The Affordable Care Act

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Originally Posted by finnbow

A true free market isn't possible in health care. It doesn't exist anywhere in the developed world because it can't exist. A true free market requires a consumer with full information on the product he's buying from cost to alternatives to relative effectiveness, etc ....

Unless you know and understand all the details of every possible disease, medical procedure, drug, hospital performance, and rehab option to include their costs and relative effectiveness, an informed decision is impossible. So, how exactly are you going to evaluate all these things for an unexpected heart attack, stroke, broken leg, car accident or acute illness? Anybody that tells you that a free market in health care is possible doesn't understand both health care and free markets.

One of the very few items in the entire health care arena where a free market exists is eyeglasses. I've listened to Rand Paul say that the health care system should be designed like an optical shop where you can browse eyeglasses and compare fit, looks and price. This isn't a good analog for treating cancer, heart disease, diabetes or a broken leg, however. He's an ophthalmologist and his analysis brings to mind a saying "To a carpenter, every problem looks like a nail."

OTOH, free market choices can be made between insurance plans if the plans from all companies are designed identically (or very similarly). With this, you can compare apples to apples and select on price alone. This is exactly what Obamacare does in its 4 levels of plans (bronze, silver, gold, platinum).

ACA is not changing the medical care procedure side.

It's Insurance that we need open to competition.

We could definitely have an open market on picking and choosing who we want to hire as our insurance provider.