NYT’s flack Paul Krugman finally admits what we all knew but his crowd wouldn’t admit: the cost of treating the uninsured is negligible. Remember the hysterical arguments that, without ObamaKare, we would go bankrupt treating the 37 million uninsured? Now that the bill is assured of passage, Krugman fesses up:
The key thing to understand in the coverage debate has always been that it costs surprisingly little to cover the uninsured. For the most part, the uninsured are relatively young, and hence have relatively low medical costs. Also, they receive a fair amount of uncompensated care, as well as spending funds out of pocket. So even if you ignore the possible monetary gains from preventive care, avoiding emergency room visits, and so on, we’re not talking about a vast rise in health care spending.
That’s right, Paul. The real cost will come with the other mandates, like forcing insurance companies to accept all patients with pre-existing conditions and at the same time, not requiring the uninsured to buy in now, before they get sick. There is a penalty for such folks, to be sure, in ObamaKare, but it’s been watered down enough to ensure that it’s far cheaper to wait until you get sick before opting in. And that’s before we resolve the constitutionality of forcing individuals to buy insurance from a private entity.
So who is going to pay for the suddenly-stricken? We who already pay for insurance, obviously, and doctors, who are going to be hit with the cost controls Krugman is so happy about. I predict that physicians will be the first large group to “go Galt”, but they’ll have company in the coming years, I’m sure.
It’s not news to report that a significant percentage of doctors decided that New Orleans after Katrina was not to their liking and either moved or retired if they could. Many people acknowledged that this perceived shortage made this a sort of a bad place to be sick. Having had two aged parents who moved back after the storm, that sounds right to me. But, of course, where do you move if this is a national plan? I was speaking to a doctor today whom I have known for years and he said that the threat of doctors retiring or reducing their practices was very real. I don’t know. I do know that a sudden shortage of doctors dramatically changes the quality of care.
All doctors aren’t created equal
Most talented doctors tend to be high-income, well-educated professionals who prefer to work/reside in intellectually interesting settings…often near academic med centers and in desirable cities/suburbs with good schools for those with school-age kids
No surprise, will rarely have competent healthcare in wastelands like FL or NV or in less affluent parts of major urban regions or in most rural/small cities
the 37 million uninsured number is a farce. 1/3 of those are young, healthy Americans who have opted not to buy insurance and another 1/3 are undocumented residents.
Let’s say what the whole healthcare care reform package really is…the largest entititlement program that socializes more of our economy, redistributes wealth and makes more of the population dependent on gov’t handouts.
All of this WILL bankrupt America by 2027.