Health Care:
One issue that keeps coming up in the news is the price of Insulin, which is just one example of how our health care system is continuing to fail most Americans. What seems to be lacking in the never ending debate on this subject, is a lack of thoughtful analysis. That's right. There is no logic, no rhyme, nor reason that ever seems to be offered by the traditional demagogues occupying the current body politic. So let's try to cast so light on the subject.
In the late 70's, and early 80's - there was a series of landmark patents that issued to such companies as Genentech, when the technology was developed to synthesize real human Insulin by inserting the gene for that substance into a common bacteria. Now let's consider the fact that many bacteria are capable of dividing as often as once every 20 minutes or so. That would mean of course that assuming an unlimited food supply, such a bio-engineered organism could in theory divide hundreds of times in just a few days; so that if unlimited exponential growth were possible, there would within a matter of days be more microbes than there are atoms in the Universe! That is of course impossible, in practice - but I like to mention it, because what seems to be lost on our elected leaders is that one simple fact that with the advent of gene splicing, etc., it became possible crank out bio-engineered real human insulin as if it were cheese.
There I said it, "as if it were cheese!" Yet why is it that nobody in Congress seems to ever take notice of this one simple fact. Bernie Sanders came closest to the truth, when he accused the prescription drug companies of engaging in criminal behavior, which might actually be true, from the point of view of anti-trust laws.
In the long run, I do believe that the right approach is still going to be a based on a Medicare for all, Universal health plan so that all Americans are covered. Yet that is just the beginning. There is so much more that can be done, and which should be done, to not only bring down the spiraling cost of health care, but to assure that Americans continue to receive the very best health care on the planet.
