Day 1237 – Obamascare

One of the most disturbing things about Obamacare is that no one knew what it was when they signed it, no one knows what it is now and by the time people decide they don’t like it, a lot of damage will be done. Fans of socialized medicine fear it will give insurance companies more power. Smart people like me know that it’s a kind of creeping government intervention where insurance companies will be priced out of the market and the government will subsidize, then ration health care.

One stupid argument coming to the Supreme Court is that health insurance is necessary for human existence. Leaving aside people who use very little in the way of medical services, it should be possible to pay a doctor or a hospital for services rendered without getting insurance. Insurance is designed as a catastrophic protection, money in the case of a massive expense. Instead, medical costs are so sky-high it is nearly impossible to pay for them without an insurance company to negotiate the price lower. Penn Jillette once referred to health insurance as “prepaid health care.” Most of what we pay into insurance comes out as medical bill payments. Insurance companies cut costs and Medicare puts the burden onto the next generation.

As bad as Romneycare is, and it is bad, insurance companies are not forced to cover unlimited amounts. People who don’t like Romneycare can leave it without getting a passport. It could be Mitt Romney’s strength if he would just admit his plan was a well-meaning but flawed template for national health insurance. The way to fix costs is to add more free market into it, not less. I hope he’ll do it once the people with no chance of winning get out of the race.

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