1. What are the lessons of military schools?
2. Fancy Fast Food.
3. 61 [sic] essential reads of postmodern literature.
4. The fate of Massachusetts health care reform. Ezra Klein offers a different perspective. Lots is at stake here.
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The reforms being implemented in MA have been tried before by HMOs, and they were extremely unpopular with both doctors and patients.
Regarding Klein’s piece, I don’t get it. Is he even making an argument? It sounds like he’s saying, “This has to work, because otherwise it will fail.” I’m not being sarcastic. Those who are fans of these plans for government guarantees of universal coverage, please explain Klein’s post.
If the 40 I haven’t read are as good as the 21 I have read, I’d bet that’s a pretty good list. It at least inspires me to start on the copy of 2666 tonight…. the one I’ve been staring at for three months.
Once again we see smart people only making observations that confirm their preexisting biases. Yglesias may praise the centralization of military schools, but what is the lesson he takes from the increased parental involvement? Try to change poor parents’ behavior and you’ll get labeled a paternalist at best, a racist at worst.
Bob Murphy:
“Regarding Klein’s piece, I don’t get it. It sounds like he’s saying, “This has to work, because otherwise it will fail.”"
Why so eager to tilt at straw men? All Ezra’s post says is essentially:
The announcement signals there is political will to actually contain costs.
This is good for the long term prospects of universal health care in MA.
Now if you want to say it won’t impact on costs, feel free to do so. If you want to find a substantial argument for it and counter that, feel free. One thing you shouldn’t do is stuff words in Ezra Klein’s mouth that are nothing like what he is saying.
“Klein, who makes a mean kung pao, will also be a regular contributor to The Post’s Food section. He contributes to the group food blog the Internet Food Association.”
This and a job as newspaper columunist provides what particular credential or expertise on “healthcare”, whether from the clinical or financial side?
“The announcement signals there is political will to actually contain costs. This is good for the long term prospects of universal health care in MA.”
Not to be confused with the long term prospects of patient’s health care in MA.
Klein has published a book on health care reform. On this basis I would bet he considers himself an expert.
He has a simple view that the problem is essentially third party payments–
it is hard to say whether he is really down on the government or the insurance companies more.
If each individual had to pay out of pocket he believes demand would keep prices from rising.
And as with many other libertarian solutions, there are never any unintended consequences to his proposal.
He has also rejected the suggestion that a large part of the Massachusetts problem was that they massively underestimated the size of the un or under insured population. And of course a national program would not face the same problem , right?
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