Quote of the Day
Aarrgggggg!!! This…illuminates the unbelievably complicated state-federal-private web of interests and political maneuvering. Anyone who wants to do anything in health care has got to deal with the politics. They’re real and they’re a major — even the most important — factor in explaining why things are the way they are and in what ways they could possibly change, by how much, and how fast.
Have a great way to improve the health system or its financing? Until you satisfy all or most of PhRMA, physicians/AMA, Medicare beneficiaries, AHA, the states, AHIP, etc., it’s not happening even if it is the most rational thing on the planet. Politics matter. A lot.
This is from Austin Frakt, who supported ObamaCare and who generally is unsympathetic with free-market solutions to health policy problems.
What is needed is not a health care Czar, but a health care Napoleon!
Be careful what you wish for.
That’s what happens when government constituencies are involved in health care or any other field in our economy. Politicians and bureaucrats care less about the money being wasted than they do about getting votes or avoiding making powerful enemies. By contrast, AETNA and BlueCross care less about which stakeholders they offend (by withholding money) than they do about pleasing customers and shareholders. This explains why Medicare is slow to go after fraud; and why durable medical equipment is not subject to competitive bidding.
Great quote. Could have come from someone at the NCPA.
How could someone who could pen that quote possibly want more government involvement in healh care?
The quote is stating the obvious: government cannot run a health care system. But if you know this, why would you favor turning over more control to the government?
“The quote is stating the obvious: government cannot run a health care system”
Works in the rest of the world.
“This explains why Medicare is slow to go after fraud”
Does this also explain why almost all of my billing costs come from the private insurance side?
Steve
Steve, if you think government-run health care “works” in other countries, you don’t know very much about the other countries.