The Prices That We Pay To Healthcare Providers Is The Real Problem In The US

Dean Baker does not like the argument below that frames the healthcare debate in moral terms.  He argues that even Tea Party members like Medicare.  They are not rugged individualists.  They have other reasons for opposing ACA which he describes.  Baker believes that if we paid the same prices for healthcare as the rest of the world, we could have Medicare for everyone.  That, however, has been the third rail of healthcare reform in the US.  ACA attempts to deal with that issue by putting the burden on insurance companies, and by making changes to Medicare that might reduce prices.  This was done to get the bill passed without getting the insurance industry, and all of the healthcare provider industries opposed to reform.  This is not the most efficient way to reform the system, but it does expand access to healthcare  and it may set the stage for future reforms.  Social Security, for example, had many flaws when it was introduced.  It has evolved into a better program over time.