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 In the article "Should Government Health Care Favor the Poor?" about subsidizing health insurance costs for the poor, the author writes that "in real terms — that is, the effect on personal welfare — such equal subsidies would, in fact, be of greater benefit to the poor. This is because, if they did not receive such a subsidy, it would be more likely that they would go without health insurance. If, on the other hand, the affluent do not receive it, it does not mean they will not go without health insurance, but will go without some less critical good or service, such as a new car." The article also advances another idea: "[m]edical care should be guaranteed to all, but not for free." In other words, if any subsidy is only for the poor or for high-risk patients, these subsidies could be considered a long-term, interest-free loan from the American Health Care System that would be "subsidiary" (secondary) to other debts, so that people who are at the moment poor but later work their way up the economic ladder would be required to repay their debt to the medical system. But this would create a "perverse incentive" for the poor to remain poor so they don't ever have to repay their debts. If people act like they are disabled or chronically sick in order to gain sympathy or get some benefits, sooner or later they will become the role they are playing. The underlying question is: Should adults be responsible for themselves, or should the nanny-state treat them as perpetual children, forever dependent upon the government? This article sketches out a few ways to help people break out of dependency and become grown-up, responsible citizens. Perhaps a better approach might be to offer bare-bones, basic health insurance with fairly high deductibles to all citizens, and add risk pools for high-risk patients and better plans for higher monthly premiums. Keep in mind, "There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Someone always has to pay for all the "free stuff" the government hands out. Eventually everyone - including the government - must balance their checkbooks. Read the full article to get the whole story! And subscribe below to get our free weekly newsletter: |