Posted on 07/15/2009 6:22:04 PM PDT by Kaslin
As it turns out, "universal coverage" may not be so inevitable after all. Much to the chagrin (and apparent surprise) of President Obama and congressional Democrats, squabbling has erupted in earnest over who will spring for the exorbitant cost.
Fortunately, Obama has an exit strategy: "If there is a way of getting this done where we're driving down costs and people are getting health insurance at an affordable rate, and have choice of doctor, have flexibility in terms of their plans, and we could do that entirely through the market, I'd be happy to do it that way."
Well, there is a way: Let individuals control their health care dollars, and free them to choose from a wide variety of health plans and providers. If Congress takes those steps, innovation and market competition will make health care better, more affordable and more secure.
Experts suggest that one-third of U.S. health care spending, or about 6% of GDP, is pure waste. The reason is simple: Government controls half of our nation's health care dollars, and lets employers control an additional quarter. And nobody spends other people's money as carefully as they spend their own.
Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag told Congress last year: "Imagine what the world would be like if workers (understood) that today it was costing them $10,000 a year in take-home-pay for their employer-sponsored insurance, and that could be $7,000 and they could have $3,000 more in their pockets today if we could relieve these inefficiencies out of the health system." Nothing will increase consumers' understanding like giving them that $10,000 directly.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Amen.
Only our lords and masters are intelligent and wise enough. Surely they are better than that free market sort of thing.
What money?America is broke thanks to the sleazy bankers.Andrew Jackson at least figured that out and America became debt free.Why does history repeat itself via ignorance?
I read somewhere the the only area of medical care not going up, if not getting cheaper, is cosmetic surgery. Reason: no government money/involvement, little insurance interference, and upfront pricing paid 100% by the consumer.
Fertility treatment costs are self-paid. I don’t know if those have gone up or down.
We are in the midst of a health-care bubble, very much the same as the present education-cost bubble, and very similar to the recent housing bubble.
The biggest cause of the health-care bubble is Govt involvement via payments and rule-making, causing huge demand and monopoly suppliers.
Take the Gov’t out of health care completely, and prices will crash.
Socialism has failed every time it’s been tried, but then those societies lacked the brain trust of a Barry Hussein Soetero, Nazi “Stretch” Pelousy, and Harry “We’ve Lost” Rediculous! These three stooges will guide Socialism to it’s first victory! And they will start with “fixing” all the ills of healthcare in two weeks (before the August recess).
Sieg heil kiddies. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!
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