John Stossel Hits a Home Run

John Stossel hits a home run with his latest article on national health insurance.

I have long said that the problem with health care and health insurance in America is not there is too much capitalism involved, it is that there isn't.

(If you don't believe me, ask my dad.  I hawk this belief every chance I get.   My dad even has the "Oh shit" eye roll down pat now.)

There is no incentive in our current system for the consumer to control costs.  Our employer-- through the choice in health plans -- dictates our doctor, our coverage, the medicines that are covered, and the facilities we can use. 

The costs for procedures are dictated by Medicaid & Medicare.  The amount a doctor charges -- regardless of actual costs -- is dictated by the reimbursement generals who sit in small cubes in Woodlawn. (Note:  the reimbursement rates for even private insurance companies follow the CMS schedule).

In other words, we spend more time haggling over the price of a car than we do haggling over the cost of our health care.

And we have a system that is out of whack. It's great to talk about preventative care-- but we have had a focus on preventative care for two decades now, and we are finding that the costliest health care conditions are not ones easily prevented.  Most cancers, Alzheimers, and joint degeneration are still largely unpreventable.  It will take at least a generation for a preventative care focus to have any impact on health care costs.

Read Stossel's article.  He's dead on.