tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post4929671791888552974..comments2024-03-22T06:05:36.544-04:00Comments on Kids Prefer Cheese: le delugeMungowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340064320347875601noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-52688382624450675362012-06-04T09:53:40.516-04:002012-06-04T09:53:40.516-04:00I agree that single payer has to dominate our curr...I agree that single payer has to dominate our current system. I'm pretty sure some sort of competition among "insurers" would be preferable, though. The more I read from John Gruber, the more I think he sounds like a partisan advocate.<br /><br />On the other hand, MM suggested I take my money out of the stock market and so I didn't lose like 3% of my net worth in the past five days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-16923116635954801622012-06-04T08:53:21.009-04:002012-06-04T08:53:21.009-04:00My head's been spinning for days that KPC Mung...My head's been spinning for days that KPC Mung is advocating single payer. Somebody 'splain this to me. I'm open to a libertarian argument for single payer, but.... donde esta?Road to Surf Bumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-86149094269049108222012-06-03T23:38:36.769-04:002012-06-03T23:38:36.769-04:00You weren't harsh enough, Tom. #1 above is we...You weren't harsh enough, Tom. #1 above is weak sauce from Mungo. It's pretty damn rare that Mike writes something that makes absolutely no sense to me, but if there ever was an instance this is it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-15537672131991505642012-06-03T23:18:55.947-04:002012-06-03T23:18:55.947-04:00My last post sounds harsh; Mungowitz knows I love ...My last post sounds harsh; Mungowitz knows I love him.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08574355302581451838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-15484415381529052752012-06-03T17:51:28.809-04:002012-06-03T17:51:28.809-04:00I don't know William Roper from Al Roker, but ...I don't know William Roper from Al Roker, but I do know a little bit about the health-insurance market pre-Obamacare, and I can tell you that a healthy single male in his mid-20s buying on his own could get quite good catastrophic coverage from California Blue Shield for 51 bucks a month.<br /><br />Not now.<br /><br />Anyone who was uninsured without a pre-existing condition had no excuse. And most states already had high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions.<br /><br />This was a manufactured crisis, and you've bought it.JRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-49029880911167589152012-06-03T11:27:12.357-04:002012-06-03T11:27:12.357-04:00Dr. Bill Roper: "We all want people to have...Dr. Bill Roper: "We all want people to have [health] care, because they are entitled to it." He has this exactly backward. Some sort of a "we" wanted all people to have care AND THEREFORE a legal entitlement was inacted.<br /><br />Also from Roper: "We are a compassonate nation." This is proved by the fact that a legal requirement is needed for poor people to get health care - WTF?<br /><br />From the evidence in the linked article, Roper DOES NOT support a single payer system. He says "giving 17% [more!] of our economy to the government is madness." Truly, it is, Mungowitz.<br /><br />In one recent year, UNC Health Care "gave away" $360 million in uncompensated health care. Graedon says to Roper, "You may be stuck with it." ... "You" who? Not Roper, personally. Not UNC Health Care, either -- They add an uptick onto the bills of "paying customers" to get that money. This uptick is a tax, since it results from the government [unfunded] mandate to provide health care to all comers.<br /><br />Thus, the current system can be summarized as "a special tax on our sick and injured people" AND a competition killing virtual monopoly on health insurance. A worse system is hard to imagine -- and, yet...<br /><br />In the wake of this total f**k-up, Mongowitz proposes to give federal politicians and bureaucrats EVEN MORE control of (a) our access to health care and (b) control of 17 [and rising] per-cent of our total productive effort. Okay, Mr. Directionist, how is this a step toward greater individual liberty?Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08574355302581451838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-60319646856961426292012-06-02T21:29:20.338-04:002012-06-02T21:29:20.338-04:00Most transparently foolish thing I have ever gotte...Most transparently foolish thing I have ever gotten from Mungowitz: "As long as annual deficits grow, we can't begin to address the debt." <br /><br />No, until "we" have a surplus we cannot begin to address the debt.<br /><br />Wishing doesn't make things happen. Higher tax revenue won't lessen CongressCritters' appetite for spending. The 93-94 compromise is actually a good example of why this fails. We got a surplus from it (and from dot-com bubble) and Congress reacted to that the way they always will.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08574355302581451838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-50173770973794184322012-06-02T11:36:04.952-04:002012-06-02T11:36:04.952-04:00If only these solutions we're remotely close t...If only these solutions we're remotely close to what actually gets passed it would be exciting!<br /><br />@Natalie - Bruce Bartlett suggest an old article by Jude Wanniski: Taxes and a Two-Santa Theory is largely behind the Republicans decision to oppose all tax increases.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00720722626969395929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-68814160169783411952012-06-01T17:55:33.136-04:002012-06-01T17:55:33.136-04:00You wrote "We need single-payer, German or Fr...You wrote "We need single-payer, German or French style, right now." No, thanks. We need a uniquely American truly single-payer system, not with the hundreds of non-profit funds that Germany and France have, but a true one plan and one payer that has maximum efficiency.<br />http://www.mforall.org/p/Best<br />- Bob the Health and Health Care AdvocateBob Haiducek (hi' da sek) , Bob the Health and Health Care Advocatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00925876053360228337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-46477596097492587982012-06-01T15:27:55.539-04:002012-06-01T15:27:55.539-04:00Just out of curiosity, how does one have both a mo...Just out of curiosity, how does one have both a moratorium on new regulations while at the same time implementing a new health care system where the government pays all the bills. Are we to believe that that could be done without any new regulations on health care providers and customers?Roy Cordatonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-40925688797345386602012-06-01T15:23:07.225-04:002012-06-01T15:23:07.225-04:00Single payer system is making more sense to me. M...Single payer system is making more sense to me. Maybe what we need to consider is that we scrap medicare and medicaid and just issue a blanket hospitalization coverage program for everybody. This would reduce hospital collection problems (8-12 percent of revenue written off) and avoid dreaded personal bankruptcies from hospital bills. The poor have no or few out of pocket costs and any households making more than $50,000 a year pay a $250 deductible for a hospital visit and cost share up to a $2000 a year limit. This also addresses high risk people, such as hemophilia patients or people with rare diseases, by capping their risk. It standardizes hospital administration, simplifies a headache for employers, and forces health insurers to compete on factors where they can improve health (preventive care, eyes, dental, hearing).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16063504593711107648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-73367262868211572422012-06-01T14:59:27.679-04:002012-06-01T14:59:27.679-04:00So what do the Viet Cong think of this talk? Or di...So what do the Viet Cong think of this talk? Or did you mean something else by VC?Mr. Overwaternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-79016431859548441932012-06-01T13:37:21.544-04:002012-06-01T13:37:21.544-04:00I read this list and it sounds pretty much like th...I read this list and it sounds pretty much like the Democratic party platform. I know we can quibble over how much the Democrats care about regulation but I suspect that Obama and most Democrats would accept all this in a heartbeat...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-69151856494570517822012-06-01T12:50:12.674-04:002012-06-01T12:50:12.674-04:00What kind of effect would cutting military spendin...What kind of effect would cutting military spending drastically have on employment? I agree completely that it should happen, but I don't know enough to fully appreciate the effects on the economy.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-49075330231446666692012-06-01T12:14:53.109-04:002012-06-01T12:14:53.109-04:00You seem to have been suggesting that the electora...You seem to have been suggesting that the electorate would re-elect Obama based on their evaluation of whether GDP growth % was a good enough number. This confuses cause and effect, doesn't it? If GDP is 40% via bullshat numbers from DC, but folks are broke, do you think they're going to vote to re-elect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-58314542922663525192012-06-01T11:24:30.472-04:002012-06-01T11:24:30.472-04:00I'm thinking that we should raise taxes across...I'm thinking that we should raise taxes across the board to eliminate the deficit first. Then, everyone might be in a better state of mind to discuss what should be cut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-71690870320063143792012-06-01T11:02:34.948-04:002012-06-01T11:02:34.948-04:00curioius- why do you think the republicans became ...curioius- why do you think the republicans became such tax cut monkeys?Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16436372995253828097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-89752900350931651122012-06-01T10:09:45.913-04:002012-06-01T10:09:45.913-04:00Can you explain why you think that a single payer ...Can you explain why you think that a single payer system is more efficient and moral than our present system? And what exactly would a single payer system consist in? What about queueing? <br /><br />If I had to guess, I suppose that single payer is better because we take the burden of healthcare costs off of employers and distributive the burdens less inefficiently across the general public. Right?<br /><br />I'm open to the argument that single payer is more efficient than what we have now. I'm just curious.Kevin Vnoreply@blogger.com