Posted on 12/05/2006 8:39:22 PM PST by freespirited
Not to quibble but we do have exactly that in Merryland.
It's called MAIF.
You're right. I guess I was thinking of a Bootz/evangelical angel hybrid.
The gov't *caused* the problem, so they are really the only ones who can solve it.
Unlike their meddling in other segments of society, they are not subsidizing the medical industry, they are penalizing it. They set the prices that doctors and hospitals are allowed to charge - not directly, of course, but by what they will pay under Medicaid and Medicare. (Many ins. cos. follow the same guidelines) If the doctor or hospital loses money on a specific procedure, they can either resist doing it, or make up the money by overcharging in some other area.
The gov't has totally distorted the cost of medical procedures, and disrupted the doctor/patient relationship.
If you don't think that's true, look at the prices and choices in the cosmetic surgery industry. That hasn't been controlled by the gov't, and it's much more reflective of what people want and are willing to pay than any other area of medicine.
It depends on what state you are in, of course. But in many states, the cost of the uninsured swamps the hospitals. CA is a prime example. Many hospitals there have closed, because they can't afford to treat all the uninsured. Other states are getting close to that. DC is there, too. I think MA was getting close.
The author of this article clearly wants gov't to be in charge of all health care. That's the only way it makes sense. Romney wants everyone to be covered by private insurance, and that takes everyone off the state dole and puts them in ins. pools, where we know the pool averages out.
BTW, I think this would be far better for Seniors than Medicare is. Medicare is expensive, and the rules and limitations are often burdensome.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.