Dissents Of The Day

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05 Dec 2008 07:24 am

A reader writes:

I can think of many reasons one might want to live in the USA, but our health care system isn't one of them. Do you seriously believe that a health care system that leaves millions without adequate care, that bankrupts sick individuals and families, that consistently ranks at or near the bottom of all industrialized nations by almost every metric used to evaluate such things, and does so at double or triple the costs of other nations with better overall health care, is a superior system?

Rather than "government collective" deciding, our health care choices are decided by HMO's and insurance companies. My health care options are limited by my insurance company, and like most people, I can't afford to dump the health care insurance subsidized by my employer for better coverage. And if I should get laid off in this currently failing free-market economy and lose my insurance, then I better hope I don't ever get seriously ill, or else I'm pretty much done for.

But those fears are grounded in the "rationality" you mentioned, which apparently ranks below "freedom" and "markets" in your theology.

Another adds:

I take your point about the health care system in the UK and the downsides it has. But, having also lived in the UK, I don't think your analysis is completely accurate. The "government collective" only makes health care decisions if you go to an NHS facility. There are plenty of private doctors around, and if someone chooses to go to a private doctor and either pay their own way, or purchase health insurance, they are free to do so (as I did during my stay). As it stands now in the US, most people have their health care decisions made for them as well, only instead of government employees, those decisions are made by HMOs and health insurers who make the decisions based on corporate profits. I fail to be convinced how it is worse to have those tough decisions made by government (which can be admittedly dreadful but is still -- on some level -- answerable to the people) rather than a corporate entity (whose fiduciary duty under the law is to maximize profits for its shareholders).

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