Healthcare - the uncomfortable underlying problem | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)
Only seven comments? (none / 0)
They healthcare debate has been raging for over a year now yet I have not seen a single blogger, pundit, mainstream media outlet or politician address the true hidden undercurrent of the debate. At it's core the healthcare debate comes down to economic, moral and ethical questions surrounding the equitable distribution of a scarce resource.

You must have been living in a bubble. Every conceivable angle has been addressed by someone.

Every economic system is the method of allocating scarce resources to meet infinite wants. The same system that is best at allocating 100% whole wheat bread, honey glazed spiral sliced hams and widgets is also the best at allocating health care.

Just because our government controlled system is more expensive than Lower Slobovia's does not mean even more government control will make ours better and cheaper.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 03/24/2010 09:13:03 AM EST

Who runs the death pannel (none / 0)

I blame it on my rambling incoherence and inability to get to the point in a succinct way.  I'm a bit rusty and out of practice. 

Those that believe there is a possible system for providing every possible treatment to every American is delusional.  Every system rations care and determines at what point a treatment is "worth it", effectively putting a price on the value of your life.  There are really 3 main options, the decision is made by the government bureaucrat, the decision is made by an insurance company seeking to maximize profit, or the decision is made by the size of your bank account and your value over your own life vs. the financial health of your family. 

The last option is of course preferable to most, but it lacks the ability to spread risk and given the cost of care means that the choice of life isn't even an option for many.

One alternative insurance system I can imagine that leaves families with the choice would be the following:

If you become terminally ill, the insurance company can offer you say 75% of the expected treatment cost in cash and they will have no further responsibility to care for you.  It would be up to you and your family to decide to take the cash or get the treatment.  The choice will be yours and yours alone.  Such a system would probably go a long way towards reducing overall costs.  Unfortunately I doubt such a system would be viable now that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage.     

 Anyway there I go rambling again...

by alphasigmookie on 03/24/2010 09:42:08 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Rational (none / 0)
Every system rations care...

A free market does not ration honey glazed spiral sliced hams. A free market does not ration anything, not even health care.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 03/31/2010 04:32:40 AM EST

[ Parent ]
rationing by price (none / 0)

I know this is a little late, but better late than never.

For such an avowed free market guru you know surprisingly little about them.  The free market very clearly rations care based upon price (using the broad definition of ration as any means of distributing a limited resource).  If you can afford care you get care, if you don't have the money or credit to get money then you don't get care.  Its a very simple means of rationing care but not terribly equitable and it could be argued leads to significantly suboptimal health outcomes.   

by alphasigmookie on 04/09/2010 04:14:52 PM EST

[ Parent ]
No (none / 0)
A free market rations nothing. A free market does nothing. It is just a legal framework within which voluntary exchanges take place.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 04/09/2010 05:26:23 PM EST

[ Parent ]
economics (none / 0)

In economics the term rationing frequently refers to any means by which scarce resources are distributed within a society.  It is a broader definition than you're used to hearing about with government controlled rationing during war time. 

In a free market the price and individual's willingness or ability to pay determine the distribution of healthcare.  Thus in a true free market when you get sick and you don't have money you die (or stay sick), if you do have money you live (or get better).   

Another form of rationing that occurred during the 70's oil shocks was "rationing by lines".  Those willing to wait the longest got gas, those who weren't went without.  I recently experienced this process when receiving "free" tickets to an advanced preview of Clash of the Titans.  In order to use your free ticket you had to arrive way early and wait in line.  The people who got in got there more than 1.5 hours before the movie started.  Given the cost of current movie tickets this implies that people value their time around the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.  Next time I'll skip the movie and just pay....  

by alphasigmookie on 04/09/2010 05:44:09 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Sickonomics (none / 0)
Thus in a true free market when you get sick and you don't have money you die (or stay sick), if you do have money you live (or get better).

I've been sick a few times and didn't bother to consult a physician. I got better. Doctors' waiting rooms are filled with people who would get better on their own, but their employment compensation includes prepaid medicine, so they visit for the slightest sniffles and coughs.

Many people with piles of cash consulted multiple physicians and still kicked the bucket. It is not true that money will always buy a cure. The rich die too.

And you never addressed the role of charity which does much more than provide AIDS treatments to impoverished Africans.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 04/15/2010 06:21:22 AM EST

[ Parent ]

Healthcare - the uncomfortable underlying problem | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)