Source: Wall Street Journal Welcome to the Consumer Power Report!
Six months ago this week, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Since then, the debate over health care reform has not lost any steam – in fact, it has become more contentious each day. With an astonishing amount of regularity, Obama's health care house of cards continues to crumble. As John Goodman at the National Center for Policy Analysis pointed out, this kind of thing should be expected when government makes too many promises that it cannot possibly keep.
With the six-month anniversary, health policy experts have had plenty of time to analyze the data from Obamacare, and the overall verdict has not been good. Even former President Bill Clinton, who said Obamacare eventually would become very popular with the American people, has had to back away from his prediction.
But this is the trap President Obama and Democrats in Congress set for themselves. The arrogance of assumption made them blind to the fact that promises made when altering one-fifth of the economy cannot possibly be kept. There are just too many moving parts.
Health care reform always will be a contentious issue in the United States, mostly because as Americans we want and strive for the best. However, it seems to escape our elected leaders that health care is an industry that constantly evolves, and through that evolution the stakeholders adapt in order to provide affordable quality care. Government-provided goods and services have never been able to adapt to changing moods, trends, or demographics – Medicare is a perfect example. Yet Congress and President Obama have thrust upon us this new law that makes things worse for physicians, consumers, small business owners, and seniors. The Heritage Foundation has done a great job of identifying the negative effects the law will have on all these groups.
– Peter J. Fotos, director of government relations, The Heartland Institute
COMPETITION SAVES LIVES
When hospitals compete, you live (even in Great Britain)! This is the theme of a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research that says competition among hospitals in the National Health System in Great Britain results in higher quality without raising the cost of care. Hat tip to Devon Herrick at the National Center for Policy Analysis whose recent blog post contains a link to the full study.
SOURCE: John Goodman's Blog