Doubling Down on a Flawed Insurance Model

En hjørnesten i den sundhedsreform, som præsident Barack Obama og demokraterne vil gennemføre, er et krav om, at alle borgere skal forsikre sig. Men som påpeget af professor John F. Cogan, rektor R. Glenn Hubbard og professor Daniel Kessler i WSJ (25/9), så stadfæster den nuværende model på det værste ved de arbejdsgiverbetalte forsikringer. Ordningen indebærer nemlig lovbefalet fuld dækning (svarende til den typiske arbejdsgiverbetalte sygeforsikring, som er ret rundhåndet p.g.a. skatteincitamenter), en lille selvrisiko og lav egenbetaling. Citat:

"Comprehensive, low-deductible, low-copayment insurance has brought us to where we are today. The administration's plan to expand and lock-in this flawed paradigm will ultimately defeat the goal of making health services more affordable for everyone. Fortunately, there are other options, many of which have appeared on these pages. These include policies that encourage more cost-conscious health-care choices, greater competition among health insurers, and reduce the practice of defensive medicine.

President Obama claims to support these ideas, but the plan he outlined is not consistent with these claims, and neither is the Senate Finance Committee bill. The American people should ask for a second opinion."

Der er "Status Quo We Can't Believe In", som Greg Mankiw ironisk skrev på sin blog.