Comments about ‘Free market? Ha!’

The real lack of free markets in health care center on the industry's exemption from anti-trust law. Specifically, health care in states are able to merge and become massive oligopolies and near monopolies within the borders of each state. With the virtual lack of competition, it has allowed healthcare companies to charge what ever they want!

The public option is designed to create competition. Competition creates efficiencies, improved services, and reduced prices.

Talk about revisionist history. You tell everyone to get out of the health insurance business, so what is the solution? Also, why do you think employers got involved in the first place? Could it be that the lack of a system wasn't working? This letter is total nonsense.

The single payer system is the answer. I say that because the freedom you seek, were it suddenly available, would lead us right back to where we are, or worse.

John says: “Get government, unions and employers out of the way and give us back our freedom“.

Does anyone really think John wants to have human society return to the jungle where everyone has personal freedom bounded only by a persons own abilities?

Only through the combining of human effort in families, tribes, nations, have we progressed toward the good life that we all want.

Yes we all want personal freedom. But we are willing to give up some of our freedom for the greater good we get by living together.

If President Obama's car had a bad spark plug, he'd have the engine overhauled.

so your saying only the people you want to have access to the free market should have it?

It's funny, no one seems to want to focus on Semnani's seminal argument, the FACT that there is a distinct lack of price elasticity relative to demand for health care. A "free market" in health care is an impossibility because of this.

Competition won't lower prices because the only options consumers have are to pay whatever the provider wants or die. Greedy capitalists (who actually hate "free markets") prefer it this way.

I want people to have the FREEDOM to change jobs without the threat of major financial crisis because of sickness.
I want people to have the FREEDOM to start a business and to hire people without the HUGE BURDEN of dealing with the monopolies who control the health care industry.
I want the cost of health care to to be spread over the largest possible pool.
I want everyone to be able to go to the doctor when they first get sick, not when its too late.
I want the emergency room to be for emergencies.

Im for a single payer system like Canadas.

Regulation limits the amount of money that people can steal from one another. Free market is complete corruption and thievery.

Oh yeah! That's just what those rotten capitlists ar thinking. My guess, they are trying to quietly dump all thier insurance stock and buying gold.

To "Anti-trust exemption | 5:54 a.m." here is the problem with your arguement. There are over 1000 different health insurance companies in the US. If the Federal Government says that they can sell policies across state boundaries you now have 1000 competitors in any given state. If the government gets its option it only adds 1 more option. The one option that is added is a poor option because it is created by the people making the rules.

If a provate company oligopoly or monopoly is bad, isn't a government monopoly worse becaue they not only play the game against you, but are the ones making the rules?


To "jackhp | 8:59 a.m." the health insurance industry isn't filled with "greedy capitalists". It is filled with Government power mongers who have no concept of money.

To "Anonymous | 9:15 a.m." you realize that if we get a system like Canada's that you will get to experience waiting lists, and increased deaths due to waitng to get life saving procedures done.

Some companies have proved themselves incapable of honesty without the intervention of regulation.

The health insurance industry is immune to anti-trust suits making it possible for the pricing and policy collusion we've experienced from them.

the US's pharma industry is just about the only one in the modern world not regulated, making the exorbitant pricing possible.

Never the less, they've risen slightly in consumer reputation. Here's the bottom of the reputable pack, from Forbe's;

Some industries' reputations have gotten better. Pharmaceutical companies advanced by four points, to 66.39. People seem to like businesses that succeed, employ people, make money and strengthen the economy.

The worst-rated industries were services, insurance, utilities, banks, telecommunications, diversified financials and energy.

These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people.

A free market describes a market without economic intervention and regulation by government except to regulate against force or fraud. The terminology is used by economists and in popular culture. A free market requires protection of property rights, but no regulation, no subsidization, no single monetary system, and no governmental monopolies. It is the opposite of a controlled market, where the government regulates prices or how property is used.

The theory holds that within the ideal free market, property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged solely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers. By definition, buyers and sellers do not coerce each other, in the sense that they obtain each other's property rights without the use of physical force, threat of physical force, or fraud, nor are they coerced by a third party (such as by government via transfer payments) and they engage in trade simply because they both consent and believe that what they are getting is worth more than or as much as what they give up. Price is the result of buying and selling decisions en masse as described by the law of supply and demand.

"To "Anonymous | 9:15 a.m." you realize that if we get a system like Canada's that you will get to experience waiting lists, and increased deaths due to waitng to get life saving procedures done."

I realize that you will continue to use these lies to scare people. The facts are otherwise. No one in Canada waits for important health care, although they may have to wait for elective care. One fact is that Canadas population prefers their system and would NEVER think about changing to ours. Why is that? Its because their system is better, costs less and covers everyone.

The definition of a free market by Brother Chuck Schroeder is the definition of the conservative businessmen. It is another very good example of how the conservatives change the meaning of words to fit their propaganda.

Using BCS’s definition, a monopoly could be a “free market”.

The real meaning of a free market is simply that neither the seller or the buyer can influence the supply and demand to the extent of changing the price. It is the price that is “free” and not controlled, not the business.

The real meaning doesn’t have anything to do with property rights, regulation, subsidies, monetary system or government.

I think that the conservative definition of words are their way to wage war against the United States government for it’s limitations on their activities.

To Thinkin' Man | 7:43

If President Obama had his engine overhauled for a bad spark plug, he would be in the company of millions of other drivers who have had the same experience.

As a young man, I was diagnosed with something called Diverticulosis which my doctor thought was the cause of frequent stomach aches.

He proposed removal of a large section of my intestines. I was scared and went to my Bishop for council.

He recommended a second opinion. When I told my doctor about getting the second opinion, he said that if I decided to have the operation, he would like to do it.

Fortunately the second opinion said no to the operation.

Ever after that, I think that sometimes Doctors may have the same failings as auto mechanics.

P. S. I really don’t think all auto mechanics are bad.

Re: Ultra Bob | 1:23 p.m. Nov. 17, 2009

Your's Untra Bon, is another very good socialist utopian example of how the liberal's through NEWSPEAK, change the meaning of words to fit their progressive agenda's and propaganda.


Free markets contrast sharply with controlled markets or regulated markets, in which governments directly or indirectly regulate prices or supplies, which according to free market theory causes markets to be less efficient. Where government intervention exists, the market is a mixed economy.

In the marketplace the price of a good or service helps communicate consumer demand to producers and thus directs the allocation of resources toward consumer, as well as investor, satisfaction. In a free market, price is a result of a plethora of voluntary transactions, rather than political decree as in a controlled market. Through free competition between vendors for the provision of products and services, prices tend to decrease, and quality tends to increase. A free market is not to be confused with a perfect market where individuals have perfect information and there is perfect competition.

I hate to tell Anonymous, 7:05 a.m. this, but, it wasn't a system not working, but FDR durring World War II. He put a freeze on wages and so if an employeer needed to hire someone who was really good at that job or wanted to give someone a raise, he couldn't do it. That's when it started, unions or the system being broke had nothing to do with it. Historical fact. More government messing up. Most of the trouble today with health care is the government. Over ruled, over mandated, over buracazided (sp), just look at Medicare, more money lost thru fraud, etc.

To "to red | 12:33 p.m." if you do some searches into heart surgury and wait lists, they have an increased 1% death rate due directly to people waiting for heart surgury.

Read the article "Cumulative incidence for wait-list death in relation to length of queue for coronary-artery bypass grafting: a cohort study" which clearly states that wait lists add to death rates for people that need heart surgury.