Is the Affordable Care Act Working?

[Sam]

Government has done almost everything in an extremely inefficient manner. There are always too many pockets between the appropriation and the claimed beneficiary.

As noted above, even by free-market advocates, government-provided healthcare is more efficient than private insurer-based care. If the government's provision is "extremely inefficient" then private insurers are EXTREMELY inefficient.

[Pinoy]

You also pay for schools, but you may refuse to have children. Why should I take my hard earned money to buy your roads, bridges, and schools when I may refuse to drive on them or have my children attend them? Why don't you buy your own? Your designation of what taxes are or aren't necessary appears totally arbitrary. Do you want to know why you should buy my food? Because taxes are investments in a community. The goal is to make your town a better place to live. Safety nets stop communities from becoming worse due to economic hardship, which there would be less of, by the way, if we had greater income equality.

I believed many wanted home schooling. Or at least voucher system

[Psychic Missile]

Yet another person who makes arguments based on the assumption that governments will do more good than bad. Why should I believe that?

I'm not making that assumption. Governments can do more good than bad.

[Cow Poke]

I'm not making that assumption. Governments can do more good than bad.

Your top three examples, please.

[robrecht]

Your top three examples, please.

In no particular order, win world wars against Nazis, end slavery, stimulate the economy in a major depression or to avert one, land a man on the moon, quarantine Texas to keep ebola from spreading to the other 49 states, there may be a few other examples that escape me for the moment.

[seer]

You also pay for schools, but you may refuse to have children. Why should I take my hard earned money to buy your roads, bridges, and schools when I may refuse to drive on them or have my children attend them? Why don't you buy your own?

Actually, I can not refuse to use the roads. Food has to get to me somehow. And I agree, only those with kids in school should pay for school.

Your designation of what taxes are or aren't necessary appears totally arbitrary. Do you want to know why you should buy my food? Because taxes are investments in a community. The goal is to make your town a better place to live. Safety nets stop communities from becoming worse due to economic hardship, which there would be less of, by the way, if we had greater income equality.

Oh Stop. Let me give you a real world example why social services only makes things worse. I had a sweet 17 year old girl with one child move in next door to me. She was on welfare. With in three years she had two more babies with two different men even though she had the use of birth control. She ended up in crime and drugs and in prison - and lost her three kids. Welfare, more than anything, made this lifestyle possible. It made it possible for her to set up a household apart from the influence of her parents. I think it was the liberal Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who said, if you want more of a bad behavior subsidize it.

[Cow Poke]

In no particular order, win world wars against Nazis,

Well, actually, that was our military, not our government.

end slavery,

You just LOVE to keep bringing up that War of Northern Aggression, don't you.

stimulate the economy in a major depression or to avert one,

That's debatable.

land a man on the moon,

THEM were the days!

quarantine Texas to keep ebola from spreading to the other 49 states,

You only say that cause it's true!

there may be a few other examples that escape me for the moment.

Nobody asked you.

[robrecht]

Well, actually, that was our military, not our government.

You just LOVE to keep bringing up that War of Northern Aggression, don't you.

That's debatable.

THEM were the days!

You only say that cause it's true!

Nobody asked you.

You would prefer that our military not be subject to our civilian government? Perhaps war lords would be more to your liking? I certainly agree that government should be as small as possible and power exercised at the most practical local level for the task at hand. In Catholic social teaching that is called the principle of subsidiarity. Health insurance, at least elements of it, may be one of the few things that is most efficiently handled at the federal level since insurance is about sharing risk and risk is best shared over a larger population base. Or maybe a state is a sufficiently large population base, which is why I like the idea of experimental pilot programs at the state level to test out different approaches to find the more efficient ones. But the federal government will have more leverage in negotiating pricing for pharmaceuticals and there seems little efficiency in 50 states all engaging in separate and parallel negotiations.

[Cow Poke]

You would prefer that our military not be subject to our civilian government?

Well, um... I never thought that til RECENTLY.






(yes, I'm being facetious)

[Cow Poke]

I certainly agree that government should be as small as possible and power exercised at the most practical local level for the task at hand. In Catholic social teaching that is called the principle of subsidiarity. Health insurance, at least elements of it, may be one of the few things that is most efficiently handled at the federal level since insurance is about sharing risk and risk is best shared over a larger population base. Or maybe a state is a sufficiently large population base, which is why I like the idea of experimental pilot programs at the state level to test out different approaches to find the more efficient ones. But the federal government will have more leverage in negotiating pricing for pharmaceuticals and there seems little efficiency in 50 states all engaging in separate and parallel negotiations.

THIS part actually sounds well thought out! Are you doing drugs or something?

[Psychic Missile]

Your top three examples, please.

I was thinking of that quality as a fundamental characteristic rather than historical record, but off the top of my head the Scandinavian governments do more good than bad.

[robrecht]

THIS part actually sounds well thought out! Are you doing drugs or something?

Can't afford 'em.

[Psychic Missile]

Actually, I can not refuse to use the roads. Food has to get to me somehow. And I agree, only those with kids in school should pay for school.

You will never drive on every road that is paid for with your tax dollars.

Oh Stop. Let me give you a real world example why social services only makes things worse. I had a sweet 17 year old girl with one child move in next door to me. She was on welfare. With in three years she had two more babies with two different men even though she had the use of birth control. She ended up in crime and drugs and in prison - and lost her three kids. Welfare, more than anything, made this lifestyle possible. It made it possible for her to set up a household apart from the influence of her parents. I think it was the liberal Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who said, if you want more of a bad behavior subsidize it.

Are you saying that without welfare she would have had to work? That seems pretty naive to me.

[Sparko]

As noted above, even by free-market advocates, government-provided healthcare is more efficient than private insurer-based care. If the government's provision is "extremely inefficient" then private insurers are EXTREMELY inefficient.

Talk to mossrose about it. She lives in Canada where they have government provided healthcare and they have to typically wait 6 months to just get a diagnostic scan. On the other hand, when my doctor tells me he wants me to get a scan, I am generally scheduled and get the scan within a few days.

[Sparko]

You will never drive on every road that is paid for with your tax dollars.

he never said he would. He was talking about how food and goods gets to him. Commercial trucking using public roads. Fire departments, EMTs, and Police also use public roads and benefit him even though he may never drive on a single road himself.