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The Spectacle Blog
Obama-style health care reform would be bad enough if it was pure. But it is impossible to simultaneously expand coverage and cut costs without changing incentives facing patients. Health savings accounts and consumer-directed health care attempt to so. But a government takeover of the medical system would substitute bureaucratic diktat for individual choice. That means costs would be cut by limiting access to medical care. Yet most Americans assume that health care "reform" is supposed to increase their treatment options. Surprise!
Unfortunately, Obama-style health care reform is not pure. My Cato Institute colleague Michael Cannon points out how the process has become as corrupt as any other in Washington. Wal-Mart isn't the only company which is attempting to use government to its own advantage. He writes:
In May, President Barack Obama announced that industry lobbyists had agreed to reduce the growth of health care spending by 1.5 percentage points each year, which would yield just enough savings to cover the uninsured. The lobbyists quickly denied that was the agreement, prompting an administration official to backtrack ("the president misspoke"), before un-backtracking ("I don't think the president misspoke").
Since then, the administration has announced similar deals with industry groups who have supposedly put self-interest aside to make a contribution to health care reform.
If only that were true. Far from being "game-changers," those agreements are the same old Washington game of bribes, backroom deals, profiteering and protectionism -- and a harbinger of what health care will look like if the president's reforms succeed.
The next time you hear the president calling for health care reform, ask reform for whom? The public? Or the interest groups which typically dominate the legislative process?
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More Blog Posts by Doug Bandow
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/07/25/the-corrupt-process-of-health
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Missy| 7.25.09 @ 12:27PM
I thought it was health care 'insurance' reform now. Slippery democrats.
Pingback| 7.25.09 @ 7:26PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : The Corrupt Process of … links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 7.25.09 @ 9:01PM
AdsBidWorld » Blog Archive » The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : The Corrupt Proces links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 7.25.09 @ 9:04PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : The Corrupt Process of … | health links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 7.26.09 @ 12:04AM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : The Corrupt Process of … :: General Resources links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
ray| 7.26.09 @ 12:15AM
Yes, I stand with Barack Obama in his reforms for the health care system. There are many reasons why his reforms must be be quickly implemented, firstly more than 47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing. Secondly our Working families are experiencing double-digit increases in the costs of their health insurance, more out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits and skyrocketing prices for prescriptions, forcing many to delay getting needed medical care or worse...last but not least the failure of the previous health care systems will demand for new reforms such as this, playing politics at the time when millions of citizens life is at stake will certainly hamper the well-being of the country.
Interesting report below:
Link: http://en.oboulo.com/the-failure-of-america-s-health-care-system-65187.html
Fingers crossed!
ray| 7.26.09 @ 12:17AM
Yes, I stand with Barack Obama in his reforms for the health care system. There are many reasons why his reforms must be be quickly implemented, firstly more than 47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing. Secondly our Working families are experiencing double-digit increases in the costs of their health insurance, more out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits and skyrocketing prices for prescriptions, forcing many to delay getting needed medical care or worse...last but not least the failure of the previous health care systems will demand for new reforms such as this, playing politics at the time when millions of citizens life is at stake will certainly hamper the well-being of the country.
Interesting report below:
Link
Fingers crossed!
http://en.oboulo.com/the-failure-of-america-s-health-care-system-65187.html
Pingback| 7.26.09 @ 1:58AM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : The Corrupt Process of … @ WETONG Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
runescape gold| 7.27.09 @ 5:33AM
There is no way under God's green earth that they can pass a good bill before Friday. Who are Consumers Report kidding. Right now all 3 bills that could make it to the floor are the cream of the crap.
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