Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The unintended beneficial consequences of Obamacare

John F. Hunt, MD
Policy
November 17, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

From the point of view of the rational humble classical liberal, Obamacare sucks.

We rebel against the further intrusion of a narcisstic national government into our lives, as any sane person would who recognizes the value of liberty and the repeatedly proven harm of collectivism.

Given that the national government constantly takes away liberty, and given that even the Constitution has been unable to defend our liberty against the onslaught of the expanding nation-state, what we should now desire is for that national government to be entirely incompetent.

The NSA is competent in its spying on us. That is scary. Our biggest ally in our quest for freedom now is government incompetence. That is the real reason why so many celebrate the failure of Healthcare.gov.  It is not because they are rooting for failure of Obamacare to prove a point. It is because every bit of incompetence in the national government is more freedom for us.

In a wonderful fit of utter incompetence, the writers of Obamacare failed to imagine one of the consequences that is accelerating rapidly: as health insurance costs rise, the clients of the insurance companies are saving money by buying insurance with higher and higher deductibles. To make insurance affordable now, many people accept deductibles that $2000 or even higher. This approaches the catastrophic insurance model that classical liberals have long preferred.

Catastrophic insurance is designed to protect your finances in the event of a health calamity — and this sort of insurance is the cure for the our health care financing woes while still protecting against bankruptcy of the individual. Why? Because if people pay for their own care, up to the level of their insurance kicking in, then they will care about the prices that they pay. It is that simple and that wonderful!

They will bargain, seek out better deals, and comparison shop. Doctors will need to know what they are charging, instead of shrugging when asked. Price competition will appear at the individual level instead of the obscure and distant level of the third party payer.  Moral hazard will be less influential and costs will therefore decline. And declining costs — the normal situation in a free market — makes everything more affordable, and therefore more accessible.

Price competition is what brings down prices while maximizing supply and demand balance.  Of course price competition is entirely the opposite of the price-control insanity that pours out of CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services), and that was an intrinsic desire of the Obamacare writers.

Obamacare may accidentally lead to the establishment of a free market for health care that exists underneath the catastrophic price point of the foolhardy corporatist insurance-mandates. The entire net negative result of Obamacare may be no more than a transfer of wealth from the people to insurance companies.

Which, one wonders, was probably the real intent.

So, praise be government incompetence. The more incompetence, the better.

John F. Hunt is a physician and author of ASSUME THE PHYSICIAN: Modern Medicine’s “Catch-22″.

Prev

A little known rule in the ACA could pose financial risk to doctors

November 17, 2013 Kevin 38
…
Next

Keep your government hands off my EHR

November 17, 2013 Kevin 2
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A little known rule in the ACA could pose financial risk to doctors
Next Post >
Keep your government hands off my EHR

ADVERTISEMENT

More by John F. Hunt, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Inhaled medications: Nefarious reasons for the lack of competition

    John F. Hunt, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    The legal system has serious problems, but who are we to complain?

    John F. Hunt, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    A nurse masters the art of medical slang

    John F. Hunt, MD

More in Policy

  • Why your health care dashboard isn’t working and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

    Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company
  • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

    Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva
  • Why transplant equity requires more than access

    Zamra Amjid, DHSc, MHA
  • Ideology, not evidence, fuels the anti-trans agenda

    Andie Riffer, PhD and Shawn E. Parra, LCSW, MSW
  • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

    Vishruth Nagam
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why your clinic waiting room may affect patient outcomes

      Ziya Altug, PT, DPT and Shirish Sachdeva, PT, DPT | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • Why transplant equity requires more than access

      Zamra Amjid, DHSc, MHA | Policy
    • The ethical crossroads of medicine and legislation

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • How robotics are transforming the next generation of vascular care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How robotics are transforming the next generation of vascular care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The high cost of gender inequity in medicine

      Kolleen Dougherty, MD | Physician
    • Mpox isn’t over: A silent epidemic is growing

      Melvin Sanicas, MD | Conditions
    • How your family system secretly shapes your health

      Su Yeong Kim, PhD | Conditions
    • Women physicians: How can they survive and thrive in academic medicine?

      Elina Maymind, MD | Physician
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 31 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why your clinic waiting room may affect patient outcomes

      Ziya Altug, PT, DPT and Shirish Sachdeva, PT, DPT | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • Why transplant equity requires more than access

      Zamra Amjid, DHSc, MHA | Policy
    • The ethical crossroads of medicine and legislation

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • How robotics are transforming the next generation of vascular care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How robotics are transforming the next generation of vascular care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The high cost of gender inequity in medicine

      Kolleen Dougherty, MD | Physician
    • Mpox isn’t over: A silent epidemic is growing

      Melvin Sanicas, MD | Conditions
    • How your family system secretly shapes your health

      Su Yeong Kim, PhD | Conditions
    • Women physicians: How can they survive and thrive in academic medicine?

      Elina Maymind, MD | Physician
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The unintended beneficial consequences of Obamacare
31 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...