Lee: I hadn’t considered that (overseas luxury medical retreats), but it sounds awfully plausible, doesn’t it?

‘seester: As soon as I’m sure we’re done–so, maybe another couple of months–I’ll share the numbers from Lea’s recent treatment.

nhfalcon: Beyond field units in theater, I don’t think there should be any such thing as a government hospital. There are many ways for government to help needy citizens with health care without owning the thing. That’s what I’m getting at above–a monstrous, multi-trillion dollar government program is not the only alternative to the status quo.

I’d invite you also to think much more critically about whether any government bureaucracy can ever even approach “incorruptible.” Those overseeing government programs, above all else, seek to keep more and more money flowing. Period. That is practically axiomatic.

Distorted market forces are one reason health care is in the shape it’s in. Said distorted forces are a direct result of too much government, not insufficient government. Lack of tort reform is another big reason. Fear of liability is badly stifling any truly innovative thinking.

Kudlow expanded his blog post into a column today.

The bill was $2500, but the insurance paid $500 and the doctor/lab accepts that as payment in full. Yeah, $500 is a lot of money, but only 20% of the number the gov’t is using as “cost.”

I’m guessing Obamacare will result in those luxury medical retreats you blogged about previoulsy springing up in places like Costa Rica. The wealthy will still have access to the best medicine money can buy. The working classes will be forced to rely on what will surely be a bureaucracy laden incompetent government worker union controlled disaster.

The markets are voting with their pocket book lately.

When I say “Why in the world do you think They will do it?” I don’t mean that I doubt their resolve. I think we’re in real danger of getting this good and hard, and oops, they forgot to budget for K-Y.

What I mean is, they’re telling you this is going to be better for you. Why would you believe that it is? When has massive government control of a formerly private enterprise ever gone well? When has it ever been good for the individual?

We’re committing the fallacy of the excluded middle en masse. That there are problems in the current system does not automatically mean that gargantuan federal control is the only solution. The voices suggesting intermediate measures that do not cost trillions of dollars are not nearly loud enough.