Congrats America, The Free Market Works – RedState
Congrats America, The Free Market Works
By lukematthews | Jan 23, 2011 10:05 PM ET
“According to a new analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services, 50 to 129 million (19 to 50 percent of) non-elderly Americans have some type of pre-existing health condition. Up to one in five non-elderly Americans with a pre-existing condition – 25 million individuals – is uninsured” Healthcare.gov report – At Risk: Pre-existing conditions could affect 1 in 2 Americans.
Our system is working!!! If these facts are correct, and there is no reason to believe the government would lie, then almost all Americans who have pre-existing conditions have coverage. This is amazing. This is stupendous. This proves the free market system works.
We are told incessantly how government must meddle endlessly in our health care system or else we will all die a slow and painful death, tomorrow if not sooner. But, if Kathleen Sebelius’ cooked books number are correct, we are actually in great shape. It seems our system of accepting already sick people into a system with healthy people is containing health costs significantly. Otherwise, we’d have employers throwing out sick workers and only employing healthy people.
But we don’t. We are seeing these numbers of Americans, who are covered through groups, transcend any of the government models. According to the collectivist Left, people who have pre-existing conditions should be sleeping in cardboard boxes on the streets and begging basic medical care under bridges. Our system is so fundamentally flawed, is the argument, that if we don’t dramatically change it, we will all die in a pillar of fire.
Yet we are not. We are covered.
The financing model for health care coverage is based on a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy people that balances itself. When people are hired for a job, their health care costs are mixed with other people creating a pool. This pool allows an employer to hire whoever without worrying about their previous health concerns because it is been discovered that indiscriminate hiring usually balances those with problems and those without into an economic mix that is affordable.
That’s why if half of us are sick with scurvy or impetigo, the other half are healthy enough to subsidize the whole group. In fact, if we do have rickets, we may get better and the other half or so without cholera, can get it and our own healthy period of time will cover their costs.
The system works, without any meddling by the Dear Leader or The Party.
Of course, that isn’t supposed to be the message. The message is this; without Kathleen Sebelius sticking her nose into our proctology exams, we might all die in a hail of fire and brimstone. But, it just isn’t true.
Insurance companies love having a larger group to spread risk, which is all insurance really is. They aren’t trying to limit their customers to only the healthy. They want more customers and collect more money and spread more risk. That’s how they make a profit and cover the losses.
But you wouldn’t know it from the headlines.
So, congrats America. Take credit for the fact the collectivists have once again shot themselves in the proverbial foot. Or, stepped on a tack. Whichever is the most politicall correct today.
Tags: OBAMACARE UNINSURED