The fight over health care coverage in this country is absurd. The very idea that each person can select coverage that meets their needs at a point in time and move up to higher benefits when needed is ridiculous.
The concept of allowing Medicare beneficiaries to select an insured alternative with the illusion of getting more for less is nonsense.
All these and other choices do is shift costs around, total health care spending doesn’t change. A myriad of programs and plans just creates temporary winners and losers.
Costs are always buried in taxes, premiums and out-of-pocket costs. It’s just a matter of who is paying what at any point in time.
When it comes to health care, a fairer distribution of risk and costs requires one universal risk pool, one level of established coverage.
Everyone in the same pool
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
There will be a lot of dogs in any fight for universal coverage. All the current insurers, employers, the practioners, big pharma, politicians, various groups representing the public, labor and anyone else not in the above. What a scramble it will be.
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Exactly, that’s why nothing gets done. I remember back in the early 60s the US Chamber of Commerce fought against Medicare. Today employers would love to eliminate their involvement in health insurance.
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Of all your excellent commentary, your insight into health care issues are the most insightful, possibly due to your career experience. I am curious what you think of the new proposal by Amy Finkelstein regarding her “plan to fix American healthcare”. I listened to her discuss it on the recent podcast Slow Boring with Matt Yglesias and I thought it was quite insightful overall.
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I am not familiar with it, but as I have said over many years dealing with healthcare coverages I have come to realize that a form of Medicare for all is the only solution and the only one that can provide universal coverage. When I say solution that does not imply no problems because every system in the world has problems.
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I agree with you completely. I have been in a lot of countries such as the UK and was really impressed with the NHS. And there was still an option to pay for private care if desired. I believe we are the only developed country left without some kind of universal coverage solution.
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Mr Quinn. Excellent commentary. If I may change the subject for a moment …… have you ever read articles and comments from Scott Burns? I have been reading him for years. – since my Dallas days. He wrote for the Dallas Morning News at the time. May I suggest you read his latest on his web site – named “arithmetic” – scottburns.com
That article says it all!
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Just to clarify about my comment that your health care commentary is your most insightful…but your curmudgeonly rants about young people’ spending habits are by far the most entertaining! That is how I started following you initially from your Humble Dollar writing. I always enjoy those too!
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