So I just skimmed but I think the point he's making is that Public Health and Healthcare are 2 different things. Public Health is - get some exercise. Don't drink. Keep a reasonable weight. Don't do drugs. Avoid getting shot. Get vaccinated. Don't drive a lot.
Almost all of these things aren't really "Healthcare". I don't need to go to a Dr. to know I should lose 10 lbs. Maybe - maybe, maybe - a Dr. can help me quit heroin (frankly I doubt it) and certainly a Dr. can give me a flu shot.
Most of "healthcare" money has nothing to do with longevity. If my buddy had a heart attach you can spend $500,000 on treatment. Heck, you can give him a new heart. It's all great. Who would say no? Not me. (He's my buddy after all).
At population scale though that does nothing for longevity. At population scale you'd be better off setting the speed limit to 40mph. Taxing alcohol to high heaven. Playing tons of old Erol Flynn movies (To encourage people to get into sword fights instead of gun fights.)
None of that stuff is sexy though. Even the non-crazy version of that list is un-sexy. It probably doesn't cost a lot of money but it royally pisses off people. People also vote. They don't like it if you try to run their lives for them - even if you would technically do a better job then those idiots do. Except for me. And I'm going to lose that 10 lbs. really soon.
In the UK now, if you go to the GP with an ailmentr, you are quite likely to be prescribed joining the local Parkrun group, or other 'public health' measures.
Almost all of these things aren't really "Healthcare". I don't need to go to a Dr. to know I should lose 10 lbs. Maybe - maybe, maybe - a Dr. can help me quit heroin (frankly I doubt it) and certainly a Dr. can give me a flu shot.
Most of "healthcare" money has nothing to do with longevity. If my buddy had a heart attach you can spend $500,000 on treatment. Heck, you can give him a new heart. It's all great. Who would say no? Not me. (He's my buddy after all).
At population scale though that does nothing for longevity. At population scale you'd be better off setting the speed limit to 40mph. Taxing alcohol to high heaven. Playing tons of old Erol Flynn movies (To encourage people to get into sword fights instead of gun fights.)
None of that stuff is sexy though. Even the non-crazy version of that list is un-sexy. It probably doesn't cost a lot of money but it royally pisses off people. People also vote. They don't like it if you try to run their lives for them - even if you would technically do a better job then those idiots do. Except for me. And I'm going to lose that 10 lbs. really soon.