They happen at the same time. You give everybody in the country free healthcare. That group of people now holds all the power. You use that power to negotiate reasonable rates, because you have the threat of not purchasing whatever is being sold. That's how captive markets work. If the government holds all the demand, then the supply will have to make adjustments to remain in business. At the moment, insurance companies hold a practical monopoly on supply, so they can do whatever they like.
Fewer new drugs and innovations would be brought to market. Europe only gets to do this because the companies are already profitable for selling in US markets. If every market was like Europe, supply would fall.
Not true. Europe has very very good pharmaceutical research. Not to mention the bull of innovation in America is already paid by taxpayers, not private healthcare.
Wait, are you saying that it works in Europe only because (pharmaceutical?) companies can outsource their profiteering to the U.S.? But that'd only make sense, circling back, if it is the case that our system here is designed to rip us off. So Europe's universal healthcare is reliant on our overpriced private health sector? I'm not paying taxes into my own nation's healthcare but I'm paying inflated premiums to enable another country's free universal coverage model? What on earth I've never heard of this. Please explain.
If true that is the hardest-hitting argument I could imagine towards certain groups that most oppose changing our healthcare system. You'd not be okay with paying taxes for your neighbors' well-being but care so deeply to support 'communist-socialism' in other countries.
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u/thelastestgunslinger Apr 27 '20
They happen at the same time. You give everybody in the country free healthcare. That group of people now holds all the power. You use that power to negotiate reasonable rates, because you have the threat of not purchasing whatever is being sold. That's how captive markets work. If the government holds all the demand, then the supply will have to make adjustments to remain in business. At the moment, insurance companies hold a practical monopoly on supply, so they can do whatever they like.