[65810] in Cypherpunks
RE: Risk v. Charity (was: RE: Workers Paradise. /Politica.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jbugden@smtplink.alis.ca)
Wed Sep 18 16:17:27 1996
From: jbugden@smtplink.alis.ca
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 96 15:44:31 EST
To: Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>
Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com
>Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li> wrote:
>> jbugden@alis.com wrote:
>> But I did site one example of a government
>> funded system that *is* less expensive than a market driven one.
>
>I believe this cite was refuted by another poster, that is if you mean the
>Canadian health system.
=20
I did not respond to the other poster because it seemed clear that he was n=
ot
informed on the subject. While people debate the precise reasons for it, the
Canadian health system spends about two thirds as much as the U.S. system a=
s a
percent of GNP while covering more people as a percent of population. This =
is a
fact.
=20
>> >> Not every victim of lung cancer smokes.
>> >I'll tell you what. I will give you a dollar for every non-smoking
>> >related lung cancer case, if you give me one for every smoking
>> >related case.
>>=20
>> Agreed, with one condition. I get to create a tax on tobacco products
>> and keep this additional revenue.
>
>Uh, what's your point here?
=20
This is another way to create risk pool seperation as well as reduce health
costs. Some people will not be able to afford tobacco, reducing the potenti=
al
candidates for tobacco related illness. The additonal revenue can be used a=
s a
"risk premium" to fund the related long term medical expenses.
=20
>Markets, however, fail far less often then the left would have us believe.
>They also have the rather potent effect of reducing government
>involvement in everyday life.
I don't speak for the left, nor for the right. I don't think that there is a
unified voice on either side of the political spectrum. However I do find it
ironic that market driven health insurance has the potential to be more
intrusive into personal life than many government systems (cf. genetic
screening).=20
=20
If all you do is replace Big Brother with Big Business, then all that has
changed is the name.
Ciao,
James
"what are cast as one-sided ... guidelines can be recast beneficially as
two-sided trade-offs" - Webb Stacy
