John Stossel goes shrill on WHO statistics, declaring that adjusted for Americans' poor mental health, i.e. Americans' huge penchant for homicide, that ... America-is-nearly -number-one!
This summary says differently.
The WHO has developed a statistic called Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy (DALE). USA ranks 24. (I have not looked into these figures in detail, but, on face, they contradict the conclusion by definition).
The single adjustments that Stossel reportedly makes (he doesn't show his calcs) are ... unscientific, charitably put. How many adjustments does one take? Perhaps one ought to consider adjusting for the health care gradient that countries face, as well. The WHO might call that the Burden of Disease.
The Libertarian idea that individuals can buy their own insurance solves at least the problem of ending the "Nanny Corporation". However, it doesn't meet the goals that people have for insurance, one of which is peace of mind in times of distress - not worrying about whether this hospital charges more than that one and how much did that test the doctor just ordered cost and could you have suggested the hospital use a different laboratory, out of State, unless there is a State regulation or if the doctor would trust the results from that lab ... well, you get the picture.
What's more, there is little protection for consumers against first-degree price discrimination in the Libertarian model - you get sick, your premiums go up. Get sick twice and, like car insurance, you end up with "airport rates". Have one break in coverage and it could be game over, if you have a pre-existing condition.
The Libertarians rely very, very heavily on Government regulation all along the way. If you are willing to go that far, why not just go the next, small step and off load the main ball of wax on a Medicare-like, single-payer system ... and find creative ways to get people to pay for catastrophic and 'old age' health insurance?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Libertarian Liberties
