Ever the cheerleader for the nanny-state, Smugman is at it again:
Choice and the Insurance Mandate
Krugman's counter argument - that government should mandate these decisions because not everyone will "do it right" - might make sense if we had a hyper-rational government. In the world we actually live in, however, it's a very bad argument.
Choice and the Insurance Mandate
...
A key part of the Senate tax bill is repeal of the individual health insurance mandate. The budget scoring relies on this repeal reducing Federal deficits by $318 billion — and the bulk of these spending cuts would hit lower-income families. Republicans argue, however, that these families won’t really be hurt, because they’ll be making a voluntary choice not to be covered and collect government subsidies.
This argument might make sense in a world of hyper-rational individuals. In the world we actually live in, however, it’s a very bad argument. In fact, the very budget savings Republicans are counting on depend on people making bad choices.
...
Krugman's counter argument - that government should mandate these decisions because not everyone will "do it right" - might make sense if we had a hyper-rational government. In the world we actually live in, however, it's a very bad argument.
Last edited: