With Bush's State of the Union address referring to health costs, not surprisingly the Blogosphere is examining this issue today. One post echoes what has been my belief for a long time: mandatory private health insurance. Here's Ronald Bailey at Reason on this topic:
My advice to President Bush on how really to jumpstart consumer-driven health care: mandatory private health insurance. Poor Americans would be offered a voucher with which they would buy private health coverage. Such vouchers could be paid for by abolishing Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Programs. A similar system already works in Switzerland where, Harvard Business School professor Regina Herzlinger notes, "The Swiss enjoy excellent health status, ample capacity, and high quality resources at costs 30% lower than those of the United States." Mandatory private health insurance would avoid the problem of adverse selection, provide insurance for the currently uninsured and make consumer-driven health care work for every American.
In Minnesota, our laws demand that if you drive, you must have auto insurance. So - if you live (heh heh heh), in theory you rate to need health care at some point - thus you must have health insurance. Let consumers, however, judge what works for them.
Be sure to read the entire article, too. Other sensible thoughts about health care - and you might note how far we have drifted from rationality on this subject!
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