Comments on: There’s No Free Lunch http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/theres-no-free-lunch/ Insights on Health Care Reform | NCPA Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:27:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: anonymous coward http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/theres-no-free-lunch/comment-page-1/#comment-45202 anonymous coward Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:41:57 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/theres-no-free-lunch/#comment-45202 i found a pdf of the cited article that's not gated: http://www.execdeftech.com/images/Who_really_pays_for_health_care_JAMA.pdf i found a pdf of the cited article that’s not gated:

http://www.execdeftech.com/images/Who_really_pays_for_health_care_JAMA.pdf

]]> By: Linda Gorman http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/theres-no-free-lunch/comment-page-1/#comment-37307 Linda Gorman Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:59:24 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/theres-no-free-lunch/#comment-37307 <p>Small employers will tell you that people understand this just fine. If the employer doesn't offer health insurance, new hires will use that fact to bargain for higher wages.</p> <p>A major problem is that some fraction of people have no idea a) that they can purchase their own policies or b) haven't tried to do so because irresponsible media coverage has convinced them that it is too expensive and/or unavailable. When they are nagged into buying a policy, they are surprised by the fact that individual policies are available at reasonable cost, especially if they are in their 20s. Most people also have no idea that guaranteed issue coverage is available regardless of their health history, though the price is higher.</p> <p>Why are these simple observations some of the best kept secrets of the great health care policy debate? Cynics might point out that they don't fit with the "the system is broken and we need drastic increases in government control to fix it" meme, and that the market for individual insurance has been destroyed by regulation in many of the markets in which reporters congregate.</p> Small employers will tell you that people understand this just fine. If the employer doesn't offer health insurance, new hires will use that fact to bargain for higher wages.

A major problem is that some fraction of people have no idea a) that they can purchase their own policies or b) haven't tried to do so because irresponsible media coverage has convinced them that it is too expensive and/or unavailable. When they are nagged into buying a policy, they are surprised by the fact that individual policies are available at reasonable cost, especially if they are in their 20s. Most people also have no idea that guaranteed issue coverage is available regardless of their health history, though the price is higher.

Why are these simple observations some of the best kept secrets of the great health care policy debate? Cynics might point out that they don't fit with the "the system is broken and we need drastic increases in government control to fix it" meme, and that the market for individual insurance has been destroyed by regulation in many of the markets in which reporters congregate.

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