derryl

Murphy's Law of Economics and Health Care

John wrote,
"These plans remove the patient from economic awareness of health care consumption and is a contributor to runaway costs."

This is definitely a big part of the problem. Canada's single payer system suffers the same problem, unlimited demand for a good that is 'free' to the end user. Cdn provinces solve this problem by rationing health care. A more rational solution is to institute a co-pay system like Sweden's. The user pays the first $230 of any medical care as a 'deductible', then 10% of any additional cost up to a maximum of another $230. I'm not sure how they deal with people who have no money, but their system succeeds in keeping demand and health care costs down to a realistically affordable level, with good outcomes in both medical and fiscal health.

All the lefties will tell you that water and other environmental resources are "wasted" when users don't have to pay fair market prices for them. Health care is no different. If users have to pay a fair portion of the costs they will self-ration their demand for health care just like they self-ration their demand for everything else they spend their limited incomes on. It takes a lot of the politicking out of the health care funding debate.

Obama’s Health Insurance Plan Is No Panacea

In an article titled "Health Care Myths" a couple months ago, Vancouver economic think tank the Fraser Institute listed 'preventive medicine' as a big myth. Taking care of yourself is preventive medicine. Getting expensive tests for god knows what imagined ailment is a waste of medical resources.

$1000 lab tests? Do you take your car to the mechanic and have him dismantle and examine it 'just to be sure' at a cost of $3000 a pop? This is a huge waste of money and a major windfall to the 'preventive medicine' industry. If you want tests pay for them yourself. Nobody is stopping you from wasting your own money.