Wednesday, November 18, 2009

To paraphrase the Gipper...

..."There they go again."

It did not take long for Republicans in Congress to start arguing on Tuesday that a federal task force’s new recommendations on breast cancer screening had confirmed the worst fears of people who oppose a government role in medical decision making.

“I mean, let the rationing begin,” said Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, the ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. “This is what happens when bureaucrats make your health care decisions.”

Doesn't Representative Camp have health insurance? Or does he pay his medical bills out-of-pocket, in which case he makes all of his health care decisions in consultation with his doctor? I wonder. Because I have insurance and I can tell you that they make most of my health care decisions. (You could even say that they--gasp!--ration care.) What's more, they have an economic incentive to deny me coverage. Every time an insurance company pays out a claim it's called a "medical loss" in their jargon. (Stockholders don't like losses.)

So while having a government bureaucrat making your health care decisions might not sound ideal, it may be preferable to an insurance company bureaucrat whose compensation depends on denying you coverage.

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