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The 2010 Health Care Reform Should be Repealed

In March 2010, Barack Obama passed Health Care Reform Legislation. This legislation has generated substantial controversy. I argue that Health Care Reform should be repealed in its entirety. The Bill represents a massive expansion of government into a sector that has already been severely distorted by government policies. It includes hundreds of new regulations, massive tax increases, and a huge increase in debt. On top of all that, this bill will lead to rationing and wait times like they have in other Universal Health Care Systems abroad in countries like Canada and in American states like Massachusetts. The Canadian system has to deal with chronic waiting times and weak quality. In Massachusetts, where a form of Universal Health Care was implemented, people have to wait almost twice as long for care as they do in other states while prices have had massive increases. Massachusetts now has the most expensive Health Care System in the Country. The 2010 Health Care Legislation included a massive expansion of Medicaid, a program that is very unsuccessful. Numerous studies find that Medicaid has a negligible effect on its recipient's health. This is largely due to the fact that Medicaid patients have to wait long periods of time for care, because most doctors don't take Medicaid Patients due to low reimbursements and innefficiency. It also includes an employer mandate, which will simply worsen the problem our Health Care System already has: People don't pay for their own Health Care. We need to move towards a more consumer driven system for Health Care that will drive down costs and improve quality. This has happened with Lasik Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery where prices have fallen and quality has improved. Both of these services are not covered by insurance, meaning patients pay for their own Health Care. This gives consumers an incentive to shop for lower prices and more quality. This debate is not just about the 2010 Health Care Reform. This is also about Single Payer Health Care Systems, and whether or not they have succeeded (I argue that Single Payer is a failure). Advocates of Single Payer or Socialized Medicine are welcome to this debate as well, even if they oppose the 2010 Health Care Reform. This debate is about broader Health Care Policy. I personally advocate moving towards a more consumer driven system, that will be included in this debate as well.