My Questions about Health Care
Setting aside whether Article 1 grants Congress the right to support health insurance for all under the "promote the general welfare" clause (I can see why people take both sides), I want to think about the financial issues related to reform of health insurance itself. What I write is not academic, but reflects my best current understanding of how things work. I have not found the debate to actually address these core issues. I accept the following premises: That the total costs of providing health care are growing at an unacceptably high rate. That the current rate of increase of health insurance premiums, if not controlled, will lead to higher rates of individuals not carrying health insurance. Individuals with insurance are more likely to obtain less expensive services before expensive critical care services must be provided. Uninsured individuals are more likely to wait until health needs are critical, then get emergency care. These costs have a high likelihood of bein...