Comments on: Why health care reform has no teeth http://www.sleptlate.org/2009/07/31/why-health-care-reform-has-no-teeth/ One free adverb with every purchase! Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:46:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Zach Musgrave http://www.sleptlate.org/2009/07/31/why-health-care-reform-has-no-teeth/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Zach Musgrave Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:25:52 +0000 http://www.sleptlate.org/?p=83#comment-51 All that only applies if we actually get a public option out of this bill. As things stand, I'm not convinced we will. All that only applies if we actually get a public option out of this bill. As things stand, I’m not convinced we will.

]]> By: Bryan http://www.sleptlate.org/2009/07/31/why-health-care-reform-has-no-teeth/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Bryan Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:31:27 +0000 http://www.sleptlate.org/?p=83#comment-50 As you know, I basically agree with you on health care. But here's (perhaps) a little consolation about the way things are going. We're heading down very much the same path that Britain did -- 30 years before they adopted their current not-for-profit, government-run medical system. With the National Insurance Act of 1911, the UK implemented a public-insurance program, not unlike the one we're currently considering. That gave everyone health insurance for the first time. Private insurance started to become less important. And after a couple of decades, people basically wanted more out of the program -- almost everyone was using it, but it wasn't providing good enough care. So in 1948, the UK created their (current) National Health Service. With that, there was no more use for private insurance companies, and they finally disappeared. Think about how deeply ingrained private medical insurance is in the US. It's actually going to take some time to dismantle that time-bomb. But government-funded public insurance might just be the very, very beginning of that dismantling. As you know, I basically agree with you on health care. But here’s (perhaps) a little consolation about the way things are going. We’re heading down very much the same path that Britain did — 30 years before they adopted their current not-for-profit, government-run medical system.

With the National Insurance Act of 1911, the UK implemented a public-insurance program, not unlike the one we’re currently considering. That gave everyone health insurance for the first time. Private insurance started to become less important. And after a couple of decades, people basically wanted more out of the program — almost everyone was using it, but it wasn’t providing good enough care. So in 1948, the UK created their (current) National Health Service. With that, there was no more use for private insurance companies, and they finally disappeared.

Think about how deeply ingrained private medical insurance is in the US. It’s actually going to take some time to dismantle that time-bomb. But government-funded public insurance might just be the very, very beginning of that dismantling.

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