Comments on: Ezra Klein vs. Andrew Sullivan http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/02/19/ezra-klein-vs-andrew-sullivan/ Tue, 22 May 2012 08:04:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Who Chooses Your Surgeon, You or Someone You’ve Never Met? « Laissez-faire Healthcare Blog http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/02/19/ezra-klein-vs-andrew-sullivan/comment-page-1/#comment-545 Who Chooses Your Surgeon, You or Someone You’ve Never Met? « Laissez-faire Healthcare Blog Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:54:59 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/02/19/ezra-klein-vs-andrew-sullivan/#comment-545 [...] and Peter Suderman debate the government’s role in the future of U.S. Health Care (thank you Healthcare Economist).  Whose argument carries more [...] [...] and Peter Suderman debate the government’s role in the future of U.S. Health Care (thank you Healthcare Economist).  Whose argument carries more [...]

]]> By: Donald E. L. Johnson http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/02/19/ezra-klein-vs-andrew-sullivan/comment-page-1/#comment-544 Donald E. L. Johnson Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:05:04 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/02/19/ezra-klein-vs-andrew-sullivan/#comment-544 I posted a comment at American Prospect that was rejected and lost. As an economist, I'm sure you see that Ezra is asking the wrong question. He's talking about patients shopping for providers, treatments and drugs, which is a straw man. The real question is, do consumers shop for insurers and policies when they have financial incentives to do so? And, of course, the answer is, yes, consumers shop for HSAs, individual policies, and employers who offer the best health plans. Under Medicare, Medicaid, VA health care and other socialized medicine schemes, consumers have little or no financial incentives to shop for insurers or policies, and they don't. I posted a comment at American Prospect that was rejected and lost.

As an economist, I’m sure you see that Ezra is asking the wrong question. He’s talking about patients shopping for providers, treatments and drugs, which is a straw man. The real question is, do consumers shop for insurers and policies when they have financial incentives to do so?

And, of course, the answer is, yes, consumers shop for HSAs, individual policies, and employers who offer the best health plans.

Under Medicare, Medicaid, VA health care and other socialized medicine schemes, consumers have little or no financial incentives to shop for insurers or policies, and they don’t.

]]>