Sen. Kay Hagan is on the fence about President Obama’s national health care reform plan. Note that the article spells out the logic behind the plan, which “would be to create competition that would force private insurance companies to lower costs and provide better service.”
Appearing in yesterday’s N&R, George Will slices and dices that argument:
Government is incapable of behaving like market-disciplined private insurers. Competition from the public option must be unfair because government does not need to make a profit and has enormous pricing and negotiating powers. Besides, unless the point of a government plan is to be cheaper, it is pointless: If the public option conforms to the imperatives that regulations and competition impose on private insurers, there is no reason for it.
And — for the life of me —- I don’t understand the logic behind bankrupting hospitals to pay for this plan.
