Noah on Health Care Reform

Timothy Noah wrote about misstatements about Medicare and Medicaid from the right in "The Medicare-Isn't-Government Meme, Part 2," for Slate (August 12, 2009).  I believe that the source of the misstatements is that these government programs use tax revenues to fund the purchase of private medical care.  In countries that have government run health care sectors regulatory reform that allowed private provision of medical services with government funding would be considered a step toward market provision of medical care.  In the United States, expansion of public funding would be a small step toward government provision.  If you believe that all citizens should have access to medical care regardless of ability to pay then government funding is necessary and private provision is an option in providing that access.   

Noah correctly points out quotes by Arthur Laffer and former Sen. John Breaux, La., that insinuate that Medicare and Medicaid are private programs (Noah's links are retained).  He also attacks Claude Pepper, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, the latter with less efficacy.  It is a good article and deserves to be read. 
Replace this text with...