The core problem with government-run health care is that it doesn't make decisions in the best interests of patients, but in the best interests of government. One need only look at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which rations care in England, to see how the Obamacares' medical commissions will be run. These commissions, as outlined in the Baucus bill, are mandated to go after "sources of excess cost growth," meaning treatments that are too expensive or whose coverage will boost spending. Until 2019, the commission will be limited to only heavily regulating Medicare Advantage. But after 2019, such limits are off — which also happens to be roughly the time when ObamaCare's spending explodes. So, for instance, if researchers find a pricey treatment for Alzheimer's in 2020, that might be banned because it would add new costs and bust the global budget. Or it might decide that "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller," as President Obama put it in June.
The only way to take the politics out of health care and bring the costs down are to give individuals more power to control medical dollars. And the first step should be not to create even more government spending commitments.
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