|
The argument seems to stem around cost, and whether we should bear it as a private expense or in the form of taxes. If it's simply a matter of cost socialized health care is cheaper per capita than private health care for 2 very good reasons.
1) No profit motive. By eliminating the profit margin you're looking at a direct reduction in cost. The profit motive is a good one for an actual business but insurance companies produce no goods and have little to do with innovation.
2) A national plan could exert monopoly influence, negotiating lower prices for services and drugs. The scale of a national health care plan could exert pressure on the health industry like no HMO ever could.
My idea is a federal program, separate from the general fund. It would receive a large amount of money for startup and give it a math model designed to generate a profit margin only as large as the inflation rate. Pay the management competitive wages and let it stand on its own feet after that. Let private companies try to compete with another with effectively a zero margin of profit. You'd still have to pay in (or your employer would) but the payment would be much lower.
|