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Economist

[quote] PICTURE of a handsome young man riding a bucking bronco hangs in the office of Max Baucus. The Democratic senator from Montana was a novice in the rough world of rodeo three decades ago, but when challenged he did not hesitate. The nerve-racking ride that ensued foreshadowed his current wild adventure. As chairman of the Senate’s Finance Committee, this relatively unknown figure has emerged as a central force in the struggle over health reform.

Barack Obama has made health care a domestic priority. But rather than designing his own plan, he is leaving it to Congress to take the lead by crafting a bill which he hopes to sign before year’s end. Last month he gathered insurance and health-industry executives at the White House. This week he called in leading Democratic senators working on the issue. And on June 6th Organising for America (a political group that sprang from Mr Obama’s presidential campaign) plans to raise the heat further. Its website declares that “in thousands of homes across the country, we’ll gather to launch our grassroots campaign for health care.â€

Capitalism itself needs competition else it becomes a clunky oppressive monopoly. I like that idea. I like it a lot. I may have to borrow it, if you don't mind.

Capitalism itself needs competition else it becomes a clunky oppressive monopoly. I like that idea. I like it a lot. I may have to borrow it, if you don't mind.

Go for it.

It's quite simple to me. As a Libertarian, I believe the Government has no business doing anything except those things which the private sector has shown itself incapable of doing.

The private sector has beyond all doubt shown itself incapable of providing affordable health care for a massive and growing number of Americans. Consequently, bring on the government system.

Mayabird wrote:Capitalism itself needs competition else it becomes a clunky oppressive monopoly. I like that idea. I like it a lot. I may have to borrow it, if you don't mind.

I don't agree with it. It's the individual companies that need competition, not capitalism itself per se.

It's just that sometimes, the private sector alone cannot provide that needed competition.

frigidmagi wrote:Our Health Care System these days is alot like the Post Office used to be. That's right, the Post Office. You see there was a time when the Post Office frankly sucked balls. Mail was late, or got lost, Post Office employees were overworked, underpaid and apathetic (side note, both my maternal grandfather and my father have worked in the Post Office many, many moons ago). Then private companies were allowed to take part, lo and behold competition forced the Post Office to improve... At least a little. It was at times painful and awkward but well, it was worth it.

I'd say it's quite a bit worse, for this reason: The post office's revenue does not depend on collecting stamps, then finding any and every reason not to deliver a letter. The profit margin of a private insurance company is based solely on denying care while collecting premiums at the maximum rate the market can bear (with the additional problem of shareholder revolt if one does not do this). It's a race to the bottom to raise premiums, deny more care, and pay dividends. I suppose the only incentive to provide care is that the dead do not pay premiums, but I digress.

It's not surprising then that more and more Americans and their employers can't pay into this system.

I suppose it's similar in creating as much administrative overhead as possible though.

I do not propose or support any idea that would led to the outlawing of private insurance or medical practice. But given the situation what I do support and consider best is removing the hobbles on the Government programs and institutions and letting them get into the game full bore.

I don't support nationalizing medical practice, but I personally do support the partial or total elimination of private insurance beyond a boutique market of private care "perks" such as those in the UK or Australia. As long as large private insurance companies are in the game, they will use their substantial lobbying power to underfund or kill any public option, thus making a mandate simply a means to gain more customers without cutting costs (see Massachusetts).

You cannot abolish an entire industry based on fears of what they might lobby congress to do. I agree with Frigid in this case. Let the insurance companies compete with a working government healthcare system. Those who offer more premium coverage or better service will survive. Those who do not survive do not deserve sympathy. I'm not however about to legislate that nobody is permitted to get private insurance because we are afraid of what they might ask congress for. If you're so worried about that, fix the lobbying process, don't selectively create state monopolies over something this important.