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Old 2012-10-07, 10:35   Link #1146
willx
Nyaaan~~
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bri View Post
Health insurance is not the same as health care, two completely different markets. There isn't much to compete on in terms of service in regard to insurance. Insurance firms in a competitive market waste revenues on both competitive efforts (advertising etc.) and profits. They also have a smaller insurance pool and have an incentive to reduce the amount of care covered and cherry pick customers. A monopolist would have to be extremely inefficient to do worse than market based insurance.

Private alternatives in Europe often involve niche products like cosmetic surgery, luxury dental plans, sports-care, fast track access for employees etc.

Market experiments in Switzerland and the Netherlands in terms of privatized health insurance have led to cost explosions without any significant improvements in terms of care provided.
Not to mention the negative externalities associated with a two-tier system. Like.. wealthy people all joining private programs, which in turn lures in all the best doctors?

Apparently I've been told Singapore has an amazing healthcare system (which one of the SG natives can attest to) which is FIRMLY controlled by the state.
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