Bringing the Market to Health Care(Romney)

My primary complaint with Romney is his health care package in MA that forces you to join and pay no matter what.

That's not exactly true. You can still choose not to buy health insurance, but if you don't, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will take away your all your tax exemptions and put the extra tax money it collects as a result into an interest bearing escrow account with your name on it. Once that account reaches a maximum balance (something like 10 G's), MA lets you claim your exemptions again. MA will then use any funds in that account to pay your medical bills should you come into an emergency room and try to freeload off the taxpayer. Should you eventually become insured, the government will refund the money to you, plus interest.

I don't see why any conservative should object to this. The fact is, if you don't have health insurance, you can stick hospitals and taxpayers with your emergency room bills. All Romney's plan does is make sure that those who don't buy insurance have in reserve enough cash so that this is less likely to happen.

Personally, I would have no objection to making health insurance legally compulsory, but that's not what Mitt Romney did.

You can still choose not to buy health insurance, but if you don’t, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will take away your all your tax exemptions and put the extra tax money it collects as a result into an interest bearing escrow account with your name on it. Once that account reaches a maximum balance (something like 10 G’s), MA lets you claim your exemptions again.

>>>>>>>>>>>.

I did a word search on the text of the MA law and the word escrow is not in it. Can you show me where this rpovision is in the law? TIA

Yep that’s basically what it says.

There is no escape except to leave or be an illegal immigrant. Socialism cannot work unless all are forced to participate in the “free economic choices”.

Markets don't always work perfectly. One example is the adverse selection problem that pervades insurance markets. Romney's plan did a very nice job addressing it.

Discretely correcting market failures need not result in socialism.

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