Scan Medical Insurance

Why are many free market advocates defending insurance companies as some kind of free market enterprise?

The insurance industry is NOT a free market industry. It has long been in bed with the government (which is the reason why people are forced to purchase car insurance in most states; in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, probably the Republican frontrunner for 2012, signed a law that forced people to purchase health insurance, which is an even more atrocious law, as people who don't want car insurance are at least free to ride a bicycle instead). The problem with the current system is not too little insurance, but rather too much insurance. Back in the days of 90% tax brackets, businesses competed for employees by offering health insurance (and of course, they kept adding unnecessary aspects to health insurance; car insurance doesn't cover gasoline, yet health "insurance" usually covers these types of things in addition to necessary care, which allows doctors to jack up the prices since the patient doesn't pay). What we need to have in health care is a system where insurance is limited to covering major illnesses (and is a voluntary purchase, not forced on people at gunpoint by the government). For many people, it is a perfectly reasonable choice not to purchase health insurance, despite what some fascistic-minded (yes, fascism refers to the merger of corporations and government at the expense of the people, which accurately describes the economic policies of the Democratic Party and of the "mainstream" of the Republican Party; racism was predominantly a phenomenon in Hitler's National Socialism, not other fascist movements and the claim that fascism is a form of capitalism is an old Comintern smear; as the fascists themselves pointed out, fascism is the middle-of-the-road movement between Capitalism and Communism) politicians might think. It is long past time to shift the debate over health care from the current false dichotomy of the current mixed system VS ObamaCare Inc. to a broader debate focusing on the merits of free market medical care VS the Fascist and Communist alternatives.

Public Comments

1. Sheeple don't want to wake up. Free market for the poor, socialism for the rich.
2. They have regulations
3. It is still a choice, not a requirement, so it is 'freeer' than what is being proposed. However, I don't want insurance companies in control either. Look at Ron Paul's plan. Even if you added subsidies of the sort of the earned income credit (health expenses where the person doesn't make enough to cover it) or added an actual 'insurance policy' by govt to cover only preexisting conditions and possibly some chronic conditions, you would have a much better system which leaves the individual in control of their care (at least all except for the preexisting / chronic situation which is the one that already has trouble.) This would drive DOWN costs and create greater availability and cost savings for all. Support Ron Paul's bill HR 1495 the Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Act.
4. They let their ideology get in the way of their comon sense. Lower and middle class Republicans vote against their own best interest every time they go to the polls. There's a book called "What's the Matter with Kansas?" that details this perfectly. They buy into wedge isssues designed to get people to vote Republican out of fear, then they get screwed when those Republicans get into power.
5. If you can figure out a way that I can pay out of pocket and not die if I get a treatable form of cancer, or need a heart transplant, then I'm all ears. The fact is, there really IS no such way, not without government intervention. The whole point of insurance is to distribute the risk of a catastrophic injury across a large group of people, so everyone takes a small hit so they never have to worry about taking a huge, life-destroying hit. The entirety of the american population is the largest group we have to wrok with. We distribute the risk associated with our defense from foreign enemies by all contributing via tax to the military. I can't really think of a good reason why we should distribute the risk of being severely ill across the whole of the public as well. After all, both military and health care fundamentally work towards the same goal: To protect the lives of Americans.
6. Many people do not realize that both the house and senate bills contain the 'individual mandate', forcing us all to buy health insurance or be fined by the government. This is an outrage, and even stupider is their comparison to car insurance, which as the asker said is not mandatory since you don't have to drive a car, you can take a bus, taxi, train, bike, or walk. And dumber yet, are all the morons who keep repeating this comparison without even having the brain power to comprehend it. This law will force us to make payments on our lives to a company. I didn't have insurance for 8 years and saved 40 thousand dollars which I used to purchase my home. I would never have been able to do this if I was forced to purchase 400++ per month coverage ( this is what it is in my state). This is why freedom and choice is important, to allow people to manage their own risk and better navigate their lives.