Headlines I Wish I Hadn’t Seen
Health care spending rose at the fastest pace in 10 years last quarter.
If you make playgrounds safer, kids will have more accidents.
Avik Roy hosts a paean to ObamaCare by Gene Sperling.
ObamaCare has had 38 significant delays.
Fifty-seven million Americans live in states where Tesla cannot legally sell its cars.
Healthcare spending increased significantly and the health inflation decreased, meaning that people are spending more in healthcare than before. This can be due to the fact that during the recession only few Americans accessed medical services, explaining why there has been a dramatic increase in spending since. Also considering that many are enrolling in new plans due to the fear of future punishment drives this number upward. I really think that is unclear what will the lasting effects of Obamacare, but we have reached a breakpoint, the industry will change completely going forward. For now, we can only a have a gloomy outlook for the industry.
“Health care spending rose at the fastest pace in 10 years last quarter, a development that could foreshadow higher costs for consumers this year.”
Brace yourselves for costs to continue to go up and up. And it should just increase from here on due to ObamaCare.
“The improved economy could result in individuals having the resources to spend on health care services,”
Well there is one rosy way of looking at things. However, costs will continually go up as well with prices, until something reaches a breaking point.
Kids are kids, and they still don’t think about the consequences. It is the animal instinct to self-preservation. That is why when the playgrounds are “dangerous” children are careful. They are more afraid of landing on concrete than on rubber surface. For them concrete is dangerous and potentially harmful, rubber is not. That is why injuries will increase, because what these “safe” playgrounds are doing is minimizing the perception of risk and thus the self-preservation instinct. Things that appear harmless are potentially more dangerous than those things that have a dangerous appearance.
Which is why perhaps to increase safety on playgrounds, we should make them as hazardous as possible. Therefore, kids will be extra careful while playing.
“The advent of all these special surfaces for playgrounds has contributed very little, if anything at all, to the safety of children”
By giving the illusion of safety for children, it makes them more reckless. Interesting study, and shows that in the interest of children’s safety, playgrounds should be concrete grounds and metal jungle gyms.
I am not surprised about such raise. The idea behind the ObamaCare is social redistribution which indicates that governmental expenditure must be going up.
“Gene Sperling is the former director of President Obama’s National Economic Council, and previously served as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.”
Well now that makes sense. A former advisor for the President to boast about Obamacare’s promotion of “choice, competition and entrepreneurship.” And here I thought I fell into the Twilight Zone.
“In New York, the news is even more drastic–a 50% drop in the cost of insurance thanks to the state’s implementation of Obamacare.”
This is because New York had an already heavily regulated health insurance system. Whatever Obamacare was going to do, it was going to decrease New York’s premiums.
There are some things from the article about ACA that are true, but not entirely. It is true there is “competition” in the market, but that doesn’t mean that the market is competitive. In the health insurance industry there is an oligopoly in place, with five (being generous) companies having almost the entire market share. There is no free competition in a market in which five companies compete under certain limitations from the government. There is no competition in an industry where the prices of procedures are known only after the treatment was performed, and which changes according to the patient. There is no competition in an industry where government forces individuals to participate in the market, and establishes price floors and ceilings. Obamacare does give choices to the people, but not the kind of choices that people seek for in competitive markets. Obamacare is not as beautiful as described in the article, and it is not the solution that those who like free market seek.
“We have no plans to extend the open enrollment period. In fact, we don’t actually have the statutory authority to extend the open enrollment period in 2014.”
So that was either a lie or extending the date was an illegal action? Not a good look for Obamacare. Everything else had been delayed, I think it was obvious the enrollment deadline was next.
“…little that the President of the United States promised about his signature law has turned out to be true.”
Anything coming from the President now should be taken with a grain of salt. Everything he said about the Affordable Care Act, the exact opposite has happened. He has no more credibility.
The government is backing these big car manufacturing corporations; they are the insignia of American capitalism. Yet, these companies are doing everything in their power to fail. Look at GM for example, from almost bankruptcy to massive recalls. This company looks as if it was trying hard to fail, but thanks to government regulations, it hasn’t failed or allowed new competitors to take market share from them. Regulation is harming American consumers, and it is causing this country to lag behind.
Keeping Tesla out of the market harms consumers the most, as well as innovation looking forward. They have the highest rated cars by Consumer Reports. Companies are trying to keep them out from fear of competition.
“Nothing HHS claims can be trusted, and little that the President of the United States promised about his signature law has turned out to be true.”
This best summarizes what ACA has become. Lies and tricks from government in order to support their important law. How can this law be the solution to all our needs, if politicians are lying to constituents in order to support it? Our healthcare system is a failed system, and it is only a matter of time before it collapses.
As far as I know, Tesla is a new generational hybrid car which may lead the car industry in future. Perhaps some vested interests have it banned.