Nice note, Allen. Some comments.
1. On the "socialism" comment. It's important to remember two things often get bundled together, certainly right wing types like to do so. Singe payer systems are not, in and of themselves, socialistic, if doctors/health workers are not employed by the state. This would be particularly true in the US, in which one can expect, whatever happens, that those who can afford private insurance, could always buy it.
Socialism as such is present only when healthcare workers are employed by the state.
As for your arguments about the cost of medicine, Singer noted that US drugs sometimes/frequently cost less in Britain than here because drug companies know they have to come in under certain price points for the government to pay some of the costs, makes sense.
The effect of that on innovation is hard to say. Again, in my view, this is not a binary situation, one in which you argue that full blown free market insurance gives you innovation and state controlled prices gives you no innovation.
Much harder to tell the effects. But in our media bite public policy debate culture right now, it's terribly hard to have that. |
