@roger,
roger wrote:
Medicare is not the only factor to interfere with market signals. Employer paid or assisted medical insurance produces its own distortions by shielding the patient from the full cost. I'm not saying either is a bad thing, but they do distort the market.
Very excellent and salient points, roger. I have mentioned these factors before, and although many so-called conservatives have ignored or wish to ignore these factors in the mix, some conservatives have suggested that these problems need to be addressed, perish the thought even John McCain I believe had some ideas to address these factors.
Some of the things I have expressed about this before would be to make sure we have a level playing field, such that if a company provides an insurance or perk, such as medical insurance, it is essentially part of their pay, part of their salary, and it should be taxed as income. After all, why not? If a company provides a car, a vacation home, tickets to a professional team games, whatever, it is the same thing as cash, they all have value, and they are income or employee compensation. And why tie medical insurance to employment? If so, why not homeowners insurance or auto insurance? Why not make employers pay for housing, or groceries, or a pleasure boat for every employee, after all every healthy employee needs a healthy recreation? Face it, there are personal responsibilities, and they should be no business of employers, it all needs to have a sharp line drawn between what is a personal responsibility and an employer function. We have fuzzied the line for far too long.
If I have learned anything in this life about capitalism, the best way to control costs and quality of product or service delivered, that control is maximized when it affects the right hip pocket of the individual that receives the product or service, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind. I have personally saved thousands of dollars more than once by reviewing my own medical invoices from doctors and hospitals, and have found charges for stuff that was not even provided. I am certain that these charges would have slipped by the insurance company, and likewise Medicare. We know for a fact that Medicare and Medicaid are riddled with rampant corruption, fraud, waste, and inefficiency, yet arrogant bureaucrats and self serving politicians charge ahead with more crap that will only enlarge the fraud, waste, corruption, and inefficiencies of Central Planning, while ignoring the beauties of the free market which could be utilized to fix the mess that we are in. If anyone thinks I am irritated with Democrats, they are correct. I have spent my entire life working and being responsible enough to provide for first class medical care for myself and my family, only to see the losers try to foist their wrong-headed solutions onto everyone, and make us pay for it.
