Healthcare

The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. -- F.A. Hayek, The Fatal Conceit An AP story by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar explains a glitch in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get … [Read more...] about Yet Another Reason Obamacare Is a Bad Idea

I guess it's change of a sort. Obama's healtcare reform started as a beautiful vision of low-cost healthcare for everyone. I thought that was highly unrealistic, but at least it was clear and straightforward. I guess the Democrats thought it was unrealistic too, because the Democrats soon made a series of compromises and turned it into a plan that purporte to give us … [Read more...] about A Bright New Idea From the Change-Master

Putting a public option in the comprehensive healthcare reform bill is a stupid idea. Note that I'm not saying that the public option is a stupid idea, nor am I saying that comprehensive reform is a stupid idea. Either or both of those things could be stupid, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying it's stupid to have a comprehensive reform bill and a public option. … [Read more...] about The Public Option to Healthcare Reform is Stupid

I really don't understand healthcare reform. People keep saying that one of the biggest problems with our current system is that about 45 million people don't have health insurance. There are reasons why that number doesn't tell the whole story, but I can understand why people are concerned. What I don't understand is how any of the reform plans would fix the problem. I've been … [Read more...] about Of Health Insurance and Hunger

In response to my earlier post of a couple of thoughts on healthcare, a reader called "bunkerbuster" throws a few interesting questions my way: What's your view on demand for health care? The market model would have it increase to infinity if it becomes zero cost to the consumer. Generally, that is the rule, but I think "bunkerbuster" is right to be skeptical for three … [Read more...] about Is Free Preventive Care The Answer?