Be careful what you wish for...

The other day, Mike posted about the efficiency of Britain's Much Vaunted National Health System©, and made this observation:"[T]he UK has for years led the US in terms of restrictions on its citizens’ access to specialized medical services and newer technologies.  In many respects, such restrictions make sense where overutilization is known to occur; in many other respects, setting an army of bureaucrats on a mission to "cut medical costs" is a terrifying idea."He went on to note that we're now "committed to a [similar] path over the next 20 years." To which I would reply: You wish it was that far out:"More than 300 patient advocacy groups recently wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to complain about some insurer tactics that "are highly discriminatory against patients with chronic health conditions"And what's their beef?"Coverage of expensive drugs tops their concerns."No kidding.Here's the very simple Econ 101 response: you can have it good, you can have it fast, you can have it cheap.Pick any two.That is, when carriers are forced to accept all comers, regardless of their health and what meds they're on, and to cover any and all pre-existing conditions, something's going to give: astronomical premiums, restricted networks, or lower drug coverage.Or maybe all three.The folks behind the complaints clearly understand what's at stake:"[The Administration] ought to make it very clear that if there is any kind of discrimination against peopl...
Source: InsureBlog - Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs