One of Ludwig von Mises's keenest insights was on the cumulative
tendency of government intervention. The government, in its wisdom,
perceives a problem (and Lord knows, there are always problems!). The
government then intervenes to "solve" that problem. But lo and behold!
instead of solving the initial problem, the intervention creates two or
three further problems, which the government feels it must intervene to
heal, and so on toward socialism.
No industry provides a more dramatic illustration of this malignant
process than medical care. We stand at the seemingly inexorable brink of
fully socialized medicine, or what is euphemistically called "national
health insurance." Physician and hospital prices are high and are always
rising rapidly, far beyond general inflation. As a result, the
medically uninsured can scarcely pay at all, so that those who are not
certifiable claimants for charity or Medicaid are bereft. Hence, the
call for national health insurance.
But why are rates high and increasing rapidly? The answer is the very
existence of healthcare insurance, which was established or subsidized
or promoted by the government to help ease the previous burden of
medical care. Medicare, Blue Cross, etc., are also very peculiar forms
of "insurance."
READ MORE: http://mises.org/daily/6099/Government-Medical-Insurance
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