If You Think Healthcare Is Expensive Now, Wait ‘Til It’s “Free”

Maryland “progressives” – but I repeat myself – are shocked, shocked I tell you, that their proposed single payer healthcare system is going to be ruinously expensive…

…well, no.  That’s too charitable.  If they (or any “progressive” with integrity) would admit to shock, or even concern, I’d be subtly impressed.

No.  Maryland progs just want taxpayers to not think about it too hard:

This morning, the largest newspaper in the state, the Baltimore Sun, reports that Maryland’s Department of Legislative Services calculated that the state would have to levy a 10 percent payroll tax against every business and charge a $2,800 fee for every man, woman, and child in the state to raise the needed $24 billion a year.Kevin Harris, a spokesman for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous says that it’s “premature” to talk about what kind of taxes or fees would be raised to pay for the plan. (When would be a good time, then?)

Don’t read the bill ’til you’ve passed it!

Of course, progressivism is, as always, the triumph of ideology (and vestigial idealism) over experience:

This is pretty much what happened in Vermont. Democrats made the bold promises to voters that they would never have to worry about paying for health care ever again, promised to provide details later, won office, formed their commissions and study groups . . . and then when they actually had to translate their idea into a detailed plan, found themselves stunned by the costs and the tax increases that would be necessary to pay for it all. Maryland’s state government currently spends about $44 billion per year, so they would have to increase the state’s spending by 54 percent to enact Jealous’s plan. Of course, some experts, such as those at the Maryland State Medical Society, think enacting the plan could cost even more.

Of course, single-payer is a key part of the endorsed DFL gubernatorial candidates plans in this election cycle.  Vermont and Maryland’s experiences will be carefully excised in any discussions here in Minnesota.

8 thoughts on “If You Think Healthcare Is Expensive Now, Wait ‘Til It’s “Free”

  1. You know, that’s really a concern people should have about a federal system in which states can try their own experiments. What if the first one or two fail? That taints the whole program; much better to have one go at a massive, poorly planned, underfunded, PoS at the national level. Then the media can be coordinated to keep any disappointments, screw-ups, and catastrophes under wraps so that no one knows how badly the PoS is running. Unless and until new monies are needed, in which case, a few disappointing aspects are revealed that can all be resolved with more money.

  2. Meanwhile, Emery still thinks it’s a great idea and is frantically trying to make the math work.

  3. It is pure “genius” to take a population where about a quarter of deaths are due to tobacco, and about a third of deaths are due to poor diet and lack of exercise, and tell them that they won’t pay a financial cost for the expenses of their poor decisions. What could possibly go wrong?

    (as Medicare is something like 100 trillion dollars in the hole when they use honest, non-governmental accounting methods)

  4. There’s no trick to making the math work. Everyone simply has to pay their “fair share.” Which in your case means “a hell of a lot more.” See? Simple.

  5. is frantically trying to make the math work

    That’s why all the extra money is needed.

    Besides, here’s the thing, it’s not even math, it’s effing arithmetic. The kind of thing you’re supposed to learn in the first half of elementary school – I mean, like the easy part of elementary school.

  6. Pingback: In The Mailbox: 07.18.18 : The Other McCain

  7. I’ve got nothing against socialized health care. But you need to have a system that will work with the constitution and federalism, and throw in a wallop of respect for individual decision making and self-responsibility. In other words, something that works for America and not for a socialist utopia.
    Catastrophic healthcare to pay for anything that costs more than $50k/year.
    Coverage for medical expenses incurred by accident or misadventure, paid for by state taxes.
    Maybe paid for with an SS benefit reduction for people who contract “lifestyle” diseases?

  8. There’s no trick to making the math work. Everyone simply has to pay their “fair share.” Which in your case means “a hell of a lot more.” See? Simple.

    Uh, Joe? You don’t understand liberal babble.

    To a liberal, a “fair share” means that someone else pays, not them.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.