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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (9722)	9/22/2009 10:07:46 AM
From: Lane3	1 Recommendation Respond to of 42652

Regulation is not the primary reason medical insurance is expensive. The cost of getting sick is the prime reason health insurance is expensive. They are both causes. We can benefit from attention to each. Re-evaluating the costs and benefits from current regulation is relatively easy because a considerable amount of it will prove to be not cost effective.

To: Road Walker who wrote (9722)	9/22/2009 10:09:43 AM
From: i-node	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Regulation is not the primary reason medical insurance is expensive. No, it isn't. But regulation discourages competition, and less competition means higher cost to consumers. I'm not saying "no regulation", but you regulate where it is essential and otherwise leave it alone if you want competition to drive prices down. The cost of getting sick is the prime reason health insurance is expensive. I would argue it is the cost of getting well. People have been getting sick for years and they would simply die or get better on their own at minimal cost. Over the last 100 years -- and particularly over the last 50 -- it has been determined that if you are willing to spend enough money you can save or extend lives. And so, Americans -- and their employers -- have bought policies that will go the extra mile to keep people alive. Saving lives is expensive business.