Universal Health Care

Flatline ObamaCare

Sat, 07/18/2009 - 8:50am | posted by Brett Bittner

Interestingly, government intervention in the 1960s introduced a third party (insurance co/HMO/PPO, etc) into the one-on-one relationship between doctor and patient. Prior to that, people paid premiums for medical insurance policies designed to cover catastrophic medical events like cancer, serious accidents and the like, NOT for physicals, check ups or routine visits. Instead, the DOCTOR and the PATIENT negotiated a rate for services based on the patient’s ability to pay on an individual case by case basis. The introduction of a third party shorts the doctor AND raises the costs for the the patient, as the third party must also be paid. Yes, health costs have soared, but further government intervention - especially a government takeover of a free market healthcare system - is NOT the answer.

Dan Carlin on Afghanistan, Iraq and Obama

Thu, 03/05/2009 - 1:23pm | posted by Michael Orion Powell

Barack Obama has been president for a little over a month and innocent people are still getting killed by coalition efforts in Afghanistan. Is it possible that Obama could become as unpopular in the Muslim world as George W. Bush?

Yes, it’s possible. I expect though that the different tone of the Obama Administration will keep him above the Bush unpopularity low though even if the Obama policies are just as upsetting. Obama will at least give lip-service to things that concern the Muslim people of the region and that will be more than Bush did.

That doesn’t mean he won’t be very unpopular though…it just means he will be seen as “better than Bush” by the locals. And who knows? He might do quite a bit better. We’ll see.

Nick Gillespie’s Health Care Plan

Sat, 10/11/2008 - 4:33pm | posted by Michael Orion Powell

There’s an important aspect to this story that political pundits, politicians and even journalists rarely mention. People already fail to sign up for health insurance and for existing social services. I’ve heard people complain that they don’t have enough income and can’t afford to buy food, and I’ve told them that if it’s that bad, go get welfare. Of course, it wasn’t that bad.

There’s more incentive for a guy like me to go get health insurance, since I have epilepsy. Someone in their twenties with no health problems feels no need.