Libertarians and Conservatives: What do you propose we do to solve the health care crisis in America?

Question

I have heard some economic Conservatives say that socialized health care will eliminate competition and therefor drive prices up. What, specifically, is the alternative to socialized health care?

Answer 1

Here is a "Four-Step Health-Care Solution" by Hans-Hermann Hoppe who is an economist.

Answer 2

60% of Americans have no health coverage.

Those who gripe the loudest about there not being a problem are of the 40% who have health care.

Those 60% without, are not denied care if they go to the EMERGENCY ROOM, which many do because without coverage many doctors offices are closed to them.

Average doctors office visit = $175 (co-pay makes it $?) Average Emergency Room visit = $600

And you don't see a problem with health care?

An Alternative to socializing?

I say remove ALL government and political figures free health care that we, the tax payer pay for, and see how quickly we get healthcare reform. Let a politician pay for Prostrate Cancer treatment out of pocket and see if things don't change real quick...
Otherwise, remove insurance from the equation. Regulate the heck out of the healthcare industry. I'm sorry, I can get Tylenol3 for 50 cents a pill at the pharmacy - why can hospitals charge $5 for the same pill?
THEN base payment for medical services and supplies on income. A family that makes $30,000 a year would pay less then a family that makes $70,000. Because people would be paying out of pocket, there would be a lot less abuse and more responsibility involved on the peoples side.

The United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden all have "socialized" medicine that WORKS. Is America so backwater that we can't replicate what they have done and use our touted "best healthcare in the world", to actually help all americans, regardless of income bracket?

Answer 3

This idea maybe a little far-fetched, but something of the nature of health savings accounts applied to groups instead of individuals. Allow people to form health insurance co-operatives and allow others to loan money to these groups for health expenditures (interest free loans).

If this sounds like socialized medicine, it's not. Families can set up a co-op and pool money for the needs of family members. This could be applied to any group of people for any reason. The basic idea is a form of insurance without the insurance companies getting involved allowing a co-op to shop for the best prices for drugs and health providers. Any member of the co-op who has overwhelming medical bills would borrow against the tax-free savings and would pay a greater proportional share of money back into the pool.

You will always have certain individuals who have greater than normal health care needs, and this form of health care needs the donors who can lend money for no interest. There is a group of organizations who loan money on a interest free basis (Jewish free loan associations).

Like the current set up for HSA's, you need to have a high deductible insurance policy in addition to an HSA to handle catastrophic expenses. Again, under a co-op agreement, the high deductible insurance would cover all the members of a co-op.

If this idea sounds interesting, talk to your senator and/or representitive in Congress.

Answer 4

None. Socialized Health Care does not work. Not only will it drive prices up. The doctors will flee somewhere else. They didn't work their butts off to make crap money. Also, now in Ca. Doctors are so fed up with the time and money they are losing. To pay employees to submit the insurance paper work. It also takes a long time before they see any type of payment. They should just get County based clinics and set up a payment plan that would be easier for their clients needs. And not charge them full price for medicine. That has been going on in Ca. for a long time and is pretty reasonable.

Answer 5

Listen to Sparhawk. We already have universal health care, even though the liberal Presidential candidates don't want you to figure that out. There's also this thing called Medicaid.

If we adopt socialized medicine, people will go to the doctor every time they sneeze, just because they can. That will gum up the works, and the health care system will operate with all the speed and efficiency as the DMV and airport security.

Answer 6

1. Free up resources by denying health care to anyone here Illegaly...NO BENNIES FOR CRIMINALS !

2. Give the veterans what was PROMISED, free VA health care ...we EARNED it.

3. Less veterans and illegals in the private system, you get more competition between doctors, more time for care per appointment, and a whole lot less paperwork in the private sector !

Answer 7

I guess people will have to pay for Health Care instead of a Big Screen TV, or chrome wheels on their car, or playing the lottery. Its called Priorities.

Answer 8

"Economic conservatives" who are saying that are basing it on ivory-tower theory, not reality or extant example. In countries that have a free market AND a socialized "National insurance"-funded healthcare sytem, the opposite is true.

Nationalized healthcare does not preclude a parallel private system, in fact in ENCOURAGES it...Non-urgent medical procedures always go to the back of the queue in favour of more needy patients, but if you WANT to pay to have your gallstones removed sooner, plenty of doctors will vie for your business, that's why Canadians, Brits, Australians, etc. pay LESS for private medicine than we do in the US!

Answer 9

What crisis? When was the last time that anyone went to the hospital and was denied treatment? Never! It is unlawful for a hospital to refuse treatment to a patient. If you can't afford it then you plea indigent patient status and get treatment anyway. If you want to take a lot of stress off the system then start denying treatment to illegals that flood the hospitals and never pay into the system at all.

Answer 10

remove HMO's...there is no competition because of them.

Reform is needed and insurance companies are the problem.