“47 million Americans are without health care. But the people who are really in trouble are the ones who do have coverage – rather, who think they have coverage. Paul Krugman, economist and New York Times columnist, points out another side of the ugly health care situation: Americans pay more than any other industrialized country and receive worse care.”
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Forty-seven million Americans are without health care.

But the people who are really in trouble are the ones who do have coverage – rather, who think they have coverage.

Paul Krugman, economist and New York Times columnist, points out another side of the ugly health care situation: Americans pay more than any other industrialized country and receive worse care. In fact, they pay money for insurance companies to find creative reasons to refuse service.

In his column for Sept. 22, 2006, Krugman writes that five years after 2000, 1 percent fewer Americans were insured by private plans, insurance companies increased employment by almost 1/3.

Krugman continues, adding that Medicare spends under 2 cents on the dollar for its administrative costs.

By contrast, private insurance companies spend only around 80 cents of each dollar in premiums on medical care; much of the remaining 20 cents is spent denying insurance to those who need it.

Rather than increasing efficiency, the free market is making health insurance more expensive, and less effective.

While Krugman uses this as evidence that America needs nationalized health care, the problem to be solved is that insurance companies are able to make money without providing a service.

What is to say that this will not happen if the government is the only health care provider?

Although there are many health care providers, there isn’t competition.

If, at 21, I decided that it would be unlikely for me to suffer from any serious health problems, and to enjoy the next 14 years of my life without health insurance, when I tried to find a health care provider at 35, it would be easier for me to just pay my own medical bills.

Under the right kind of national health care system, this would not be the case.

But nothing guarantees that the country will have the right kind of system.

It would be better for the government to institute harsh penalties for insurance companies that didn’t do their jobs.

The government should act as a limit upon abuse, rather than attempting to solve all of society’s problems by itself.

A significant objection to this proposal is the potential for corruption and bribery.

But this kind of governmental dysfunction should not motivate us to look to the government for answers to all of our problems.

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