RE: THIS Is Why The Healthcare System Is A SCAM - Built To Fail (with Jeffrey Tucker)
That's wholly untrue. The restrictions you mention are due to government in the first place which does not equal a free market.
"prices for drugs go down"
No, they're "free" because they're subsidized by the state, but as they're paid for with tax payer dollar, the price of these drugs go up and the tax payer money going towards it simply inflates.
Then what isn't covered also inflates and becomes unaffordable.
There are very few companies allowed under the healthcare system as they're subsidized so competition is non-existent. You cannot innovate and compete when you're up against subsidized corporations.
In a free market, there would be incentive to lower prices to compete against the countless other companies out there trying to bring the best possible products to market for the cheapest price. Under single payer there is no incentive to innovate, but simply to profit.
The innovations we've seen over the past several years has been miniscule compared to a competitive market where others can actually afford to go head to head with other companies. Demand is off the table and prices are infinitely inflated.
"Free markets in healthcare are not able to function because consumers cannot shop around for healthcare in a meaningful way."
Again, another example of government, not free markets. You cannot shop around because there are no choices due to competition being driven out of the market.
In a free market, prices deflate based on demand and choices become greater. In a free market there are far more jobs, more production and higher wages. This is simply historically factual and mathematically inevitable.
So people have more money, more choices and lower costs.
Also, why would we not be able to pick a hospital to go to if we have a heart attack in a free market? That doesn't make sense.
Insurance companies would AGAIN be forced to compete instead of monopolized like in Canada where it's ONE insurance company with INSANE jacked up prices.
Please read Mises, Rothbard or Hayek.
Well I suppose we will have to agree to disagree. I may check out the authors you are suggesting just to get another perspective, but first there are a few things I would like to point out.
Universal healthcare and single payer currently exists in the world. All non partisan sources agree countries with some kind of universal healthcare system pay less than the US and have better health outcomes. Those are the unbiased numbers. Could you point me to a country that has your completely capatalist system in place to great success? If not, all you are claiming is simply theory, and cannot be proven until some country tries it. Going on your guidelines I could claim certain NEGATIVE outcomes of the system you suggest, but that is all they would be, unsubstantiated claims.
I never claimed drugs would be free; I said prices would go down, which again, is proven in other countries that are allowed to negotiate with drug companies.
Yes some government regulation has stamped out competition between insurance companies and healthcare providers. But government intervention has also STOPPED monolpolistic behaviors by these very companies. It is natural for companies to try to consolidate power, without government interference we get less choice often times.
You wouldn't be able to shop around for a hosptial while having a heart attack because a) you're having a heart attack and cannot pop onto your phone to look at recent reviews, prices b) you don't know what your location would be when having one so even if you picked one before time you might not be close to it c) moral obligation to take you to the closest safe harbor as providers.
I don't hate free markets, in fact, I like them much of the time. Healthcare is just not appropriate in such a system.