My example of France shows that even though the country has some pretty socialist views, they still expect the average person to pay something towards the services they get. Of course there is private insurance too and that means you are entitled to pay more for hopefully higher quality of care… as you mention, you get what you pay for.
In fact the small amount people are paying does contribute something towards funding the healthcare system and keeping it running. Of course the government pays in a lot as well, but it isn’t as high as if the government had to pay for 100% of the costs themselves.

I agree that I was a bit generalistic about the situation in the US. I don’t have a clear and full understanding of the sytem there. However, I was merely trying to issue the example of the US as the extreme of capitalism running healthcare, where it is mostly funded by private insurance and the majority of people do have to pay insurance. Without health insurance you are in some great difficulty in the US, and that I’m sure of.

In the UK, the government actually takes 10% of all salaries out as ‘National Insurance’ contributions before you even get taxed. This is supposed to go towards funding the national health service.

However, the system is so bogged down in irrational claims for free healthcare (eg. people demanding cosmetic surgery, viagara, medicinal marajuana and other inessential requests) that any contributions are quickly wiped out by the pressures placed on it. My opinion is that the system would be much better if everybody was forced to pay some small, representative amount for their treatment. I am certain it would wipe away a lot of freeloaders who think it is their right to claim benefits from the state for no reason. This in itslef would shorten waiting lists and relieve strain on the system!

Regarding India, I do personally think that they should start charging some fees / national insurance contribution to the people who are salary paid. Of course this would have to be means tested so the lowest earners are not losing out, but the money gained from this could be funnelled into supporting resources where they are needed.

Again, making people pay for it should reduce a significant number of people who are interested in freeloading, and reduce some demand on the system.

And, yes, I’m well aware that there are a lot of people paying a lot of money in India for some of the most advanced private healthcare available in the world. Hence a lot of people go from UK to India on ‘health tourism visits’ as it’s called.

we pay for the service like in the US… no insurance … no treatment and you die on the street (pretty much).

And how many people do you think are dying on street because of lack of healthcare? How many are dying on street in India because of lack of healthcare? You are full of rhetoric dude. But no substance. In the world you live in apparently, there is no free market.
For example in your world there are only two way things can go to.
1) You get free/paid services from the govt.
2) You don’t get any service from anyone.

In your world, people in America don’t have any healthcare.

In your world people of France pay 20 Euros to the doctor for every visit and somehow that pays for every cost of the full healthcare services(I donno if that is true or not, it sure does not make any logical sense, if its true then the Healthcare system of France sucks big time).

I mean look at West Bengal’s communist regime that has held an iron grip using corruption and violence for 60 years. What rubbish is that? Why have they not been pushed out of power? Because the bengalis themselves (or ourselves really as I am also Bengali) have fallen into shameful habits of accepting the nonsense as the way of the world. Worst case is that most of us actually participate in it too every day. Who’s going to vote out the ruling party? Things are too nice and sedentary to change… let’s just leave it all as the pile of garbage it is.

Futhermore, your points about failing healthcare are valid, but look at the system. How many people are placing unfair demands on the state services? Refusing to pay tax or correct rent in many cases (certainly in Bengal) and then demanding all and sundry for FREE. That’s right… we all expect the state to fork out cash and services whenever we want, but nobody stops to think that this is a pitifully naive idea.

You can NEVER have something for nothing. Either we all pay more tax to cover the state burden (which we will not do by choice) or we pay for the service like in the US… no insurance … no treatment and you die on the street (pretty much).

There has to be a fair balance if the system is to work. For example, in Europe many countries like France and Germany have systems where you must pay a small fee (say 20 Euros, or around 1000 Rupees direct conversion - yes this is small in France) every time you visit the doctor. However you get the full spectrum of treatment then, and the system works at a reasonable level because it has a guaranteed income from people who use it as well as government funding. Also, people can actually claim back part or all of the doctor’s fee on a means tested basis, so the really disadvantaged don’t have to pay, and the people who can, do pay something.

This is much fairer than the clearly failed example of the UK National Health Service (NHS) which is a pitiful example of how the government has mismanaged funds over decades to create unpluggable black hole of billions of pounds. Every year more tax income is poured into the hole to try and cover the ridiculous demands placed on it by the people. Every year we hear of standards falling and people being misdiagnosed because of lack of trained staff or equipment and diseases like MRSA (flesh eating bacteria) being common in wards.

It’s a sad state, but I have a feeling this is what the Indian system is based on, given it’s unhealthy obsession with UK standards for medicine and other fields. No wonder it isn’t working in India. Change the system and make people who can (and should) pay up!

for eg politicians and their parties and of course the “babus” of govt offices…

and good to know u r keeping  a close watch on such issues and creating awarness…