Health Care

Here is the original idea:

No American is entitled to health care provided at the expense of another American. No American should be forced to pay for the health care or health insurance of any other American — regardless of how poor, old, sick, disabled, or needy that other American is. All charity should be private and voluntary. Health care is not a right; it is a service that can and should be provided on the free market just like any other service. (click here)

Here is what happened:

How the U.S. Government ruined its healthcare industry: A brief history.

Health Care is highly regulated. This explains why it is also very expensive.

Since 1965 the United States population increased by about 60% to 325 million.

During the same period health care expenditures increased about 8,000% from $41 billion to about $3,300 billion. On a per capita basis, it went from $209 to $10,348. Health care, as a percent of the Gross Domestic Product, went from 5.2 to 17.9%.
https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nhe-fact-sheet.htmlf

Federal health insurance programs have a significant effect on the total health care industry which is fast becoming unaffordable to almost everyone except those who get it for 'free'.

Congress passed legislation in 1965 establishing the Medicare and the Medicaid programs as Title XVIII and Title XIX of the Social Security Act. On July 30, 1965, as part of his 'War On Poverty'. 

Medicare for the poor aged is an extension of the original Social Security Act and financed much like the Trust Fund. Like the Trust Fund it has no surplus, no savings, no assets, only federal IOUs. Between 1970 and 2017 expenditures went from $7.1 billion to $707.1 billion. (see: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/Downloads/TR2018.pdf)

Medicaid expenditures for poor adults and children, financed directly by the treasury, are largely out of control and demand an ever expanding part of government budgets and the economy. Between 1966 and 2017 expenditures for this program went from under $1 billion to $509.5 billion. (see: https://www.statista.com/statistics/245348/total-medicaid-expenditure-since-1966/ )

Medicare and Medicaid are administered by the Health Care Financing Administration. Like the Social Security retirement program, both medical programs are flirting with financial catastrophe. 

Taxes to pay for government health insurance and premiums for private insurance become part of The Commons and available for exploitation including waste, fraud, abuse and corruption. For examples see:

Welcome to the weird world of medical billing... where frauds are all legal.

12 percent in improper payments isn’t an error rate — it’s a malfeasance rate.

Fraud and billing mistakes cost Medicare — and taxpayers — tens of billions last year

U.S. Charges 412, Including Doctors, in $1.3 Billion Health Fraud

How Does Medicare Fraud and Abuse Occur?

Healthcare frauds and settlements in 2017: Running list

Examples of Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Drug Abusers Exploiting Medicare Benefit

How Medicaid Became A Go-To Funder For Schools

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The Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") is the latest failed government solution to fix prior failed government health care solutions. ObamaCare has failed miserably because it lacks free-market principles and is a one-size-fits all, centrally planned boondoggle. Click here for more

Is Obamacare really affordable? Not for the middle class. 

Soon the country may see Medicare For All.

The Unseen Costs of "Medicare for All" .

Free government health care is unaffordably expensive. If you want to see more on government health care click here.

How can more expensive health care be in the public interest? 

Whose interests are served?  

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