HEALTH CARE AND FOOTBALL?
I am thoroughly confused. My panorama of our present situation involving economic and health care measures, employment, taxes and costs reductions has been obliterated by the avalanche of opinions and arguments inflicted on the public. The usual parameters that enabled me to adopt an optimistic outlook seemed to have vanished. I decided to ask the Professor. He was glad to enlighten me:
“Listen, I understand your confusion with the mixture of economy data, health care profiles and the ever present tax situation. . Let me try to set down some basis for a more comprehensive review. Let us start with the economy. The US economy generates about 12 trillion dollars a year. Our Health care costs have been rising for several years. Expenditures in the United States on health care are running at about 3 trillion, more than four times the amount spent in 1990, or if you wish to sound more historical, or hysterical if the circumstances demand it, it is over eight times the 1980 costs.”
“What is the impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?”
“At this time health care costs are running at about 25% which is the highest rate among all industrialized countries and, as the captain used to tell the crew ‘Boys, if nothing is done we’ll be underwater sooner than you expect!”
The Professor shuffled more pages in the note book and came up with some juicy items:
“Here are two items worth looking into. One is obesity, now suffered by 50 percent of the population of the country; they use up 10 percent of GDP’s total expenditures but in five years it is estimated that they will use up 30 percent of the budget!”
“And what is the other one?”
“I really regret this one. It is American football, our great American sport that unfortunately affects from 30 to 50 percent of the players in the country, with serious neurological and muscular illnesses as they reach middle age. This will be affecting about 50 million players in 5 years and the treatment of sick heads and sore knees will cost more than one trillion. “
He paused and then concluded:
“My friend, in five years the US will resemble a charity hospital in Mozambique. Just to stay alive we will have to spend 6 trillion out of the ten or twelve we produce!’
Somewhat somber but still possessed by his refined good humor he finished the session:
“You have to control your optimism, my friend. These are tough ones. Later, we will devote some time to the Budget and needed cost reductions, taxation and wars in exotic foreign lands. But now, I have earned a deserved lunch which we will enjoy at Ginocchio’s!”
PS - I took care of the bill. My optimism had failed me this time.
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