Government Is Not Society
If I was going to sum up my political philosophy as succinctly as possible, I think this is how I’d do it.
Perhaps the difference that most fundamentally separates true liberals and libertarians from others is that, to one degree or another, true liberals and libertarians are, unlike non-liberals and non-libertarians, dutiful sons and …
Health care is not a human right
This morning I saw a new Facebook poll: ”Is Health Care a Human Right?”. I voted no.
Do you have a right to health care? Yes. And no. My answer ultimately depends on what you mean by a ”right” to health care.
Rights come in two varieties: negative and positive. A negative right can be thought of …
John Stossel on health care markets
I should know by now that whenever I try to explain something John Stossel has already explained it better. First, he delivers a great quote about why competition keeps prices low.
In a free market, a business that is complacent about costs learns that its prices are too high when it sees lower-cost competitors …
The problem with health insurance "exchanges"
In today’s New York Times, David Leonhardt talks about the problem of health care choice. Specifically, the fact that most people don’t have any choice. He starts out making a lot of sense.
Health insurers often act like monopolies — like a cable company or the Department of Motor Vehicles — because they resemble …
Health care without bureaucrats
Any bureaucracy — public or private — is going to make pointless decisions and complicate your life. This applies to health ”insurance” as much as it applies to anything else. It’s easy to find stories of people who were heartlessly treated by their health bureaucracy. In Britain, the bureaucracy is the government run NHS. In …
The Problem with American Healthcare
Why does healthcare in America seem so broken? There’s actually a very simply reason: the people receiving the care are not the people paying for the care. As always, he who pays the piper calls the tune. Russ Roberts breaks it down:
So why doesn’t a hospital work better? The answer I think, is …
Is Dollar Doom for Real?
Lately, the dollar has been sinking lower and lower. Indeed, Nixon was President the last time the dollar was this low. A lot of people are really upset about that. I’m having trouble understanding why. Take this commenter for instance:
The dollar, as predicted is being crushed. We are now at Par with the …
An International Race to the Top
Megan McArdle (August 29, 2007) – America: exporting high wages abroad (Labor markets)
I’m always bemused by globalisation doomsday scenarios in which all of our jobs move to China (or India) in order to take advantage of low-wage workers. If we really do lose all of our high-productivity jobs, and no longer make anything …
Romney's Healthcare Plan
While in Massachusets, Mitt Rimney created the ”RomneyCare” mandated health plan. Now that he’s running for President, he’s getting ready to push for a free market solution.
Romney to Pitch a State-by-State Health Insurance Plan – New York Times
It relies on federal incentives for market reforms, tax deductions and other changes to encourage people …
Health Care Blogging
Will Wilkinson presents his Health Care Fantasia that includes the following prescriptions for cheaper health care: decartelization of doctors, abolishing the FDA, offering real insurance markets, creating a health care ideas futures market, creating electronic diagnostic services, allowing people to have big health care savings accounts, and forcing people to have a catastrophic insurance plan. …