Patient Power

Barney Frank: “public option” is “best way to reach single payer”

Representative Barney Frank says it 30 seconds into this video:

Remember what single payer medicine means: government is, by definition, the single and only entity that pays for medical care.  All physicians and providers of medical care would essentially work for the government, and be accountable to government.  If you want a certain type of medical care, just hope it’s in the interest of the bureaucrat who has the power to make that decision.  Because it will not be your decision.

Frank refers to the “power” of the public option.  He means guns and the threat of being put in prison for not paying for it.  This is the power of any government program.

Not that the status quo is good. No, it stinks.  For recommendations see these articles that summarize free-market health care reforms.

(via Cato at Liberty)

• Jared Polis: what’s your real reason for pushing the “public option”?
• Michael Bennet’s lame support for “public option” via reconciliation
• Tony Soprano and the “public plan”
• Government health co-op: public plan in disguise?
• Harry Reid’s “compromise” FEHB public option a bad deal