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Originally Posted by Willravel
Isn't that heavily regulating the health care industry, though?
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Yes. Health care is currently heavily regulated and will be.
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In other words, isn't this a violation of your basic political principles?
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Yes and no. I am a free market capitalist, but I do believe there are certain legitimate roles for government and regulation. I think national defense is one and regulating health care is another.
Personally I think it is immoral that children are born in this country without health care available to them. Health care for children should not be a function of who the parents are. Children have no control over the circumstances of their birth. Every child born in this country should have equal access to the best medical care this nation has to offer, no questions asked. And I would love to see that apply internationally.
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I do agree with some of those things, but it seems that if you're willing to set ideology aside for the sake of pragmatism, you should get the most pragmatic system available.
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The basic ideology driving my "pragmatic" approach is that people able to pay for health insurance should pay their fair share. Secondly, people should be actively involved in their health care, not delegating this personal decision to a third party like an employer. I think with national competition and a regulated classification system, standard premiums would be fair, companies could compete on tings like deductables/copays/service/wellness programs/etc.