With Tom Daschle leading Obama’s Dept. of Health and Human Services, we are one step closer to nationalizing healthcare. We are being told that the free market has failed when it comes to healthcare and that government needs to step in. What free market?
When was the last time anyone had a meaningful choice between health insurance plans or insurers? Because of our current tax code, health insurance is predominantly provided by employers. Why does that matter? This means insurers compete for employers rather than employees. I can’t shop around. Nobody competes for my dollar. I can’t go across state lines to get a different insurer.
Then there is Medicare. It’s already the dominant insurer, yet despite its attempts to control prices, healthcare costs are still rising quickly. This is where the brilliance of nationalizing healthcare comes in. Medicare isn’t helping to drive down healthcare costs because it doesn’t have enough market power. The answer to all our problems is that the government should simply monopolize the healthcare industry. Weren’t the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts created to keep any industry from being monopolized?
One of course will argue that since the government is in charge of this monopoly, prices will go down. Well, you may be paying a lower premium, but the government has to make up the difference somehow (taxes, printing money (inflation)). Sometimes monopolies don’t charge higher prices, they just give you a really crappy product for the same price. This will be inevitable with nationalized healthcare. Be prepared for a trip to the doctor’s office to feel like a trip to the DMV, with really long lines and doctor’s who could care less about you because there are 500 people sitting in his waiting room.
For more check out this op-ed in the WSJ. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122714181668742739.html
Last 3 posts by Taylor
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One of the biggest causes of the rise in healthcare costs is the rise in life expectancy. People are just living longer and requiring more healthcare and medication as a result. Demand is going up, so price is going up. People like to blame free markets for all the rising costs. The answer is not universal healthcare. I hate the DMV. Although the appointment line is amazing!
One of my favorite lines from the Simpsons is from Patty and Selma working at the DMV. “Some days we don’t let the line move at all.” “We call those, weekdays.” Yeah, it’s pretty sad that one thing I research when looking for a job is what health care they provide. I’d like to shop for health care like I do cell phone provider and tell my employer, “This is who I’m going with. Will you pay for them?”
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