Advocates of government-run healthcare held a
rally at Pritchard Park in Asheville, today. One point made in the article is that a government healthcare system will not force people to drop their existing coverage. We’ve debunked this myth repeatedly, but for those who continue not to get it: Government can outcompete the private sector because the private sector has to use limited resources to turn a profit, but government can levy as much as it wants in taxes. It is expected that the national plan will begin with a competitive edge, creating a sliding margin as more people opt to participate in the national plan, widening the gap between private and public costs. Furthermore, if taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for national healthcare, then persons opting for private healthcare will essentially be paying for two plans.
The second point is that the protest’s organizer’s son died for lack of insurance. From the story, it is uncertain how the hospital was able to deny anybody treatment. It is also unclear why a government takeover of the insurance industry is needed, or how it is even preferable to legislative reform that will deregulate the insurance and medical industries to allow more competition, more options, and lower prices.
