Comments on: On the Right Side: Taxes OK if they are used well

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:16:52 +0000

I am in complete agreement with Mr. Dean’s comment. Mr. Sears is trying to compare apples to oranges in his example. As an accountant, he should know better. Even at the supposed rate of 1000 Euros (which Romania doesn’t officially use, so the rate is much higher), childbirth would cost slightly more in dollars. In the US, the cost of giving birth, with insurance, according to some research, is between 5 and 6 thousand. The fundamental point here is why does everything cost so much more here in America with all of our technology and wealth if the care in Romania at a private hospital is so great? I agree with the statement that taxes should be used judicially and appropriately, but the waste is usually from graft and over-spending and poor accountability (see private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan).

By: Daniel Popa

Daniel Popa — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:16:17 +0000

Over the last three years, Romania has seen a substantial change in the way its health-care sector is financed, namely, a shift towards the funding of health-care by means of an insurance system. The introduction of health insurance increased the amount of public funding available for that sector. Yet despite this positive development in terms of revenue, at least half the users of the health services report making additional out-of-pocket payments. This healthcare worked just fine until 1945 when the communists came in socialized the healthcare. A private system is better.

By: John Dean

John Dean — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:15:41 +0000

A comparison between the Romanian health care system and the United States sums up the logic of this article. A private healthcare system in Romania would not exist for most citizens. In any event the choices are hardly between this described Romanian process and the fears of right wing fanatics who clearly have no grasp of the situation.