{"id":135271,"date":"2017-11-03T00:26:04","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T06:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=135271"},"modified":"2017-11-04T15:08:02","modified_gmt":"2017-11-04T21:08:02","slug":"health-care-free-market-collide-unfortunate-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/11\/03\/health-care-free-market-collide-unfortunate-results.html","title":{"rendered":"How Health Care and the Free Market collide, with unfortunate results"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health Care has faded a bit from the immediate set of Things the GOP Are Doing That Are Going To Hurt A Lot of People (in favor of some other things), but it’s worth bookmarking this particular thought.<\/p>\n

The conservative health care counter-reformer insists that the Free Market is the only way to go. “Only when insurance carriers and medical providers are utterly unfettered, unregulated, unmonitored, free to price themselves however they see fit will Americans get the health care they truly need.”<\/p>\n

I will assume, for sake of argument, that this is a legitimately believed thing, not a rhetorical device to justify greed and rapine.<\/p>\n

The problem is that this argument is demonstrably false. It might be true for, say, hammers. Or pea gravel. Or tea candles. People can buy these things, if they need them, if the price is what they want to pay for them, is the reputation of the seller is suitable, if the distribution model is free to adjust to demand and supply — that all works for basic, simple, commodities.<\/p>\n

But it utterly fails for medical care. Because a lot of people who need medical care need it right freaking now or else they may die.<\/i><\/p>\n

When you are sick, injured, suffering an acute condition or even realizing that you have a chronic condition that needs treatment, your demand is high. You may not have the time to review the best providers, the optimal cost and payment arrangements, the longer-term consequences of particular choices, or the figuring out how to make the short-term arrangements to get the treatment that is needed.<\/p>\n

Whether it’s a heart attack or the flu, the demand is inflexible, and the ability to rationally decide upon options is limited.<\/p>\n

A system designed for intelligent and empowered consumers who can “take it or leave it” around the transaction will fail miserably applied to health care. Because when you are sick you need and want treatment <\/i>right now.<\/i><\/b> It’s not like a car purchase, where you can say, “Hmmm, that seems pricey; if they can’t drop their price, I guess I’ll walk away and keep driving my old clunker.” Sick people don’t have that option.<\/p>\n

Remember that when someone next suggests deregulating the medical care and insurance industry. Health care and the free market mix very, very poorly.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Health Care has faded a bit from the immediate set of Things the GOP Are Doing That Are Going To Hurt A Lot of People (in favor of some other things), but it’s worth bookmarking this particular thought. The conservative health care counter-reformer insists that the Free Market is the only way to go. “Only … Continue reading “How Health Care and the Free Market collide, with unfortunate results”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,35,134],"tags":[1309,1308],"class_list":["post-135271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plusposts","category-big-business","category-health-care","tag-freemarkets","tag-healthcarereform"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dip_shopper_201711035B15D.pngimgmax=660.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27245,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/25\/emergency-rooms-and-health-care.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":0},"title":"Emergency Rooms and health care","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 25-Mar-12 10:53am","format":false,"excerpt":"There's been this argument running around re health care that, hey, everyone can get health care, because the law requires them to take care of you.First off, doesn't that sound like a \"socialized medicine\" solution, too?Secondly, that may address emergency care, but does nothing for preventative treatment or regular care\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15440,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/07\/28\/the-government-and-first-class-health-care.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":1},"title":"The Government and “First-Class Health Care”","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 28-Jul-09 11:33am","format":false,"excerpt":"Courtesy of Jon Stewart, getting conservative pundit Bill Kristol to first admit the government can provide first-class care, as it does to our military ... but that the rest of the public doesn't deserve it. \u00a0 A few highlights, as cited by ThinkProgress: Why is government-run health care \u201cgood enough\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics & Law"","block_context":{"text":"Politics & Law","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15584,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/08\/14\/universal-health-care-terrorism.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":2},"title":"Universal Health Care = Terrorism?","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 14-Aug-09 11:19am","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow -- the crazy and the xenophobia just keep on rolling. \u00a0 As far as I can see, the argument (via James Cavuto and Jerry Bowyer) is: Universal Health Care\u00a0-> Britain's NHS\u00a0-> budget cuts -> low-paid doctors -> doctor shortage -> recruiting of foreign doctors\u00a0+ anonymous post-office-like bureaucracy where nobody's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fourth Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Fourth Estate","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/fourth-estate"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16268,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/11\/24\/the-ten-conservative-commandments.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":3},"title":"The Ten Conservative Commandments","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 24-Nov-09 5:08pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Though, apparently, you're still okay of you violate two of them (I'd very much like to see that, though -- if you toed all the other lines but were pro-choice, or pro-marriage equality, would you really still get conservative support?) The proposed resolution was signed by 10 Republican national committee\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marriage Equality"","block_context":{"text":"Marriage Equality","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/marriage-equality"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25839,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/01\/31\/bryan-fischer-is-a-dolt-decrease-the-surplus-population-edition.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":4},"title":"Bryan Fischer is a Dolt (Decrease the Surplus Population Edition)","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 31-Jan-12 7:20am","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the more laughable oddities of the GOP's response to health care reform and lack of insurance coverage by many in the US, was the idea that, no, everyone in the US can get medical care if critically necessary by going to the emergency room, since US law requires\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32325,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/26\/how-do-we-reduce-health-care-spending.html","url_meta":{"origin":135271,"position":5},"title":"How do we reduce health care spending?","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 26-Jan-13 12:40pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, looking at how Canada spends less per person -- not person in the national health care system, but person in the country -- than we do. \u00a0And the reason is not because they have more \"free market reforms\" than we do. The Canadian system isn't perfect, but from talking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135291,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135271\/revisions\/135291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}