Treebeard,
I've got to disagree with you on this one. You said:
"Health care system, remove the government of all controls so that big pharma, insurance giants, medical industry can act as free trader in the free market without the fear of government regulation."
Do you suppose we currently have a free market in healthcare and that the government is doing a good job of managing the costs of healthcare? Is that your assessment of what is currently going on in the healthcare industry? Great, I didn't think so.
So lets look at the free market aspect of health.
1. Health insurance companies are a racket because they insure everything, not catastrophic events like auto insurance. Everyone knows they will have to go to the doctor, just like everyone knows they have to change their oil, but your car insurance doesn't cover your oil changes, does it? Likewise, your health insurance shouldn't cover simple doctors visits, it should largely be used for high cost events. If this were the case, people would be more sensitive to the costs incurred for going to doctor for stupid problems (I've had a sore throat for 3 days now, gee golly). Obamacare also dictates what must be covered by the policy which has added to the cost of the policies.
2. Health insurance tied to employment came out of the WWII as a result of price and wage controls. Thanks, government. If it wasn't for this, individuals would be able to pool together to get health insurance free of employer sponsored care. That isn't the case now due to the precedent that has been set and now individuals trying to purchase insurance are pretty much screwed.
3. Prices are not transparent. In a 'free market' prices would be transparent like this surgery center in Oklahoma. Why? Because the market would dictate such. Would you go to a hospital where an MRI costs $3,000 versus an imaging center down the street where it costs 600? No, no you wouldn't. The only reason people do this now is that the co-pay is the same whether the MRI is $3,000 or $600. Would you pay 500 bucks for an oil change when you can get one for $75? Not likely. Transparency decreases prices.
4. It takes 10 years and billions of dollars to get a drug through to market. These drug companies submit terabytes, you read that right, terabytes of data when getting their products approved. In one sense it's good because it is well researched, but that takes a long time and is expensive. This creates a barrier to entry. Why on earth is an Epi-pen $300-600? Auto injector + epinephrine = not expensive. Because the barrier to entry is so high no one can come along and disrupt the market in a short amount of time. Thanks, government. If we had lower barriers to entry and more of a free market, there would be actual competition. Another example is CroFab vs. Anavip. Anavip is produced in Mexico and is trying to get into the US market but CroFab producers have filed a lawsuit against them. CroFab is more expensive and less effective, government protectionism at it's finest. Competition lowers prices - look at your computer screen for proof.
5. Reductionism doesn't work in healthcare. The government boondoggle has completely screwed the pooch and has created a healthcare epidemic of obesity and diabetes by emphasizing simple carbohydrates over healthy fats (including saturated). If you need more evidence, read The Paleo Diet and Good Calories, Bad Calories. Subsidizing corn, soy, and wheat and not vegetables and fruit has partially led us to where we are (not libertarian). Likewise, suburbs and driving instead of urban density and walk able neighborhoods are not smart and leads to poorer health. Government subsidies for certain foods have led to poorer health, not libertarian.
While the libertarian perspective is an improvement over the current situation in medicine, it's not perfect. If anyone has any interest in a better approach to medicine, I suggest you read this free e-book that covers the Singapore healthcare model. Here are the cliff notes:
1. Govt provides guaranteed coverage for those in need, but it's not nice - no private rooms, no cushy hospital stays, but it's cheap and it works.
2. Different organizations work together in the government to create a market for healthy foods and walk able neighborhoods.
3. Citizens have to save a certain portion of their paycheck for health insurance, but prices are transparent. If you go to the hospital you can choose a double room vs. private room if you want to save money on your stay. Likewise, insurance prices are transparent. Making people responsible for their healthcare dollars incentivizes savings (unlike medicare/medicaid).
4. That's all I remember from the book, but it's free and a lot of it would be an improvement over our current situation, which, is about as far from a libertarian 'free market' as you can get.
