Posted on 03/22/2013 7:54:22 AM PDT by listenhillary
Anyone looking for a clue about the future of health policy debates should take note of a Center for American Progress panel convened earlier this month. The topic at hand was journalist Steven Brill’s Time magazine story on high medical bills, which compared rates charged to uninsured and privately insured patients with the negotiated, lower per-service rates charged to Medicare.
But rather than push for a government-run, single-payer system—what liberals often term “Medicare for all”—several of the left-leaning health experts on hand talked up a technocratic alternative known as "all-payer": Instead of the federal government serving as a universal insurer, as in single payer, the government would set payment rates for the entire system, public and private, eliminating price discrepancies for different payers.
In other words, price controls. This is the great new idea that has gripped liberal health wonks as health costs have continued to rise: to simply have the government declare that prices must be lower.
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
Economic principles apply equally to beans and health care.
But then, these decisions aren’t made based on economic analysis. The reasoning is political. One set of neighbors chooses to seize wealth, property, and labor from another set of neighbors, using politicians as an intermediary.
One of the things that I though of the other day when I went to the doctor is that we treat health insurance different from all other insurances. We don’t use our car insurance to pay for oil changes or new tires. Why do we use health insurance to pay for small basic health care charges?
Just a thought.
competition and excellence USED to be the way.
now it is gov’t control reminiscent of the Soviet Union
so beloved by Congress and the Dear Leader.
When they set prices for private businesses, it’s communism. The private business will fail. Government will take over, and that’s what they wanted in the first place.
We/you don’t have to. There are high-deductible health policies, tho I suspect they will disappear with Obamacare implementation.
And by the way folks- what’s goign on in NY with bloomberg and cuomo assaultign our RIGHTS to live how we wish by banning certaqin foods, smoking etc You aint seen nothin yet- when obarmacare becoem laws- you WILL ghave dopctors and neighbors spyign on others reportign htem to the national ‘health board’ if they catch them eatign fried foods, suggary foods and drinks, smoking etc- becasue now EVERYONE is paying for healthcare- and hte mentality WILL BE “These other peopel should NOT be eatign more unhealthy than I am because MY money is goign to give them healthcare, and it’s unfair that I have to pay for htem to live a lifestyle that makes them more of a burden to society”
Yup- universal health care is really goign to do wodners for htis coutnry- pretty soon we’ll be just like the former soviet union- friend spyign on friend- doctors no logner itnerested in OUR rights or health- andm ore itnerested in keepign federal dollars rolling in to them by complying with White Hosue orders to ‘report any suspicious activity” to them- Hell- doctors are ALREADY doign thsi in soem states
Price control is an effort to cover the actual cost of medical care. The constant devaluation of our dollar caused this drastic increase. The debt, debt, and more debt by the Feds. Most Americans have no idea what the communists empire has done.
We can’t run out and get home insurance when the house is on fire either.
true.
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