Good Arguments Against National Health Insurance

I saw this on the New Republic blog. It was a comment by someone named "Sven" rebutting liberal wheenie Jonathan Cohn's article calling for single-payer health insurance here in the USA. IMO, Sven made some great points:

Sven's comment follows:

"You have it dead wrong. My high school debate team covered the topic: the US should adopt the French health care model.

First, the polls, an overwhelming majority of Americans want universal coverage.

Second, a similar majority wants the government out.

First, costs: here are the major items explaining the difference in French and US costs: (a) doctor and nurse salaries-30%; (b) drugs-10% (France negotiates lower prices); and (c) torts-25% (malpractice premiums and defensive medicine).

Second, the US could match EU prices on drugs-they all negotiate lower prices, but, first, all drug maker profits and RD expenditures would be wiped out and EU countries delay use of emerging, important and life saving drugs.

Third, most of the developed countries who have "national" health care absolutely ration care.

Fourth, the 45 million uninsured is a canard:
1/3 of them qualify for Medicaid and simply don't appy,
1/3 make $50,000 a year, with employers paying 75% of the premiums and simply don't secure coverage (10% of the Japanese-which has non-profit insurance companies-don't secure coverage either) and
1/3 are immigrants (which many countries don't cover anyway).

Fifth, EU countries impose an employer tax of 13% to cover the population-do that here and unemployment will skyrocket.

Sixth, the EU model of tax and spend is horrible-their economic growth is lower than the US and their unemployment rates are higher than the US. OECD studies confirm that progressive income taxes (the more progressive the worse results) significantly depress growth and jobs. It's harder than you think.

The GOP aren't slaves to big business-they just see what happens when you advance the nanny state.

Study what happened in India when they moved to a free market economy. There was and is a reason Americans don't buy your nationalized health care model-it doesn't work and it's not good for them."