CMS Report on the Health Care Bill
Megan McArdle has a great post on the CMS post. Bascially, there is no magic bullet to cut medical costs. Benefits are going to get cut and costs are going to go up.
I really don't need the report to tell me this. Here is the common sense answer -- before this administration embarked on the health care fiasco, we all pretty mich knew that Medicaire and Medicaid bankrupt and was going to blow a huge hole (McArdle's term) in the budget. So, since this bill at its heart is really just an expansion of Medicaire/Medicaid to cover more people, how can we expect it to do anything but blow an even bigger hole in the budget.
By the way, years ago I wrote:
...health care is not like failed Great Society housing programs. In those housing programs, only the poor got crappy government housing "” the rest of us kept what we had. Universal health care is different, because it will effectively be like forcing everyone to move into the housing projects.
Now that we know what is in the actual bills, I stand by this prediction. Here is the poll question I would still like to see:
Would you support a system of government-run universal health care that guaranteed health care access for all Americans, but would result in you personally getting inferior care than you get today in terms of longer wait times, more limited doctor choices, and with a higher probabilities of the government denying you certain procedures or medicines you have access to today.
Brad K.:
Nonsense. The grim picture you paint will not happen . . for most.
What ObamaCare will do, is create a criminal, black market system of health care - one that cannot be regulated, so licensing, care standards, and profit margins - and will be variously susceptible to corruption by organized crime.
As I recall, much of the argument for legalizing abortion, back in the day, was because so many women were dying from unlicensed procedures. Legalizing the practice saved countless lives, and didn't actually change the frequency much.
Where ObamaCare outlaws elective health care, the lucrative aspects of health care will just go underground. And I suspect that many communities will encourage or support and protect the "black market" system.
I also won't be surprised if some states greet the federales at the border, and prevent ObamaCare from entering the state. By force of arms, if necessary. If Obama is as sincere about dismantling America as he appears to be, this sure looks like a winning strategy. He could have the federal government banned in 20 state by this time next year.
November 19, 2009, 7:52 amtomw:
You forgot to add: "at more cost to you."
The plan is to charge more and deliver less. By the way, they forgot to mention the fact that some practitioners will close shop and retire or take up a new profession due to their reduced reimbursement, and some future docs may decide upon more rewarding professions.
Sounds like a winner! What could go wrong?
tom
November 19, 2009, 8:45 ammike:
I am absolutely opposed to the bills going through our government. They ignore the most fundamental economic principles. The basic rule of lower prices for goods and services is competition, and the government is going increasing mandates and regulation rather than letting people decide what they want to do with their money.
People, rather than some group of people not directly involved, ultimately make the wisest choices when it come to themselves. Why should the young adults, ages 18 to 30, be forced to buy health care that they don't want and likely do not need since this is the healthiest age group. And this group makes up 31% of the uninsured.
Plus, the cost of the care that they are required to buy will be higher than they are willing to pay. I can't think of any government plan in the past century that ended up costing less than originally planned.
Similar legislation was passed in Massachusetts. It promised to cut healthcare costs however the costs ended up rising.
November 19, 2009, 10:08 pmLorenzo (from downunder):
Your link is broken.
November 21, 2009, 1:16 pm