There are two major issues with health insurance in America. One is that it is too expensive, and the other is that it doesn't cover enough treatments.
Point one is universally understood and the clear winner in national priorities. Point two is secondary, and while still important, parts of it are up for debate. Unfortunately, the president's actions as a whole have addressed point two while making point one worse.
There are plenty of articles out there about Obamacare "sticker shock" for those who have just seen their premiums go up dramatically. Some see them go down, but more people end up paying more. Instead of linking to one of those pieces, I will prove the same point in a stronger way by linking to a pro-Obamacare website's defense:
ObamaCare Insurance premiums are a sore subject with many readers; however, ObamaCare insurance premium increases are a response to the protections contained within the law, such as the mandate for insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions.
We need health reform to make it affordable. Unfortunately, the health reform we have has made it more expensive. The real problem is worse.
You left out number 3, scarcity, which actually contributes to the first two things.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare could have been made less expensive by doing something to make it an easier industry to get into. That is actually one of the few high points of the NHS in the UK. They created several new types of specialists to treat routine things and write prescriptions for certain, limited, medications. Not at all unlike a nurse practitioner here. That had the effect of making the training cheaper, shorter, and easier on the front end, which in turn increased availability and reduced cost on the back end.
By contrast, Obamacare presumes that coverage is a synonym for care, while also doing things that will increase demand and cut supply.
Remind me again what increasing demand and decreasing supply does?