I may have said Obama's need for control, but if I did, I meant liberals. There were, are, ways to achieve near universal care while still allowing more individual control of what insurance to by, where to buy it, and even whether to buy it. The real goal was single provider, but the liberals didn't have the votes. And, even at that, there's a good argument that Obamacare is designed to eventually usher in single provider.
Basically, the only way to truly affect HC inflation is to affect consumption of HC. Both conservatives and liberals can agree on that. And, they can also agree that this can be done by a central planning agency rationing, or by people choosing to consume less. The fact is the conservatives just ceded the playing field to Obama and refused to even negotiate.
Health care is something that requires heavy regulations. That's unavoidable.
Why? Were HC insurance policies not already adequately monitored and regulated by state insurance commissioners? My coverage is a bit better because of Obamacare in that my wellness coverage is now a little more comprehensive, although my Internist who used to take half a day giving me tests on various organs decided to retire rather than provide lesser attention per patient. But, do you have any evidence that state commissioners weren't
I may have said Obama's need for control, but if I did, I meant liberals. There were, are, ways to achieve near universal care while still allowing more individual control of what insurance to by, where to buy it, and even whether to buy it. The real goal was single provider, but the liberals didn't have the votes. And, even at that, there's a good argument that Obamacare is designed to eventually usher in single provider.
Basically, the only way to truly affect HC inflation is to affect consumption of HC. Both conservatives and liberals can agree on that. And, they can also agree that this can be done by a central planning agency rationing, or by people choosing to consume less. The fact is the conservatives just ceded the playing field to Obama and refused to even negotiate.
Health care is something that requires heavy regulations. That's unavoidable.
Why? Were HC insurance policies not already adequately monitored and regulated by state insurance commissioners? My coverage is a bit better because of Obamacare in that my wellness coverage is now a little more comprehensive, although my Internist who used to take half a day giving me tests on various organs decided to retire rather than provide lesser attention per patient. But, do you have any evidence that state commissioners weren't adequately monitoring the policies in their state?
There were too many people not covered. But there are other ways to allow them to access coverage. The OP is just one of them. You don't need a hard mandate to achieve near universal coverage. Medicare doesn't have a hard mandate. But, you can set up a system where if someone has chosen to NOT obtain coverage, and then tries to buy in only when sick, it becomes very, very expensive.
There's a basic difference in philosophies. I believe people will act in their own self-interest, without the govt telling them what to do. But, govt's reason to exist, and justification for taking money, rests upon setting up markets where everyone can get in, and where everyone knows what the ground rules are. Individuals may still die of stuff most don't die of. Some people may choose cheaper policies to try and pocket a little more money, and some of them may miscalculate. Death and taxes are the only givens in life. (unless you're an oligarch, but that's a whole 'nother topic)
