Perhaps the only four minutes you will ever have to spend explaining to friends and family why government run services fail — every time.
Suppose the boss gives you $150 to buy a door prize for the office party. In a store window, you see a six-foot tall stuffed frog marked $149.00 You think, Oh, that’s perfect – let’s buy it. The raffle winner is awarded the six-foot frog. Everyone laughs at the gag.
Now, this is called a third-party purchase – a purchase that is made with money that is not yours (therefore you don’t care about the cost) to buy something you’re not going to consume (therefore you don’t care about the quality).
Here’s the point: By definition, all government purchases are third-party purchases. The government spends other people’s money on things it won’t consume. It doesn’t care about the price or the quality. Thus, there will always be waste in government spending.
With health care, this is the precise problem. The federal government isn’t paying for it; you are. The federal government isn’t using it; you are. Ergo, costs go up via waste and quality goes down via inefficiency.
…and that’s why free markets work for all of us, because when costs go down and quality goes up, availability follows in due course just like all other forms of insurance (fire, life, auto).
You know. that’s demonstrably false… it’s an ideological belief not borne out by facts, evidence…reality.
Every other industrialized country on the planet has the govt in charge of healthcare and they do it for 1/2 what we do and their citizens have longer life expectancies.
But the big thing that is ignored by Obamcare critics is the rules for Employer-provided – which are govt – the law HIPPA which requires employer provided to be community rated, i.e. the same premium for either self or family – no matter age or health status..that’s the HIPPA law that requires it. HIPPA also requires coverage of pre-existing conditions for employer-provided… and it prevents lifetime and annual caps… all of those things in employer-provided – are dictated by law… and are not voluntarily provided by the insurance companies.
Yet – it’s these things that are cited are the “flaws” of Obamacare… and the govt should not be involved … How about ONE consistent policy without hypocrisy? If you REALLY want the govt out of healthcare – then INCLUDE employer-provided in the SAME rules.
My bet is that once people with employer-provided realize that – the “politics” will change. So one has to conclude that either Conservatives are clueless about the HIPPA law and employer-provided… or .. they know.. and ignore it while they focus on the very same “flaws” of Obamacare.
Let’s have an honest discussion about this. How about we hold Employer-provided to the same standard as we SAY we want healthcare to “work” ? Game?
Here;s the law: https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/yhphipaa.html
here’s the rules:
HIPAA’s umbrella of protection:
Limits the ability of a new employer plan to exclude coverage for preexisting conditions;
Provides additional opportunities to enroll in a group health plan if you lose other coverage or experience certain life events;
Prohibits discrimination against employees and their dependent family members based on any health factors they may have, including prior medical conditions, previous claims experience, and genetic information;
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) adds important protections related to employment based group health plans that will improve health coverage for you and your famiy.
Many of these protections are available now including:
Extending dependent coverage to age 26;
Prohibiting limits or exclusions from coverage for preexisting conditions for children under 19;
Banning lifetime limits on coverage for essential health benefits;
Phasing out annual limits on coverage for essential health benefits with elimination of limits in 2014; and
How many of the “Repeal and Replace” opponents of Obamacare know the above and will admit it … AND would INCLUDE Employer-provided to be governed by the same rules as other healthcare?
honest conversation about this? How many critics of Obamacare are willing to admit the truth AND advocate that employer-provided be subjected to the SAME rules that people want for those who don’t have employer-provided? One law – one set of rules for all Will conservatives admit this?