.080 and have like the illusion of choice
00:02:51.420 at the supermarket.
00:02:52.580 So they're all kind of one of us.
00:02:53.940 Like we don't want to engage in actual socialism.
00:02:56.520 We want to engage in like universal bourgeoisification.
00:03:02.320 So it's like,
00:03:03.220 why can't everyone have health insurance?
00:03:05.300 Why do you want insurance?
00:03:07.120 Insurance is like for merchants
00:03:11.260 filling their ships with goods and spices
00:03:14.320 and traveling across the Pacific or something.
00:03:16.660 That's what insurance is about.
00:03:19.200 You don't want insurance.
00:03:20.620 We don't even use health insurance as insurance.
00:03:24.220 Insurance is about something that is catastrophic
00:03:27.740 and unpredictable and extremely rare.
00:03:33.020 The fact is you have to go to the hospital
00:03:36.140 to get a checkup,
00:03:38.200 get your eyes checked,
00:03:39.720 go to the dentist,
00:03:41.900 you know,
00:03:42.560 go to urgent care
00:03:43.640 and get some antibiotics or whatever.
00:03:46.080 It's something you use all the time.
00:03:48.380 So what it really is,
00:03:49.520 is a kind of,
00:03:50.500 you could say a tax
00:03:51.600 or like a prepayment plan.
00:03:54.500 Insurance at this point
00:03:55.820 is a kind of middleman
00:03:57.440 eking out some profit here and there.
00:04:01.420 Whereas the big problem is the provider.
00:04:07.340 Yet we don't want to attack like hospitals and nurses.
00:04:11.440 Insurance is really a wealth redistribution scheme
00:04:14.940 from the healthy,
00:04:17.040 the pay into the system
00:04:18.220 to the sick that are the recipients.
00:04:21.600 And a large and a very corrupt intermediary
00:04:26.120 called the health insurance industry.
00:04:29.820 I agree with you.
00:04:30.820 It's a complete misnomer.
00:04:32.080 There's no insurance here.
00:04:33.280 It's really access to services.
00:04:36.280 And interestingly,
00:04:38.780 United Healthcare specifically
00:04:42.340 owns a lot of medical practices
00:04:46.560 and clinics.
00:04:49.620 And it's nothing short,
00:04:51.460 I mean,
00:04:51.920 I'm astonished that the
00:04:53.560 anti-monopoly regulators
00:04:56.560 in the U.S.
00:04:57.660 have not zeroed in on this
00:04:59.360 because apparently under the fig leaf
00:05:02.000 that health and so-called health insurance
00:05:05.360 companies are buying companies
00:05:06.980 in other sectors
00:05:09.520 such as medical practices
00:05:10.960 and drugstore chains.
00:05:13.060 somehow this does not constitute
00:05:15.780 monopolistic behavior.
00:05:18.160 It certainly does
00:05:19.760 because you control every step
00:05:21.160 in that food chain.
00:05:22.520 You have doctors
00:05:23.780 who are basically tied
00:05:25.660 to dealing with
00:05:28.000 particular insurers
00:05:30.480 and they create,
00:05:32.700 if it's not a requirement,
00:05:35.260 but they create very strong incentives
00:05:36.660 to buy medications
00:05:38.820 and medical supplies
00:05:39.840 through distributors
00:05:41.620 and drugstores
00:05:42.720 that they own,
00:05:44.900 that belong in the same organization.
00:05:47.940 But the way this came to be,
00:05:50.860 apparently,
00:05:51.440 is because specifically,
00:05:54.660 I mean,
00:05:54.840 I can't remember where I saw it.
00:05:57.740 There was a,
00:05:58.440 somebody published a list
00:06:00.780 of health insurers,
00:06:02.380 like the top 15 health insurers
00:06:04.320 in the U.S.,
00:06:05.840 ranked by the percentage
00:06:07.320 of claims they deny.
00:06:10.160 UnitedHealth was up there.
00:06:11.300 UnitedHealthcare was on top.
00:06:13.320 It was like
00:06:14.140 something like
00:06:15.420 30% or something.
00:06:16.120 36% or something like that.
00:06:17.900 Yeah,
00:06:18.140 it was the highest.
00:06:19.820 So clearly,
00:06:21.040 you know,
00:06:21.260 this guy may have researched it
00:06:22.540 and zeroed in on the target
00:06:24.860 and their shareholder meeting
00:06:26.460 was coming up,
00:06:27.240 so this was convenient.
00:06:29.000 But the way,
00:06:30.040 apparently,
00:06:30.380 the way the medical practices
00:06:31.640 became part of that
00:06:33.780 business empire
00:06:36.640 is because of this denial rate,
00:06:39.820 basically,
00:06:40.320 the medical practices
00:06:41.120 find themselves
00:06:42.320 unable to fund
00:06:43.740 their working capital.
00:06:45.740 And the same group,
00:06:48.240 in the case of UnitedHealthcare,
00:06:50.080 owns a finance company.
00:06:52.860 It's essentially
00:06:53.700 a payday loan company
00:06:54.980 that lends money
00:06:56.620 to the medical practices
00:06:58.240 that cannot pay their bills
00:07:01.320 because the insurance,
00:07:02.980 the insurer is holding up
00:07:04.120 the claim
00:07:04.720 and not paying it,
00:07:05.920 but they have to pay
00:07:06.760 for supplies.
00:07:07.520 They have to pay salaries
00:07:08.600 to their employees
00:07:09.260 and so forth.
00:07:10.700 And before too long,
00:07:11.440 a lot of those practices
00:07:12.360 fall into
00:07:13.260 the state of,
00:07:14.860 you know,
00:07:15.540 pre-bankruptcy
00:07:16.320 and then United
00:07:17.840 comes in
00:07:18.540 and basically buys them
00:07:19.760 on the cheap
00:07:20.200 and that's how they've been able
00:07:21.300 to consolidate this empire.
00:07:23.000 It's truly,
00:07:23.920 truly an evil,
00:07:24.960 evil business.
00:07:28.040 And very predatory.
00:07:29.100 He's becoming less sympathetic
00:07:30.400 towards Brian Thompson.
00:07:33.200 Well, yeah,
00:07:34.200 he himself,
00:07:35.440 I heard the only thing
00:07:37.720 personally about him
00:07:39.080 and I don't know
00:07:39.700 if it's true or not,
00:07:40.440 but presumably
00:07:41.160 he was instrumental
00:07:42.480 in designing
00:07:45.600 an AI-based system
00:07:49.880 that questioned
00:07:52.760 doctors' bills
00:07:54.860 and basically
00:07:55.760 automated
00:07:58.120 based on
00:07:59.200 some AI
00:07:59.960 algorithms,
00:08:01.020 automated
00:08:01.460 the process
00:08:02.060 of denying
00:08:02.540 those claims
00:08:03.080 or reducing them
00:08:04.080 to whatever
00:08:05.640 United considers
00:08:07.200 profitable to themselves.
00:08:09.700 So, yeah,
00:08:10.480 if that's,
00:08:11.380 if even that is true...
00:08:12.580 Maybe Luigi
00:08:13.040 had gotten wind
00:08:14.000 of something like that
00:08:14.820 because he does have
00:08:15.680 a fascination
00:08:16.400 with AI
00:08:16.860 and you could see
00:08:18.680 in his mind
00:08:19.760 the way you would
00:08:20.420 depict that
00:08:21.020 is like,
00:08:21.800 oh,
00:08:22.120 so it's some evil robot
00:08:23.840 that's making
00:08:24.500 life-or-death decisions.
00:08:26.160 You die.
00:08:27.020 Oh,
00:08:27.220 you get to live
00:08:27.920 because you have
00:08:28.320 enough money.
00:08:29.280 Oh,
00:08:29.620 your grandma dies.
00:08:30.920 That baby dies.
00:08:31.600 I could see him
00:08:33.140 becoming morally righteous
00:08:35.300 over reading
00:08:36.960 about something like that.
00:08:38.960 It could be.
00:08:39.500 Yeah,
00:08:39.620 it's certainly
00:08:40.020 in his wheelhouse.
00:08:43.040 But even without,
00:08:43.700 I mean,
00:08:44.080 somebody early on
00:08:46.240 when he hadn't
00:08:48.100 been caught yet
00:08:49.000 pointed out,
00:08:50.820 and again,
00:08:51.340 it doesn't seem
00:08:52.920 to have been corroborated
00:08:54.340 since then,
00:08:54.940 but apparently,
00:08:55.720 obviously his own
00:08:56.560 episode with his back pain,
00:08:58.600 with his injury
00:08:59.360 that he received
00:09:01.240 as when surfing
00:09:02.640 in Hawaii,
00:09:03.360 apparently,
00:09:04.000 and somebody suggested
00:09:05.840 that a couple
00:09:06.320 of his family members
00:09:07.420 were mistreated
00:09:10.880 badly by health insurers,
00:09:13.420 even though you kind of wonder
00:09:15.200 whether that's true or not
00:09:16.320 given that the family
00:09:17.200 is pretty wealthy
00:09:17.840 and could probably
00:09:18.640 handle whatever,
00:09:20.300 whatever challenges,
00:09:22.580 financial challenges
00:09:23.440 could be.
00:09:25.640 But certainly,
00:09:27.720 yeah,
00:09:27.980 it's pretty fascinating.
00:09:29.040 Even the Wall Street Journal
00:09:29.900 a couple of days ago
00:09:31.360 had an article
00:09:32.760 saying,
00:09:33.500 well,
00:09:33.760 the trouble
00:09:34.660 with the manhunt
00:09:36.740 at that time
00:09:37.900 was the
00:09:39.620 pretty serious
00:09:41.400 amount of
00:09:42.120 support
00:09:43.760 that people
00:09:45.260 expressed
00:09:45.740 toward him.
00:09:46.400 and there were
00:09:47.120 numerous,
00:09:48.280 numerous people
00:09:49.480 going online
00:09:50.760 and saying,
00:09:51.360 well,
00:09:52.340 condolences
00:09:54.340 for the Thompson
00:09:55.180 family
00:09:56.460 require
00:09:57.480 free approval
00:09:58.780 or something like that.
00:09:59.500 Some snide remarks
00:10:00.380 that,
00:10:00.820 yeah,
00:10:00.920 I saw one.
00:10:02.280 I mean,
00:10:03.180 I would grant
00:10:04.880 libertarians
00:10:05.960 the benefit
00:10:07.000 of the doubt here,
00:10:07.880 like,
00:10:08.180 in the sense of
00:10:09.580 a free market
00:10:11.280 out-of-pocket
00:10:12.420 system
00:10:13.180 might very well
00:10:15.240 be hugely
00:10:16.240 efficient.
00:10:17.680 And if you think
00:10:18.360 about it,
00:10:18.860 like,
00:10:19.140 I even hate
00:10:20.060 mentioning this
00:10:20.860 because I
00:10:21.380 kind of feel bad
00:10:23.260 even thinking
00:10:23.840 about this,
00:10:24.420 but I had
00:10:25.160 my dog
00:10:26.780 Zeus
00:10:27.200 neutered,
00:10:28.160 castrated,
00:10:28.860 that is,
00:10:29.320 yikes.
00:10:30.680 I remember
00:10:31.860 taking him
00:10:33.680 to surgery.
00:10:34.740 It was done
00:10:35.500 in one day
00:10:36.400 and it cost,
00:10:38.600 I think it cost
00:10:39.900 between $400
00:10:40.620 and $500.
00:10:41.320 it really
00:10:44.780 was not
00:10:45.520 a big deal
00:10:46.500 and granted
00:10:48.120 he's a dog,
00:10:49.380 but that is
00:10:50.500 a major operation,
00:10:52.020 something you
00:10:52.440 don't want to
00:10:53.100 screw up,
00:10:53.700 something that's
00:10:54.220 important and
00:10:55.000 delicate to say
00:10:55.820 the least,
00:10:56.820 and it
00:10:57.940 was a
00:10:58.700 three-figure
00:10:59.780 bill
00:11:00.380 that I just
00:11:02.940 paid with my
00:11:03.760 debit card
00:11:04.360 then and there.
00:11:06.640 And if
00:11:07.580 we had
00:11:08.540 a free market
00:11:09.340 in healthcare,
00:11:10.180 that there
00:11:11.600 would be
00:11:11.940 all the
00:11:12.580 incentive
00:11:13.060 in the
00:11:13.720 world
00:11:14.100 for the
00:11:14.660 clinics
00:11:15.180 to
00:11:16.300 make
00:11:17.740 things more
00:11:18.560 and more
00:11:18.920 efficient
00:11:19.400 and inexpensive.
00:11:22.960 We forget.
00:11:24.500 I think the
00:11:25.400 cost of
00:11:26.300 the
00:11:26.880 original
00:11:28.400 Apple
00:11:29.160 Macintosh
00:11:31.100 was like,
00:11:32.120 I think it
00:11:32.740 might have
00:11:32.940 been $5,000
00:11:34.020 or something
00:11:34.700 in 1984.
00:11:36.520 Was that
00:11:36.740 what it was?
00:11:37.180 Or 1982?
00:11:37.720 which is
00:11:39.840 the equivalent
00:11:40.520 of $15,000
00:11:42.680 or $20,000
00:11:43.580 computer now.
00:11:45.840 I mean,
00:11:46.560 the laptop
00:11:47.220 I'm using,
00:11:48.140 I can't remember
00:11:48.820 exactly,
00:11:49.380 but I think
00:11:50.020 it was under
00:11:50.440 $5,000.
00:11:51.980 And it's a
00:11:52.620 nice MacBook
00:11:53.180 Pro.
00:11:54.700 And it has
00:11:55.960 a higher
00:11:57.460 resolution screen,
00:11:58.940 far,
00:11:59.540 far more
00:12:00.320 memory and
00:12:01.100 storage,
00:12:02.140 far more
00:12:03.140 powerful,
00:12:03.640 and it
00:12:04.520 is less
00:12:05.020 expensive
00:12:05.600 even
00:12:06.180 nominally,
00:12:07.280 but it's
00:12:07.920 certainly
00:12:08.320 less expensive
00:12:09.100 with inflation.
00:12:09.940 So everything
00:12:10.680 with technology
00:12:11.580 is pushing
00:12:12.220 prices down,
00:12:14.000 making things
00:12:15.040 affordable.
00:12:16.660 Even some
00:12:17.260 homeless people
00:12:17.940 have smartphones.
00:12:19.020 That's a
00:12:19.320 computer in
00:12:19.840 your pocket.
00:12:20.420 So why
00:12:21.300 wouldn't this
00:12:22.160 apply to the
00:12:23.140 medical industry?
00:12:24.020 I think this
00:12:24.680 is,
00:12:25.440 as much as
00:12:26.720 we hate
00:12:27.180 libertarians,
00:12:28.440 I find it
00:12:29.940 hard to
00:12:30.460 disagree with
00:12:31.200 them,
00:12:31.440 actually.
00:12:31.820 I was
00:12:32.820 going to
00:12:33.080 say that
00:12:33.560 there's
00:12:34.520 this
00:12:34.920 hatred
00:12:35.720 of
00:12:35.920 Milton
00:12:36.120 Friedman
00:12:36.540 in our
00:12:36.860 circles,
00:12:37.520 and I
00:12:37.880 have to
00:12:38.560 say,
00:12:38.920 first of
00:12:40.740 all,
00:12:41.060 let's not
00:12:41.580 confound
00:12:42.240 his academic
00:12:42.960 research
00:12:43.620 with his
00:12:44.740 societal
00:12:46.040 prescriptions,
00:12:46.700 those are
00:12:46.860 two different
00:12:47.240 things.
00:12:48.340 When it
00:12:48.620 comes to
00:12:48.900 his
00:12:49.340 prescriptions,
00:12:50.140 there's good
00:12:51.860 and bad.
00:12:54.540 But one
00:12:55.540 of the
00:12:55.800 things he
00:12:57.160 did say
00:12:57.600 was deregulation,
00:12:59.780 and he was
00:13:00.160 really a
00:13:00.500 proponent of
00:13:00.980 that.
00:13:01.820 Even
00:13:02.340 there,
00:13:02.760 it's a
00:13:03.300 case-by-case
00:13:03.900 thing,
00:13:04.200 but in
00:13:04.340 the case
00:13:04.660 of health
00:13:05.000 care,
00:13:05.300 I just
00:13:05.900 have to
00:13:06.500 agree.
00:13:07.660 It's very
00:13:08.980 much an
00:13:09.380 nightmare.
00:13:09.420 We can
00:13:09.720 be grown-ups
00:13:11.040 enough.
00:13:11.480 We don't
00:13:11.660 have to
00:13:12.000 buy into
00:13:12.740 the
00:13:13.960 philosophy
00:13:14.560 of
00:13:14.840 libertarianism
00:13:15.600 just to
00:13:15.940 say that
00:13:16.280 they're
00:13:16.440 right about
00:13:16.900 this.
00:13:17.640 The
00:13:17.960 problem
00:13:18.400 is we
00:13:18.820 don't
00:13:19.060 live in
00:13:19.400 this
00:13:19.560 world,
00:13:19.900 and we
00:13:20.100 live in
00:13:20.560 a moralizing
00:13:21.900 world,
00:13:22.420 as I
00:13:22.640 said before.
00:13:23.860 I remember
00:13:25.100 the debates
00:13:25.880 over
00:13:26.220 Obamacare.
00:13:27.000 I was
00:13:27.180 actually living
00:13:27.740 in New
00:13:28.060 York City,
00:13:28.840 and there
00:13:29.520 was one
00:13:30.080 person saying,
00:13:31.180 can you
00:13:32.160 believe that
00:13:33.240 30% of
00:13:34.800 the country
00:13:35.360 doesn't have
00:13:36.200 health insurance?
00:13:36.940 I would
00:13:37.180 always respond,
00:13:38.380 why do you
00:13:39.600 want health
00:13:40.240 insurance?
00:13:41.220 What about
00:13:41.920 paying $900 a
00:13:46.040 month or
00:13:46.540 whatever,
00:13:47.340 $500 a
00:13:48.320 month for
00:13:49.380 something called
00:13:50.580 US Health
00:13:51.840 United?
00:13:52.740 Why do you
00:13:53.340 want to do
00:13:53.740 that?
00:13:54.080 Why does
00:13:54.720 that?
00:13:54.980 Because the
00:13:56.020 reason why
00:13:56.460 they want
00:13:56.820 to do
00:13:57.140 it is
00:13:57.580 that it's
00:13:58.300 a status
00:13:58.820 symbol.
00:13:59.420 It's like
00:13:59.620 you're rich
00:14:01.520 or something.
00:14:02.640 The goal
00:14:03.080 is to be
00:14:03.700 healthy.
00:14:04.700 The goal
00:14:05.120 is not to
00:14:05.520 have health
00:14:06.300 insurance.
00:14:06.980 I've already
00:14:07.740 said this,
00:14:08.240 I'm repeating
00:14:08.580 myself,
00:14:09.080 it's just
00:14:09.280 always bothered
00:14:10.420 me.
00:14:11.300 So again,
00:14:12.020 we're doing
00:14:12.500 it wrong.
00:14:13.140 We have
00:14:13.460 this middle
00:14:14.200 class way
00:14:15.120 of doing
00:14:15.420 things where
00:14:15.860 everyone is
00:14:16.440 going to
00:14:16.620 have universal
00:14:17.920 insurance as
00:14:19.780 opposed to
00:14:21.360 universal
00:14:22.560 health.
00:14:23.200 universal
00:14:24.900 health would
00:14:25.820 involve different
00:14:26.500 things.
00:14:27.540 It might
00:14:27.820 very well
00:14:28.520 involve
00:14:29.000 regulating
00:14:29.720 nutrition.
00:14:31.680 It does
00:14:33.600 involve,
00:14:34.160 this is one
00:14:34.640 thing we're
00:14:34.940 good at,
00:14:35.420 it involves
00:14:36.020 compulsory
00:14:37.240 vaccination.
00:14:38.540 It might
00:14:38.980 very well
00:14:39.600 involve
00:14:40.160 compulsory
00:14:41.120 exercise,
00:14:42.300 but it's
00:14:43.840 not about
00:14:44.560 more insurance.
00:14:45.740 We've
00:14:45.920 obviously
00:14:46.440 become
00:14:47.100 obese,
00:14:49.780 I mean,
00:14:49.980 it's a
00:14:50.200 correlation,
00:14:50.880 not a
00:14:51.140 causation,
00:14:51.640 but under
00:14:52.640 this system
00:14:53.220 we're
00:14:53.440 obviously
00:14:53.840 getting
00:14:54.300 obese
00:14:54.960 and dumb
00:14:56.300 and slow
00:14:57.600 and etc.,
00:14:59.340 etc.,
00:14:59.720 etc.
00:15:01.140 We want
00:15:02.300 health,
00:15:02.780 we don't
00:15:03.040 want health
00:15:03.460 insurance.
00:15:04.560 We also
00:15:05.660 live in a
00:15:06.180 kind of
00:15:06.440 morally
00:15:06.800 righteous
00:15:07.260 time where
00:15:08.560 if someone
00:15:09.960 can't
00:15:10.600 afford
00:15:11.140 a car,
00:15:13.340 that's
00:15:14.800 one thing.
00:15:15.980 Or if
00:15:16.440 someone can't
00:15:17.160 afford a
00:15:18.620 new Rolex,
00:15:19.640 that's one
00:15:20.260 thing.
00:15:20.600 We're sort
00:15:21.040 of okay
00:15:21.740 with
00:15:23.100 something that
00:15:24.820 can be
00:15:25.040 considered
00:15:25.380 luxury not
00:15:26.400 being universal.
00:15:27.320 That's sort
00:15:27.680 of the
00:15:27.920 point of
00:15:28.440 it after
00:15:29.140 all.
00:15:29.920 We live
00:15:30.700 in a
00:15:30.960 world,
00:15:31.500 I totally
00:15:32.200 get this
00:15:32.840 and I
00:15:33.120 understand
00:15:33.500 it,
00:15:34.020 where we
00:15:34.840 think all
00:15:35.600 of this
00:15:35.900 should be
00:15:36.220 universal.
00:15:36.700 If you're
00:15:37.180 not granting
00:15:37.980 someone the
00:15:39.240 right,
00:15:39.840 the access
00:15:40.520 to a
00:15:40.940 hospital,
00:15:41.480 you are
00:15:41.800 in effect
00:15:42.360 murdering
00:15:42.980 them.
00:15:43.200 And
00:15:44.720 under
00:15:45.380 this
00:15:46.000 system,
00:15:47.220 I think
00:15:48.340 we need
00:15:48.800 some
00:15:49.480 sort
00:15:50.100 of
00:15:50.880 universal
00:15:52.400 health
00:15:52.780 coverage.
00:15:54.520 I am
00:15:55.600 a kind
00:15:56.100 of
00:15:56.260 compromising
00:15:57.440 libertarian
00:15:58.800 on this
00:15:59.280 issue,
00:15:59.620 so if
00:16:00.580 I could
00:16:01.100 just
00:16:01.380 create
00:16:02.020 a system
00:16:02.680 that is
00:16:03.820 right,
00:16:04.720 I would
00:16:05.520 do a
00:16:06.040 sort of
00:16:06.420 post-office
00:16:07.500 like solution.
00:16:08.320 so there
00:16:10.460 is a
00:16:11.860 government
00:16:13.820 run
00:16:14.440 not-for-profit
00:16:16.140 clinic
00:16:16.880 where if
00:16:18.260 you are
00:16:19.420 dead broke
00:16:20.340 and you
00:16:20.740 get into
00:16:21.160 a car
00:16:21.580 accident,
00:16:22.520 you're going
00:16:22.860 to make
00:16:23.300 sure that
00:16:23.800 your legs
00:16:24.360 are healed
00:16:24.840 and your
00:16:25.320 broken leg
00:16:25.920 is healed
00:16:26.360 and they'll
00:16:27.780 do some
00:16:28.240 tests on
00:16:28.860 your brain
00:16:29.380 to see if
00:16:29.800 that concussion
00:16:30.380 is too
00:16:30.700 bad.
00:16:31.720 There's a
00:16:32.360 sort of
00:16:33.080 baseline
00:16:33.940 of
00:16:35.300 government
00:16:36.100 post-office
00:16:37.560 style
00:16:38.100 healthcare
00:16:38.820 that you're
00:16:40.360 not going
00:16:40.800 to die
00:16:41.540 on our
00:16:42.060 watch
00:16:42.540 basically.
00:16:44.620 Now,
00:16:44.960 on top
00:16:45.780 of that,
00:16:46.880 could you
00:16:47.280 have
00:16:47.900 health
00:16:48.540 insurance
00:16:49.300 or
00:16:50.160 clinics
00:16:51.300 as a
00:16:52.680 sort of
00:16:53.080 elite
00:16:53.700 thing,
00:16:54.900 an almost
00:16:55.420 luxury
00:16:56.120 product?
00:16:58.520 That's the
00:16:59.320 compromise
00:16:59.860 that I would
00:17:00.400 come to.
00:17:00.860 I'm just
00:17:01.300 recognizing
00:17:01.860 the fact
00:17:02.480 that people
00:17:02.900 are very
00:17:03.640 morally
00:17:04.140 righteous
00:17:04.540 about this,
00:17:06.040 but then
00:17:07.280 I'm also
00:17:07.800 recognizing
00:17:08.420 the fact
00:17:08.940 that the
00:17:10.620 libertarians
00:17:11.260 are right
00:17:11.800 and if
00:17:12.460 the free
00:17:12.800 market
00:17:13.120 were allowed
00:17:13.620 to apply
00:17:14.320 to health
00:17:15.460 providers,
00:17:15.940 it would
00:17:16.480 be a
00:17:17.100 hell of
00:17:17.460 a lot
00:17:17.780 less
00:17:18.000 expensive.
00:17:19.160 There it
00:17:19.800 is.
00:17:20.580 And I
00:17:20.720 think the
00:17:21.280 onus
00:17:21.720 falls,
00:17:22.800 and people
00:17:23.240 don't like
00:17:23.640 hearing this,
00:17:24.060 but it
00:17:24.280 honestly falls
00:17:25.080 on doctors
00:17:25.680 and hospitals,
00:17:26.660 like the
00:17:27.940 sort of
00:17:28.500 backwardsness
00:17:29.220 of the
00:17:29.580 healthcare
00:17:29.900 system,
00:17:31.020 the costs.
00:17:32.300 I mean,
00:17:32.700 just sort of
00:17:33.440 an example
00:17:34.340 of this,
00:17:35.160 I was
00:17:35.680 reading about
00:17:36.300 how there
00:17:36.720 was a
00:17:37.400 company that
00:17:37.920 was trying
00:17:38.520 to use
00:17:40.140 AI image
00:17:41.320 recognition to
00:17:42.400 essentially
00:17:43.080 diagnose based
00:17:44.660 off of x-rays
00:17:45.800 and CT
00:17:46.800 scans,
00:17:47.340 and they
00:17:48.100 were blocked
00:17:48.820 from receiving
00:17:50.200 training data,
00:17:51.420 not even by the
00:17:52.680 hospitals,
00:17:53.360 but by the
00:17:54.480 American
00:17:55.080 Association of
00:17:56.300 Radiologists
00:17:57.420 or some other
00:17:58.540 kind of lobbying
00:17:59.640 group,
00:18:00.200 because these
00:18:02.380 doctors have
00:18:03.620 this incentive
00:18:04.200 to have
00:18:04.720 some person
00:18:06.060 that went
00:18:06.460 to school
00:18:06.880 for eight
00:18:07.520 years
00:18:07.920 misdiagnose
00:18:09.220 some ailment
00:18:11.280 based off of
00:18:11.880 an x-ray
00:18:12.340 rather than
00:18:12.860 have the
00:18:13.960 one thing
00:18:14.600 that these
00:18:16.040 neural nets
00:18:16.540 are really
00:18:16.900 good at,
00:18:17.920 and that's
00:18:18.200 image recognition.
00:18:19.940 We might have
00:18:20.400 talked about
00:18:20.960 this.
00:18:21.320 Did we talk
00:18:21.800 about this
00:18:22.140 before?
00:18:22.700 My
00:18:22.820 maternal
00:18:24.360 grandfather
00:18:24.860 was a
00:18:25.320 radiologist,
00:18:26.220 and even
00:18:27.020 when he
00:18:27.420 was retired
00:18:28.880 and well
00:18:29.360 into his
00:18:29.780 70s and
00:18:31.020 80s even,
00:18:32.100 the hospital
00:18:33.040 would drop
00:18:33.800 off like a
00:18:34.560 dozen x-rays
00:18:35.600 to him,
00:18:37.400 and in the
00:18:38.200 afternoon,
00:18:39.500 probably while
00:18:40.020 drinking a
00:18:40.780 bourbon on
00:18:41.260 the rocks,
00:18:42.260 he would
00:18:42.540 diagnose
00:18:43.680 people.
00:18:45.180 I think he
00:18:45.960 just did it.
00:18:46.740 I'm sure he
00:18:47.360 probably was
00:18:48.480 paid to some
00:18:49.120 degree.
00:18:49.580 I think he
00:18:49.960 just sort of
00:18:50.500 wanted to
00:18:50.920 keep a
00:18:52.020 foot in
00:18:52.700 the ball
00:18:53.500 game kind
00:18:54.080 of thing.
00:18:56.120 But AI
00:18:56.720 could do
00:18:57.140 that.
00:18:57.640 What he
00:18:58.040 did,
00:18:58.380 he was
00:18:58.640 just going
00:18:59.080 through
00:18:59.400 x-ray,
00:18:59.960 AI could
00:19:00.600 do that,
00:19:01.120 and he
00:19:01.480 could read
00:19:02.680 a book or
00:19:03.140 something.
00:19:03.600 There's this
00:19:04.180 perception of
00:19:05.840 healthcare
00:19:06.780 providers as
00:19:07.800 being this
00:19:08.820 holy class of
00:19:10.080 individual that
00:19:10.900 is completely
00:19:12.320 self-righteous,
00:19:13.760 and they're
00:19:14.100 doing things for
00:19:15.960 the good of
00:19:16.460 the people,
00:19:17.520 when in
00:19:17.920 reality,
00:19:18.600 most of the
00:19:19.060 people who
00:19:19.400 are becoming
00:19:20.060 medical
00:19:21.000 professionals are
00:19:21.780 doing so
00:19:22.340 because it's
00:19:23.300 an easy way
00:19:23.960 to get
00:19:24.360 quarter to
00:19:25.560 half a
00:19:25.980 million dollar
00:19:26.520 salary.
00:19:28.240 Honestly,
00:19:28.980 work that
00:19:29.460 is,
00:19:30.280 I mean,
00:19:30.500 unless you're
00:19:31.280 some kind
00:19:31.620 of intensive
00:19:32.240 care,
00:19:33.500 unless you're
00:19:34.540 like a
00:19:34.860 surgeon or
00:19:35.540 doing some
00:19:36.680 groundbreaking
00:19:37.120 stressful
00:19:37.900 medical work,
00:19:39.500 it is quite,
00:19:40.880 I mean,
00:19:41.260 I don't want to
00:19:41.900 call it an
00:19:42.300 easy job,
00:19:42.900 but it's not
00:19:43.420 really a job
00:19:44.080 where you have
00:19:44.340 to innovate.
00:19:45.220 You just
00:19:45.600 kind of
00:19:45.960 implement
00:19:46.640 some skills
00:19:48.180 that you
00:19:48.520 learn in
00:19:49.520 medical school
00:19:50.220 and training
00:19:50.980 and residency.
00:19:51.720 And I
00:19:52.600 mean,
00:19:52.880 itrogenic
00:19:53.660 deaths is
00:19:55.200 the third
00:19:55.620 leading cause
00:19:56.280 of death
00:19:56.740 in the
00:19:57.060 United States.
00:19:58.420 That is
00:19:58.700 death caused
00:19:59.440 by misdiagnosis,
00:20:01.580 by, I mean,
00:20:02.900 I think that
00:20:03.400 includes people
00:20:04.160 getting infections
00:20:04.920 from staying
00:20:05.620 in hospitals,
00:20:06.240 but there
00:20:07.320 is a large
00:20:08.460 percentage of
00:20:09.580 people who
00:20:10.040 die early
00:20:11.800 because they
00:20:12.380 are misdiagnosed
00:20:13.400 by healthcare
00:20:14.040 providers and
00:20:14.780 are given
00:20:15.320 the wrong
00:20:16.680 medication or
00:20:17.680 not the right
00:20:18.320 medication or
00:20:19.820 they don't
00:20:20.520 catch some
00:20:21.400 ailment in
00:20:22.180 time.
00:20:23.280 And so I
00:20:23.720 think, you
00:20:24.560 know, we
00:20:24.940 need to
00:20:25.200 stop, you
00:20:26.220 know, lionizing
00:20:27.040 these healthcare
00:20:28.400 workers as
00:20:29.880 being these
00:20:30.460 totally selfless,
00:20:32.600 you know,
00:20:33.160 scions of
00:20:35.240 greatness or
00:20:35.880 something.
00:20:36.780 Yeah, and to
00:20:37.460 add to your
00:20:37.900 point, first of
00:20:38.540 all, it's
00:20:38.960 more than
00:20:39.520 money.
00:20:40.100 It's also a
00:20:41.540 cultural and
00:20:42.320 artistic device
00:20:43.680 to be a
00:20:44.200 savior.
00:20:45.540 I think there's
00:20:46.300 a lot, I
00:20:47.440 mean, even if
00:20:48.160 you were to
00:20:48.400 cut everyone's
00:20:49.080 salaries in
00:20:49.640 half,
00:20:49.920 I think
00:20:50.820 people would
00:20:51.360 still regard
00:20:52.040 being a
00:20:52.760 physician as
00:20:53.440 like the
00:20:53.980 epitome of
00:20:54.680 social clout
00:20:55.980 precisely because
00:20:57.920 they're kind
00:20:59.200 of adhering to
00:21:00.140 a kind of
00:21:00.740 breeding model,
00:21:01.640 quite frankly.
00:21:04.220 Everyone
00:21:04.700 respects doctors.
00:21:05.940 I mean,
00:21:06.760 there's no
00:21:07.260 doubt about
00:21:08.180 it.
00:21:08.520 It's funny, I
00:21:09.040 come from
00:21:09.440 many people in
00:21:11.140 my family were
00:21:11.740 doctors.
00:21:12.120 My father
00:21:12.540 is a doctor
00:21:13.600 and my
00:21:14.380 maternal
00:21:15.420 grandfather was
00:21:16.140 a doctor as
00:21:16.740 well.
00:21:17.840 I never had an
00:21:18.860 interest and I
00:21:19.540 always hated
00:21:20.120 being in
00:21:20.540 hospitals.
00:21:22.320 I had some
00:21:24.020 Nietzschean
00:21:24.800 gene of
00:21:25.540 like,
00:21:26.380 something's
00:21:26.960 falling,
00:21:27.480 give it a
00:21:27.820 push.
00:21:28.980 Yeah, same
00:21:29.460 here.
00:21:29.940 You should
00:21:30.760 repair an
00:21:31.520 injury, but
00:21:32.220 if someone's
00:21:32.740 inherently sick,
00:21:33.820 he should die.
00:21:35.080 There's something
00:21:35.520 like
00:21:35.740 I've always
00:21:38.840 agreed with
00:21:39.380 that.
00:21:39.980 I just had
00:21:40.400 that kind
00:21:40.880 of, I
00:21:41.700 don't know.
00:21:42.040 Yeah, I
00:21:43.160 too had a
00:21:43.660 lot of
00:21:43.860 doctors in
00:21:44.280 my family
00:21:44.760 and I
00:21:46.340 don't know,
00:21:46.660 I just
00:21:46.920 couldn't,
00:21:47.600 initially I
00:21:48.560 went into
00:21:48.860 pre-med just
00:21:49.820 to satisfy
00:21:50.420 my parents
00:21:51.140 basically.
00:21:52.020 And yeah,
00:21:53.620 I just, I
00:21:54.280 was like,
00:21:54.600 no, no
00:21:55.120 way.
00:21:55.320 I'm not
00:21:55.540 spending the
00:21:56.000 next 15
00:21:56.440 years of my
00:21:56.780 life doing
00:21:57.100 this.
00:21:57.820 With sick
00:21:58.320 people, yeah.
00:21:58.980 It's not for
00:22:00.260 me.
00:22:00.620 At the same
00:22:01.180 time, maybe
00:22:02.860 this is a
00:22:03.540 residual bias on
00:22:05.000 my part, but
00:22:05.640 the conservative
00:22:08.700 attack on
00:22:10.660 vaccinations
00:22:11.740 and doctors
00:22:13.940 being evil
00:22:14.800 or something,
00:22:15.440 that really
00:22:16.840 rubbed me the
00:22:17.780 wrong way.
00:22:18.520 And maybe it
00:22:18.920 is just a
00:22:19.380 residual bias.
00:22:20.360 It might very
00:22:20.780 well be to
00:22:21.460 some degree.
00:22:21.900 It doesn't
00:22:22.080 mean I'm
00:22:22.340 wrong, but
00:22:23.620 I just, you
00:22:25.100 know, I
00:22:25.820 don't know.
00:22:26.220 I guess I
00:22:26.700 respect doctors
00:22:27.460 as well.
00:22:27.940 I understand
00:22:28.560 all of these
00:22:29.080 criticisms,
00:22:29.720 though.
00:22:30.900 I think it's
00:22:31.280 a solace and
00:22:32.140 it lacks
00:22:33.040 creativity and
00:22:33.980 it's sort of
00:22:34.420 the perfect
00:22:35.260 place for a
00:22:36.260 midwit to
00:22:36.920 exist in is
00:22:38.320 being a
00:22:38.700 healthcare
00:22:39.040 provider.
00:22:40.760 You don't
00:22:41.320 have to
00:22:41.780 innovate
00:22:42.140 anything.
00:22:42.860 You don't
00:22:43.100 really have
00:22:43.580 to creatively
00:22:44.040 solve unless
00:22:44.620 you're a
00:22:45.320 plastic surgeon
00:22:46.140 or doing
00:22:46.520 some novel
00:22:47.080 form of
00:22:47.800 surgery or
00:22:48.920 in medical
00:22:49.560 research.
00:22:50.440 You're sort
00:22:51.000 of just
00:22:51.280 kind of
00:22:51.600 following the
00:22:52.300 rules.
00:22:53.140 You're doing
00:22:54.040 things by
00:22:54.600 the book.
00:22:55.200 You have
00:22:55.500 to have a
00:22:55.760 lot of
00:22:56.100 book smarts.
00:22:56.900 You have
00:22:57.000 to be able
00:22:57.320 to study
00:22:58.340 and memorize
00:22:59.760 things.
00:23:01.040 I mean,
00:23:01.260 that's like
00:23:02.060 the majority
00:23:02.580 of medical
00:23:03.980 school is
00:23:04.640 just,
00:23:05.260 you'll hear
00:23:07.160 doctors talk
00:23:07.860 about,
00:23:08.200 well, at
00:23:08.860 medical school
00:23:09.540 I just had
00:23:10.100 to memorize
00:23:10.660 a bunch of
00:23:11.180 these terms
00:23:12.360 that I'm
00:23:12.780 not really
00:23:13.700 using in
00:23:14.260 day-to-day
00:23:14.640 practice.
00:23:15.740 And there's
00:23:15.940 this sort
00:23:16.260 of institution
00:23:16.980 that I think
00:23:17.440 is built
00:23:17.880 up.
00:23:19.240 I think I
00:23:19.760 also read
00:23:20.400 somewhere that
00:23:21.040 one of the
00:23:21.940 doctors'
00:23:22.480 associations
00:23:23.060 actually,
00:23:24.340 and these
00:23:24.800 medical
00:23:25.700 license boards,
00:23:27.000 they lobby
00:23:27.500 to reduce
00:23:28.940 the number
00:23:29.440 of spots
00:23:30.140 in medical
00:23:31.680 schools.
00:23:33.180 And that's
00:23:33.480 that kind
00:23:33.900 of, if
00:23:34.320 you think
00:23:34.620 about it
00:23:34.920 from a,
00:23:35.380 you know,
00:23:36.440 a game
00:23:37.000 theory economic
00:23:37.980 perspective,
00:23:38.560 it's in
00:23:39.380 these people's
00:23:39.940 interests to
00:23:40.680 reduce the
00:23:41.320 supply of
00:23:42.560 medical
00:23:42.920 providers by
00:23:43.720 introducing
00:23:44.720 barriers to
00:23:45.760 entry to
00:23:47.240 prevent people.
00:23:48.160 For example,
00:23:48.560 you have to
00:23:49.060 get a
00:23:49.840 four-year
00:23:50.180 degree that's
00:23:50.960 sort of,
00:23:52.120 I mean,
00:23:52.540 I wouldn't
00:23:53.240 say four-year
00:23:53.820 degrees are
00:23:54.280 useless,
00:23:54.640 but you're
00:23:55.740 doing what
00:23:56.260 maybe a
00:23:57.320 year's worth
00:23:58.120 of B-Med
00:23:59.120 courses to
00:23:59.780 be able to
00:24:00.120 get into
00:24:00.480 medical
00:24:00.800 school.
00:24:01.580 That's
00:24:02.060 itself an
00:24:02.900 artificial
00:24:03.260 barrier to
00:24:04.000 entry.
00:24:04.980 And then
00:24:05.180 you have,
00:24:06.000 you know,
00:24:06.580 medical schools
00:24:07.360 that are
00:24:07.680 extremely
00:24:08.100 expensive,
00:24:09.620 that kind
00:24:09.880 of put you
00:24:10.480 in this,
00:24:11.220 yeah,
00:24:11.440 you have a,
00:24:12.700 you know,
00:24:13.040 four to
00:24:13.480 ten-year-long
00:24:14.840 residency.
00:24:16.220 It's this
00:24:16.560 sort of
00:24:17.820 very established,
00:24:20.180 exactly,
00:24:20.720 it's a very,
00:24:21.640 you know,
00:24:22.540 look,
00:24:22.920 not everyone
00:24:23.600 in society
00:24:24.300 is going
00:24:24.760 to be an
00:24:25.120 innovator
00:24:25.680 and is going
00:24:26.240 to want to
00:24:26.840 change the
00:24:27.700 world.
00:24:28.840 And that's
00:24:30.340 okay.
00:24:31.220 I mean,
00:24:31.880 I agree that
00:24:32.860 it is a
00:24:33.560 sort of
00:24:34.080 midwit or
00:24:34.860 kind of
00:24:35.220 upper midwit
00:24:36.160 profession.
00:24:36.940 At the same
00:24:37.860 time,
00:24:38.520 if you're
00:24:39.180 performing
00:24:40.460 surgery,
00:24:42.080 I mean,
00:24:42.280 my father
00:24:42.840 performs eye
00:24:43.940 surgery on
00:24:44.640 the retina.
00:24:45.900 I imagine
00:24:46.980 that you get
00:24:47.660 a godlike
00:24:48.820 thrill from
00:24:49.520 doing something
00:24:50.080 like that
00:24:50.680 as well.
00:24:52.380 Yeah,
00:24:52.680 there's a high
00:24:53.300 correlation between
00:24:54.300 those types of
00:24:55.140 professions,
00:24:55.780 surgeons and
00:24:56.360 the psychopathy.
00:24:57.840 Yeah.
00:24:59.140 Our medical
00:24:59.900 community is a
00:25:01.080 big redistribution
00:25:02.720 scheme of
00:25:03.960 taking money
00:25:04.540 from the
00:25:05.040 healthy and
00:25:06.260 those that
00:25:07.240 are fit for
00:25:07.840 survival in a
00:25:08.500 lot of ways
00:25:09.020 to the people
00:25:09.720 that are sick.
00:25:10.500 I remember
00:25:11.900 even seeing
00:25:12.400 this during
00:25:12.820 COVID.
00:25:13.480 I'm in my
00:25:14.060 early 30s.
00:25:15.180 I never
00:25:15.680 got COVID.
00:25:16.840 I would
00:25:17.680 often flaunt
00:25:18.480 it not even
00:25:19.000 wearing masks
00:25:19.780 and stuff like
00:25:20.420 that and I
00:25:21.480 never got COVID
00:25:22.240 the entire
00:25:22.740 time and yet
00:25:24.020 I was forced
00:25:25.240 to do all
00:25:26.400 these things
00:25:27.000 when, of
00:25:27.820 course, older
00:25:28.500 people, sickly
00:25:29.300 people, they
00:25:30.020 should wear
00:25:30.380 masks, they
00:25:31.100 should get a
00:25:31.520 vaccine, they
00:25:32.400 should be
00:25:33.040 prepared for
00:25:33.560 this, but
00:25:34.020 that should be
00:25:34.540 their decision
00:25:36.240 to choose
00:25:37.740 to save
00:25:38.240 themselves and
00:25:39.180 not die from
00:25:39.800 this, but
00:25:40.320 they're forcing
00:25:41.140 the healthy
00:25:42.040 people to
00:25:42.860 redistribute
00:25:43.640 their time,
00:25:44.540 their money
00:25:45.360 in the
00:25:46.440 healthcare system
00:25:47.180 to the
00:25:47.980 unhealthy and
00:25:48.980 it's just a
00:25:49.820 lower class
00:25:51.240 cult in a
00:25:51.980 lot of ways.
00:25:52.440 Yeah, and
00:25:54.080 it's exactly
00:25:55.220 the reason
00:25:56.660 this system
00:25:58.940 that we have
00:25:59.520 exists because
00:26:00.560 it's at
00:26:03.640 its core a
00:26:05.040 redistribution
00:26:05.600 of wealth from
00:26:06.320 the young and
00:26:06.780 healthy to the
00:26:07.420 old and
00:26:07.800 sickly and
00:26:09.580 the way out
00:26:10.600 of it is
00:26:12.060 could be one
00:26:13.440 of the two.
00:26:14.980 One is what
00:26:16.780 Richard kind
00:26:17.820 of touched
00:26:18.220 about, which
00:26:18.920 is eliminate
00:26:20.640 health insurance
00:26:21.360 altogether and
00:26:22.240 basically make
00:26:23.920 it retail, pay
00:26:26.000 for the
00:26:26.320 service at
00:26:27.040 the time
00:26:27.340 the service
00:26:27.720 is provided.
00:26:28.900 It seems
00:26:30.780 unfeasible at
00:26:33.000 this point
00:26:33.380 because of
00:26:35.120 the amounts
00:26:36.520 that we've
00:26:37.040 seen people
00:26:38.320 being charged
00:26:38.980 for medical
00:26:39.420 procedures or
00:26:40.140 for even
00:26:40.600 medical visits,
00:26:42.340 but what's
00:26:43.560 going to
00:26:43.780 happen if
00:26:44.760 that was
00:26:45.920 the direction
00:26:46.920 taken is
00:26:49.840 throughout that
00:26:51.460 industry,
00:26:52.740 providers will
00:26:54.420 be forced to
00:26:55.340 adjust their
00:26:55.940 cost structures
00:26:56.780 to the new
00:26:59.720 reality where
00:27:00.440 people can only
00:27:01.220 pay within the
00:27:03.180 limits of what
00:27:03.780 they earn.
00:27:04.960 And it would
00:27:06.760 cause a mass
00:27:07.700 dislocation in the
00:27:08.780 industry.
00:27:09.260 A lot of
00:27:09.780 providers, a lot
00:27:11.100 of companies, a
00:27:12.120 lot of medical
00:27:12.540 practices will go
00:27:13.480 bankrupt.
00:27:14.480 There'll be an
00:27:15.080 enormous amount
00:27:15.760 of savings because
00:27:16.520 a lot of the
00:27:17.080 corruption and
00:27:18.020 waste will be
00:27:19.900 cut, but over
00:27:20.680 time, immediately
00:27:22.560 the effect will be
00:27:23.420 extremely disruptive,
00:27:24.460 but at the end
00:27:24.940 of the day,
00:27:25.340 healthy.
00:27:25.740 So the
00:27:26.500 libertarian
00:27:27.040 solution is not
00:27:27.940 without merit.
00:27:29.360 The other way
00:27:30.280 to do it is to
00:27:31.320 go to single
00:27:32.260 payer and
00:27:33.240 basically make
00:27:33.960 it like a
00:27:36.140 majority of the
00:27:37.180 developed world
00:27:37.980 handles it,
00:27:38.880 perhaps.
00:27:40.060 Dealing with
00:27:40.660 the, like
00:27:43.160 any public
00:27:43.740 good, if it's
00:27:45.140 socialized, it
00:27:46.860 leads to some
00:27:47.560 extent to
00:27:48.120 shortages of
00:27:49.640 services that
00:27:51.460 are the most
00:27:52.480 high value added.
00:27:54.560 I mean, you
00:27:55.620 take any
00:27:56.180 developed country
00:27:57.040 and the
00:27:58.680 benefit of
00:28:00.640 having a
00:28:01.080 socialized
00:28:01.560 system in
00:28:03.480 something like
00:28:04.280 85% of
00:28:05.520 diseases or
00:28:07.580 conditions is
00:28:08.940 obvious over the
00:28:09.720 system that the
00:28:10.260 U.S. has
00:28:10.800 because it
00:28:11.760 just, well, it's
00:28:12.640 better positioned
00:28:13.240 to do it because
00:28:13.960 it's not
00:28:14.400 expensive to
00:28:15.060 treat those and
00:28:16.600 it doesn't
00:28:16.960 require an
00:28:20.840 incredible amount
00:28:21.680 of, like, VC
00:28:23.560 money flowing
00:28:24.300 into cutting-edge
00:28:25.620 research.
00:28:27.240 It usually, in
00:28:29.800 most of those
00:28:30.560 countries, that
00:28:31.340 system is
00:28:31.820 supplemented with
00:28:32.700 a private sector.
00:28:34.020 Like, for
00:28:34.260 instance, if you
00:28:34.760 want, if you
00:28:36.120 don't want to
00:28:36.440 wait six months
00:28:37.120 for a hip
00:28:37.940 replacement procedure,
00:28:39.220 you can go to a
00:28:40.100 private doctor if
00:28:40.840 your budget
00:28:41.900 allows that,
00:28:43.320 you know, things
00:28:43.700 of that nature.
00:28:44.300 So you're not
00:28:44.860 exactly stuck with
00:28:46.500 the socialized
00:28:47.120 option.
00:28:47.840 It's not a bad
00:28:48.800 solution.
00:28:50.260 Just one quick
00:28:51.140 anecdote.
00:28:51.680 I've got to
00:28:52.020 jump, but
00:28:52.480 about a year
00:28:54.480 ago, I met
00:28:55.180 an Indian
00:28:57.280 doctor, a
00:28:58.180 cardiologist, who
00:28:59.080 came to the
00:29:00.020 U.S.
00:29:01.060 something like
00:29:01.580 15 years ago,
00:29:03.100 started a
00:29:03.560 practice, a
00:29:04.140 fairly large,
00:29:05.400 successful
00:29:05.760 cardiology
00:29:06.360 practice in
00:29:07.240 Atlanta, and
00:29:09.280 he told me
00:29:09.960 he is about
00:29:11.280 to throw in
00:29:11.760 the towel and
00:29:12.200 go back to
00:29:12.680 India, because
00:29:14.300 he cannot deal
00:29:15.220 with the
00:29:15.500 economic
00:29:15.800 uncertainty
00:29:16.320 anymore, and
00:29:16.880 he gave me
00:29:17.240 an example
00:29:17.760 of a patient
00:29:19.780 who came
00:29:21.560 for a
00:29:22.120 fairly simple
00:29:22.960 and inexpensive
00:29:24.100 procedure.
00:29:25.500 And I can't
00:29:26.200 remember the
00:29:26.680 exact dollar
00:29:27.340 amounts, but
00:29:27.920 the word of
00:29:29.260 magnitude or
00:29:29.900 the kind of
00:29:30.720 the proportion
00:29:31.200 is about
00:29:32.020 right.
00:29:32.420 So that
00:29:33.340 procedure, if
00:29:35.620 he were to
00:29:36.340 pay for it
00:29:37.100 out of his
00:29:38.380 pocket, was
00:29:40.180 going to cost
00:29:40.880 him something
00:29:41.400 like $100.
00:29:44.340 But he had
00:29:45.120 insurance, and
00:29:46.240 he said, why
00:29:46.980 don't I use
00:29:47.400 insurance?
00:29:47.900 And insurance,
00:29:48.880 it looked like,
00:29:49.620 was going to
00:29:49.960 pay for it.
00:29:51.220 So you can
00:29:52.940 never ascertain
00:29:53.720 beforehand what
00:29:56.060 the amount of
00:29:56.800 claim will be
00:29:59.920 paid and what
00:30:00.960 will be the
00:30:01.400 out-of-pocket
00:30:01.800 cost.
00:30:02.940 And he
00:30:03.140 says, it
00:30:04.420 turned out
00:30:04.940 that when he
00:30:05.580 used the
00:30:05.940 insurance, his
00:30:06.640 out-of-pocket
00:30:07.080 cost was $500.
00:30:09.040 It's with
00:30:09.820 insurance, versus
00:30:10.840 $100 if he
00:30:11.600 had to pay
00:30:12.100 just out of
00:30:13.360 his pocket.
00:30:15.160 $100?
00:30:15.940 That sounds
00:30:16.360 like he
00:30:17.080 removed a
00:30:17.780 wart or
00:30:18.440 something.
00:30:20.820 Again, if
00:30:23.520 this were
00:30:23.900 like a free
00:30:25.000 market, that
00:30:25.700 would be
00:30:26.100 like $29.99.
00:30:28.800 Yeah, yeah,
00:30:29.380 exactly.
00:30:29.680 But even
00:30:30.700 then, if
00:30:31.800 you're facing
00:30:32.880 retail customers,
00:30:35.440 everyone adjusts
00:30:36.540 their cost
00:30:37.140 structure.
00:30:37.820 You don't have
00:30:40.180 grocery chain
00:30:40.940 charging $500
00:30:43.020 for a box of
00:30:44.540 cereal, just
00:30:45.680 because they
00:30:46.160 know people
00:30:46.800 cannot afford
00:30:47.400 it.
00:30:47.700 Otherwise, they
00:30:48.140 would.
00:30:49.160 If they had
00:30:50.360 a third party
00:30:51.140 paying for
00:30:51.700 that box,
00:30:53.160 they would
00:30:54.000 certainly
00:30:54.360 scratch their
00:30:55.360 head and
00:30:55.660 say, how do
00:30:56.040 we charge a
00:30:57.240 lot more
00:30:57.600 than reasonable.
00:30:59.700 The same
00:31:00.500 thing applies
00:31:01.000 here.
00:31:02.600 Incentives are
00:31:03.720 twisted.
00:31:06.080 If you remove
00:31:07.120 those incentives
00:31:07.780 to gouge
00:31:08.520 costs, to
00:31:09.300 introduce
00:31:09.760 waste, and
00:31:10.680 to introduce
00:31:11.100 corruption in
00:31:12.100 this, at
00:31:13.300 some point,
00:31:14.700 it will work
00:31:15.960 out.
00:31:16.940 In the
00:31:17.240 meantime, for
00:31:18.280 the foreseeable
00:31:19.020 future, you'll
00:31:19.640 have chaos in
00:31:20.380 the industry.
00:31:21.120 Or you go
00:31:21.760 to single
00:31:23.920 payer, basically.
00:31:26.980 I almost
00:31:28.400 think this
00:31:29.060 thing has
00:31:29.880 to just
00:31:30.580 collapse.
00:31:31.680 The fact
00:31:32.840 that there's
00:31:33.320 no real
00:31:34.400 political
00:31:34.920 will to
00:31:36.620 overturn the
00:31:38.360 current system.
00:31:39.240 I don't
00:31:39.680 know.
00:31:40.020 Maybe
00:31:40.320 Project
00:31:41.060 2025 has
00:31:42.500 some secret
00:31:43.160 plan, but
00:31:45.660 Trump has
00:31:46.480 basically said
00:31:47.220 we've got
00:31:49.820 concepts of
00:31:50.500 plans.
00:31:50.880 There's
00:31:52.120 just so
00:31:52.540 many things
00:31:53.260 about the
00:31:53.760 United States
00:31:54.440 where it's
00:31:55.200 like there's
00:31:55.600 not the
00:31:56.320 political will
00:31:57.140 to fundamentally
00:31:58.640 change the
00:31:59.360 system.
00:32:00.280 A real
00:32:00.900 solution is
00:32:02.520 visible and
00:32:04.580 completely
00:32:06.380 rationally
00:32:07.400 defined, and
00:32:08.240 yet we can't
00:32:08.840 get there
00:32:09.340 because it's
00:32:09.920 going to
00:32:10.260 dislocate
00:32:11.040 billions of
00:32:12.160 dollars and
00:32:12.740 millions of
00:32:13.220 people are
00:32:13.520 going to be
00:32:13.760 unhappy for
00:32:14.620 a period of
00:32:15.800 time.
00:32:16.520 And we're
00:32:17.280 just stuck.
00:32:19.340 And it
00:32:20.020 just keeps
00:32:20.700 getting worse
00:32:21.460 and worse.
00:32:22.720 And people
00:32:23.280 use the
00:32:23.680 bankruptcy
00:32:24.040 system to
00:32:24.880 pay for
00:32:25.480 medicine.
00:32:26.020 I mean,
00:32:26.180 it's just
00:32:26.700 irrational and
00:32:30.080 mindless.
00:32:30.940 And we're
00:32:31.540 not really
00:32:32.300 putting strong
00:32:33.440 incentives on
00:32:34.640 people to get
00:32:35.320 healthy.
00:32:35.720 we should have
00:32:39.260 tax deductions.
00:32:43.140 I mean,
00:32:43.360 because the
00:32:43.600 insurance
00:32:43.940 company do
00:32:44.560 do this to
00:32:45.780 give them
00:32:46.040 some credit,
00:32:46.540 but we should
00:32:47.120 have tax
00:32:47.960 deductions on
00:32:49.340 exercise or
00:32:50.480 something.
00:32:51.740 You should
00:32:52.200 just write it
00:32:53.720 off.
00:32:54.200 You hiked
00:32:56.320 100 miles over
00:32:58.340 the course of
00:32:58.860 a year.
00:33:00.260 Yeah, that's a
00:33:01.160 $10,000 tax
00:33:02.440 deduction.
00:33:02.960 Because by
00:33:04.900 doing that,
00:33:05.880 you are going
00:33:07.100 to cost
00:33:07.800 society so
00:33:09.260 much less
00:33:10.060 than some
00:33:11.160 fatso eating
00:33:12.760 potato chips
00:33:13.720 watching Netflix.
00:33:14.980 It's not even
00:33:15.840 a question.
00:33:17.100 But we don't
00:33:18.260 incentivize those
00:33:19.000 things.