Comments on: No Market Possible for Health Care?

By: Methinks

Methinks — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:12:00 +0000

A free market in health care exists in many more countries than you can name. Successfully. At least a much more free market. YASAFIs like you just don’t understand the difference between “success” and “Utopia”. Which, of course, means that I just wasted 60 precious seconds responding to you.

By: John Dewey

John Dewey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:14:00 +0000

netsp: “It may be useful to think about decisions made by consumers, but in any foreseeable future, consumers’ decisions are boiled down to a choice of insurers. … all we have is these decisions made through the filter of insurance by consumers in their unsophisticated sense.
“

Not sure I understand. An individual contracts with an insurance company to cover specific illnesses and treatments, subject to certain provisions in the contract. The individual is not obligated to consume the medical treatment which is covered by his insurance contract. Neither is he obligated to consume medical treatment which falls outside of the provisions of that contract. In both cases, the individual, usually advised by a medical practitioner, makes a decision about whether to consume medical treatment.

The consumer also makes decisions about who will provide the medical treatment once he decides to consume the treatment. Most health insurance policies provide for a very large range of options. If the consumer cannot find an acceptable health care provider within that large range of options, he is still free to use health care providers which are not one of the options allowed by his insurance contract.

You seem to be arguing that consumers of medical care are not making decisions. I see evidence of them making such decisions every day.

By: Isaiah58 vinbeazel

Isaiah58 vinbeazel — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:01:00 +0000

We are discussing on our internet radio shows an entirely new/old approach to health related services…we are simply calling it pre-paid md; based on the model used for centuries in China…paying the doctor to keep you healthy; meaning that you only pay as long as you are well. Since there is a greater need for health-care in developing countries, we will launch our program in Africa First, and show that even the poorest villages can afford to support doctors who are trained in holistic wellness, which requires no invasive treatments, pills or potions. We are getting some good feedback from the people who have heard about PPMD and want to help promote it, from all over North America and parts of India and Africa. We welcome your feedback on our discussions at http://BlogTalkRadio.com/G2GlobalSuccess

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:16:00 +0000

“Again even Hayek made a case for publicly funded health care.”Really? Care to give us the exact quote where Hayek makes a specific case for publicly funded…..anything?Don’t trot out your usual quote where Hayek said a case can be made for government “supporting” the general welfare. That is so obvious to people who can read that they know instantly your making a liar’s case out of that one.Give us a specific quote from Hayek showing he supported public funded health care. Not some oblique esoteric reference, but specific support for public funded health care.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:40:00 +0000

Yeah because shopping for a Big Mac or A Whopper is just like shopping for chemotherapy or an appendectomy.

If free markets for health care were so successful they WOULD exist successfully at least in one country out of over 150.

Again even Hayek made a case for publicly funded health care.