The Mystery Of Private Health Insurance
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on June 13th, 2011 4:36 am by HL
The Mystery Of Private Health Insurance
Paul Krugman is shrill on the idea of controlling health care costs by rolling back Medicare: It’s a mystery why anyone claims that shifting more people into private insurance is a good idea. Actually, no, it isn’t a mystery; it’s an outrage. This is one situation in which I think it’s unfortunate that debates about […]
Paul Krugman is shrill on the idea of controlling health care costs by rolling back Medicare:
It’s a mystery why anyone claims that shifting more people into private insurance is a good idea. Actually, no, it isn’t a mystery; it’s an outrage.
This is one situation in which I think it’s unfortunate that debates about the best way to organize public services get bound up with debates about redistributive taxation. The primary organizing principle of the contemporary conservative movement is the idea that it’s difficult for rich people to get a fair shake in tax policy debates, and someone needs to stand up for them. And obviously the need to finance a Universal Medicare program through taxation could become the vehicle for substantial redistributive taxation. But the point underscored by Krugman’s chart is that Medicare being a good deal for the vast majority of people isn’t dependent on the assumption that rich people will be picking up the tab. It’s simply more efficient to organize an insurance function with the largest possible risk pool.
Rick Santorum: I Have Gay Friends
Via Towleroad, Rick Santorum — who recently reiterated his support for a constitutional amendment outlawing same sex marriage — tells openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon that he has a lot of gay friends: SANTORUM: In fact, I was with a gay friend of mine just yesterday. So yea, I do. And they respect that […]
Via Towleroad, Rick Santorum — who recently reiterated his support for a constitutional amendment outlawing same sex marriage — tells openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon that he has a lot of gay friends:
SANTORUM: In fact, I was with a gay friend of mine just yesterday. So yea, I do. And they respect that I have differences of opinion on that, I talk about these things in front of them, and we have conversations about it. They differ from me, but they know I love them because they’re my friends.
Watch it:
In 2003, Santroum compared homosexuality to incest and bestiality, saying, “In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be.” “If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything,” he added.
