Mid-week Potpourri

■ First up, Rich W warns that the new ObamaTax numbers are a lot more dangerous than we've been led to believe:

"[O]nly about 28 percent of enrollees, or 3.5 million, are between the ages of 18 and 34 -- the younger, healthier people needed to offset the costs of older, sicker ones."

That's bad news because it underscores just how unsustainable the whole system has become. Look for this number to get even worse as premiums and out-of-pockets continue to rise.

■ Talk about an understatement: FoIB Holly R sent us this link that starts out by noting that "[d]ifficult patients — those who are angry, abusive, or rude — may not get the best medical care." No kidding.

Click on through to see how patients that threaten to shoot their doctors fare.

■ This is actually two items in one. On the one hand:

"Maple syrup isn't just delicious, it could also cure Alzheimer's disease"

While you're pouring that tasty Grade A Amber on your flapjacks, don't forget to sprinkle some blueberries on 'em, too:

"Start munching on blueberries. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say chowing down on the "superfruit" may help treat patients with cognitive impairments."

Yummy and helpful.

Self-service writ large

A while back, we noted with some disgust that "[t]he number of foreigners traveling to Switzerland to commit assisted suicide doubled over a four-year period." Seems that that enlightened country had made it even easier for folks to pull their own plugs.

Fortunately (for some values of "fortunate") the Golden State is making it unnecessary for those so inclined to have to book expensive airfare:

"Governor Jerry Brown signed a landmark bill into law ... [granting]terminally-ill individuals the right to die, or request life-ending medication from their physician."

He actually signed it this past fall; it takes effect early this summer.

There's a supposed "fail-safe" built into the law, requiring two doctors to agree that the "patient has six months or less to live and is mentally competent." There are some other caveats, as well.

Some folks are a bit leery that depressed patients might "doctor shop" to find providers more willing to participate. For what it's worth, California joins four other states that have legalized doctor-assisted suicide.

Yay?

[Hat Tip: Ace of Spades]

MVNHS© claims another one

It's almost as if nationalized health care schemes are designed to kill off their intended beneficiaries:

22-year-old dies of rare cancer after doctors mistook disease for pregnancy

To be fair, her initial pregnancy diagnosis was due to elevated hormone levels. But as time went by, and her pain continued unabated, one would think that her "care" providers would have at least tried to nail down a cause. By the time they finally got around to that, it was too late:

"[I]n February, doctors at Addenbrooke Hospital in Cambridge found Wright actually had adenocarcinoma— an aggressive form of cancer that affects multiple organs and was diagnosed as terminal. On Feb. 23, Wright passed away"

Well played, Much Vaunted National Health System©.

More (bad) trainwreck news

As we mentioned at the end of January, Open Enrollment v3.0 was pretty much doomed from the start:

"About 6 million people have signed up for health coverage that will take effect on Jan. 1 in the states that use the [404Care].gov enrollment."

That was way off the (implausibly) predicted 21 million anticipated to sign up. But it's also only part of the story:

"New exchange enrollment data released by the Obama administration reveal in multiple ways that ObamaCare is failing to live up to its goal of providing affordable care."

Most at risk? The very folks on whose behalf the whole effort was expended in the first place:

"Millions of working-class Americans face a choice between paying a penalty they surely can’t afford and buying a policy ... that may still wreck their finances if they land in the hospital."

And that's assuming that they can even afford to buy a plan in the first place. With ever-increasing premiums, deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs spiking, no wonder so many people are opting to just skip signing up in the first place. As we've noted time and time again, that $700 or so penalty fine tax is peanuts compared to the actual exposure dictated by massive ObamaPlan holes.

And the subsidies are doing little to mitigate the problem:

"While the cheapest bronze-plan premium (before subsidies) rose about $250 in Mississippi for a $25,000-earner, the subsidy fell $300, yielding the $550 increase."

Talk about a double whammy.

Sausage making at the MVNHS©

There's an old saying:

"Laws are like sausages: Better not to see them being made."

This seems to apply to how (at least one) nationalized "health" schemes work, as well. We've blogged on the shortcomings of the Much Vaunted National Health System© for many, many years; one thing we've consistently pointed out is that perhaps the most insidious form of health care rationing (and under any national health care scheme care is rationed) is the use of wait times to "cull the herd" of the most needy.

But don't just take our word for it; thanks to co-blogger Bob, we have access to "A Guide to Health Cover for the Self-Employed." Don't let the title fool you: the critical issues addressed apply equally to those who work for someone else.  And what's the Number 1 issue?

"Waiting times to see a doctor are lengthening – 70% of GPs surveyed for the Royal College of General Practitioners said patients will have to wait longer to see them over the next two years"

[ed: And don't be getting too smug about that; the ObamaTax has it baked into the cake]

Now, there's a double-whammy for self-employed folks: the obvious (and shared one) of 'care delayed is care denied,' but there's the additional onus that "[w]hile an employee with a sympathetic employer can easily take the time off work for appointments, it’s not so easy if you are self-employed."

Lotta truth there.

I was also bemused by this little observation:

"[T]he service we remain so justly proud of is cracking under the strain of an increasing population and a curb on expenditure"

Denial: not just a river.

Hey, it's only (YOUR) money!

A month or so ago, we noted that it costs taxpayers "$50,000 for every person who gets health insurance under the Obamacare law." Looks like that might be a bit optimistic:

"Watchdog finds $447 million IRS PPACA tax credit math error"

Ooops.

Apparently, the rocket surgeons at the Infernal Revenue Service misunderstood their own calculations due to a "programming error," which resulted in substantial overpayments on behalf of ObamaPlan victims buyers.

Here's the very best part:

"The accounting errors identified are primarily attributable to the lack of comprehensive testing"

Seems to be something of a habit with these folks, no?

Health Wonk Review is up

David Williams hosts this week's collection.

Note: This edition is rather heavy-handed on the politics. Be forewarned.

Ducking the MVNHS©

As we noted a few weeks ago, many (most?) countries with national healthcare schemes also have robust private insurance markets.

For the naysayers (via email):
 

<Click to embiggen>

And just how does it work?

So glad you asked:

"If you are taken ill, can you rely on the NHS to ensure you recover quickly?

Private medical insurance (or health insurance) is designed to cover the costs of private medical treatment, so that if you happen to have the misfortune to suffer from a disease, illness or injury you can rest assured that you will be well cared for to help you on the way to a full and speedy recovery.

While we are fortunate in the UK to have the NHS, the reality is that you can often wait months for diagnosis and treatment. Private healthcare not only enables you to receive treatment quickly it also offers you far more choice as a patient. You can choose everything from what treatment you receive to where you are treated."

"While we are fortunate..." Heh.

The site acknowledges something we've maintained for many, many years: that under the Much Vaunted National Health System© care may be free, it is strictly rationed. The most common rationing method is, of course, long wait times, where the beancounters in charge can be sure that at least a few of their fellow countryfolk will succumb to attrition.

But hey, it's free.