The following article about rethinking mental health funding makes me wonder about how a budget issue can be so poorly managed -- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/2014/04/10/11/00/small-changes-a-big-help-for-dementia. The answer is obvious -- politicians do not know, they may not care and/or they simply do not understand.
One of the biggest issues I have with modern and civilised world is that a majority of people give away a lot of their rights (including money) so that a minority of people can govern the majority (if not everyone). Governing includes activities such as legislating (hopefully for the benefit of everyone, but possibly only benefits some if not most) then budgeting how to spend the money contributed by the majority.
Politics is really the art of governing... In the modern era and true democracies, if you govern well (according to the perceptions of the majority), you will hopefully get another term in the government.
My biggest problem with politicians is that they are expected to the moderators of everything about their respective countries -- ranging from economy to foreign policies etc. My other problem is that politicians work for their political party. Yet, in psychology, we know that the biggest leaps are almost always made when we COOPERATE rather than COMPETE. When we cooperate, we achieve more. In the animal kingdom, predators hunt in packs while preys stick together. Think Google, how much has Google achieved as a group of tech wizards!
Now, the case in point is that us, as a majority, elected the minority (the government) that will decide on budget of health care and the specifics of what goes where. My problem is that I don't expect politicians to know exactly where the money should go... but I wish they would consult the health practitioners before making such decisions.
Everyone knows that short-term cuts can lead to long-term future debts. Early intervention rarely attracts any money because every government tries to fix the mess left by the previous goverments. However, if ever, there is a progressive society that is willing to fork out more for early interventions plus current treatments, I hypothesise that future debt may well. Having said that, maybe there may be more modern day illness not previously seen.
Other health care issues in political spotlight include:
- In America, the emerging issues with the contraversial Obamacare. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-24370967.
- In Australia (Queensland), the ongoing issues of state government trying to reign in health budget by cutting jobs. See http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-08/loss-of-thousands-of-queensland-health-jobs-condemned/4249934.
- The people who may suffer as a consequence of ill-informed political financial decisions. See http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/cystic-fibrosis-sufferer-paul-mckean-fears-being-caught-in-queensland-doctor-saga-20140405-365f5.html.
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