Government Vs. The Private Sector
By gewcew23
@gewcew23 (8007)
United States
July 29, 2009 8:13am CST
A government run health care bureaucracy wanted to be created, presented to compete with the private companies. With government run health care like all government monopolies, which will operate with all the efficiency of the post office and all the charm and compassion of the IRS. So why should the private sector have anything to fear? Even when you are being force to compete against something so horribly run as any federal bureaucracy, one cannot ignore it would be difficult to compete with a rival who has all of his capital and operating costs paid out of tax dollars. Whenever government competes with the private sector, it makes sure that the competition is grossly unfair, piling costly regulation after regulation, and tax after tax on the private companies while exempting itself from all of them. This is why the government sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were so profitable for so many years. It is also why so many abysmally performing public schools remain in existence for decades despite their utter failure at educating children.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
29 Jul 09
I work in healthcare. I have taken a course in medical billing for medicare and medicaid. Both are very complicated. I have seen patients denied a medication or treatment due to the regulations and requirements. If these programs are hard to deal with, what will we see with 'new and improved' programs?
2 people like this
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
29 Jul 09
The fact that the public sector cannot do anything as well or as efficiently as the private sector. Any government bureaucracy will be full of waste and excesses. They don't have to answer with their jobs if this is true, as do employees of private companies. It isn't just a question of unfair compensation and CEO bonuses where an employee may feel his compensation is out of line with his performance or his duties - in a government-run program or business, all the money being wasted belongs to us! Despite the number of times we see reports on government waste and huge grants to study ridiculous things or the exorbitant amounts that the government pays for toilet paper and hammers, we still want to believe they can handle something better than the free market?
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (208846)
• United States
29 Jul 09
I think government run health care is OK. I think it is used sucessfully in other places in the world so why wouldnt it work here. I just think there are many things that we can do well in this world and having good healthcare is something that should be a right for everyone.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
29 Jul 09
I have mentioned before, and I will bring to the table again, the issue of government run homeowner's/property insurance which is something we have here in Florida. There were several years following the bad strom season of 2004 when most of the major private insurance carriers either dropped customers and left the state entirely or refused to write new policies. They also increased their rates for existing customers. I was forced to use the government run program and was extremely satisfied with the cost of the premiums as well as their response following Hurricane Wilma. As our governor has continued to entice property insurers to return to Florida, more people have been offered better deals with private companies which is why my personal residence is no longer covered by the state policy. My rental still is and, following Tropical Storm Faye, I saw no difference between the two companies when it came to the speed of their response to my claims, the courtesy and experience of the adjusters and the payout of my claims.
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
29 Jul 09
And I will bring it back to the table you chose to move to Florida. I did not mandate that you should move to Florida. What Florida does with insurance does not affect myself, yet when the Federal government starts doing something that does affect myself. If you want government provided everything, you can have it, leave myself out of it.
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
29 Jul 09
Fine Spalladino let have a govbell, a govmart, a govmall, and govfood. Since everything government does is awesome, by you your standards, government should just get into everything. Why not, they are so great with your insurance, then they should be great at everything.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
29 Jul 09
Florida is not the only state that has government provided property insurance but you have completely missed the point so let me spell it out to you a little more clearly. The state insurance was very efficient, unlike the examples you provided in your discussion of government run agencies that are not. The representatives who answered the phone as well as the claims adjusters who came to my properties were polite and well informed, not rude or stupid. The state insurance did not prevent competition from private insurance carriers since the one I have now sent me an offer of coverage in the mail which costs me LESS each year for the same coverage I had with the state insurance. Your gripe is that government run healtcare will be inefficient and will drive commercial insurance carriers out of business. I give you real life proof that that is not the case in the area of homeowners/property insurance and you insult me. I don't want the government to provide everything but I also don't cry wolf until I see an actual wolf.
@phildozer (284)
• United States
30 Jul 09
When I see this issue come up, it reminds me of another form of government service vs private service that seems to have both sides of the spectrum very content. Of course I am referring to the education system. There are public schools, and there are of course, competing private schools. The private schools offer typically a higher level of education and prestige for those that can afford it, and these schools dont seem to be getting run out of town by the private sector. Public schools offer a much cheaper option that all americans can afford, and the idea is that, at least they are being educated. I for one, think this is a pretty good system. Why should health care be any different?
