Paul Krugman: Gold-Plated Indifference

[Aviation Pro]

Again, Bush shows his indifference to the working class and his penchant for cruelty. Once again, this is a characteristic of his psychotic, sadistic behavior. He must be removed now.

Rest of the article here (subscription required): http://select.nytimes.com/2007/01/22/opinion/22krugman.html?hp=&pagewanted=print


President Bush’s Saturday radio address was devoted to health care, and officials have put out the word that the subject will be a major theme in tomorrow’s State of the Union address. Mr. Bush’s proposal won’t go anywhere. But it’s still worth looking at his remarks, because of what they say about him and his advisers.

On the radio, Mr. Bush suggested that we should “treat health insurance more like home ownership.” He went on to say that “the current tax code encourages home ownership by allowing you to deduct the interest on your mortgage from your taxes. We can reform the tax code, so that it provides a similar incentive for you to buy health insurance.”

Wow. Those are the words of someone with no sense of what it’s like to be uninsured.

[babylonsister]

1. Sorry, this drives me nuts. You post a snip of an article that most can't access

because we don't subscribe? :shrug: I'd LOVE to read it!

[Aviation Pro]

2. The rules of DU are binding....

...I'm simply following them.

[babylonsister]

3. No, it's the "subscription required" I hate, not DU's rules.

But OT, thanks for your info, Aviation Pro.

[Veronica.Franco]

8. Paul Krugman: Additional Notes on Gold-Plated Indifference

Paul Krugman emails more background on his column today. This appears in his Money Talks column and explains some of the economics behind his opposition to the Bush proposal:

Additional Notes on 1/22 Column, "Gold-Plated Indifference": As is often the case, I couldn't fully explain my views in the space available. So I'd like to explain at a bit more length why I'm so opposed to the direction Bush is going.

Basically, everyone agrees that health care is a messed-up sector. But there are two opposing doctrines about what the problem is.

I believe - and the evidence, I think, supports this belief - that the big problem is "adverse selection." An insurance plan offered to everyone at the same rate would be a great deal for relatively sick people, a poor deal for the healthy. So one of two things happens to private insurance. Either plans go into the "adverse selection death spiral," as sick people flock in, driving up rates, driving out more healthy people, and so on. Or insurance companies spend a lot of the money they receive in premiums screening out "high-risk" clients, so that the system has huge overhead and the neediest cases are excluded.

The clean solution to this problem is for the government to provide insurance to everyone. Other rich countries do that. So do we, for older Americans, veterans, and others. Actually, government health insurance is already bigger in America, in dollar terms, than private insurance - it covers fewer people, but that's because the elderly, who cost more, are handled by the government.

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/

[SharonAnn]

4. Try this link. I found it on Buzzflash.com

http://welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/2007/01/paul-krugman-gold-plated-indifference.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Is the picture on that blog the real presidential coin?

Because he looks like an idiot in it. Does the US Mint hate Bush as well?

[ancient_nomad]

5. It can be read here......

Link: http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/


HINT: you may want to bookmark this site ;-)

[reprobate]

7. Currently, health insurance is really "Wealth Insurance" for the well connected

who are invested in the insurance industry.

It would be wonderful to see some policies in this nation that actually DO benefit the average citizen instead of benefiting the wealthy.

It's becoming really hard to stay optimistic about the future of this nation. We are in debt up to our eyebrows both personally and nationally, and that will certainly turn and bite us in the ass soon.

We have a family of crooks leading us. From the 1930s to today the Bush family has been profiting from government connections. It started with Prescott Bush financing cousin Alolph Hitler in his military buildup before WWII, and continues to this day. Younger brother Neil Bush has reportedly made three billion dollars by supplying preparation software for the FCAT. Look Here for the facts.

It's now up to the Progressive wing of the Democratic party to be the force for change, although it will be hard for them to make significant changes with the corporate control of money for re-election campaigns. The next couple of years will be the tell.

Impeachment is still the only hope for us IMHO.

[Aviation Pro]

9. Don't..... get..... me..... started.....

...on the FCATs, the worst diagnostic tool ever inflicted on children.

[many a good man]

10. "...the big problem is "adverse selection."

"The clean solution to this problem is for the government to provide insurance to everyone."

SHARED RISK is the ONLY way to contain skyrocketing insurance costs. There's no getting around it.

[reprobate]

11. Correct. And the lowest premiums come with EVERYONE participating.

Old insurance canard: The bigger the pool, the lower the cost. Biggest pool= lowest cost.