GOVEROTRAGEOUS: “Health Insurance” has been screwed up since the World War II wage and price controls

Saturday, April 25, 2026

FROM AN EMAIL BY:

Tom Woods (HappyEarner.com) 
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-04-22>>
RE: I have a series of eBooks called “Your Facebook Friends Are Wrong About….”

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The first title in my series was Your Facebook Friends Are Wrong About Health Care — appropriate, since everybody knows there’s something wrong with the system, but few understand where the blame really belongs.

The problem is not a lack of government involvement: wherever government involvement is least felt — direct primary care practices, for example, or areas like LASIK or cosmetic surgery — the system works by far the best.

The “insurance” part of the system is particularly screwed up — it came into existence thanks to World War II wage and price controls, and it’s subject to crazy restrictions and mandates.

In our screwed-up society people talk a lot about creating “parallel institutions” — and then they do nothing.

CrowdHealth actually created a parallel institution. It’s an alternative to health insurance, and it operates in parallel to the insane system everyone else is trapped in.

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I’ve blogged about this before.  I think many times.  It came to the forefront in my “attention space” when I had to get “health insurance” for my minor child.  What a fúçĸĭṅğ disaster!  And, I don’t use that word lightly.

I had two experts, and my insurance carrier that couldn’t make heads or tails out of my problem. 

In trying to solve it, I had the “fun” of calling my insurance carrier and being greeted with a “dead end” message (basically tummy you to buzz off) “call back during normal business hours” on a Tuesday at noon EDST. Argh!

Imagine if your life insurance or car insurance was tied to your employment.

Argh!

I’m writing my representatives to disconnect “insurance” from “employment” by removing the business tax deduction for “insurance” ASAP!

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ECONOMICS: Remember you get what you pay for … …

Friday, August 30, 2024

FROM NEXTDOOR

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John German  — Milltown  —  2024-08Aug-20

I keep reading about people getting ripped off by home improvement people.

1) If you aren’t given a detailed quote on letterhead with a physical address you are taking a chance.

2) If you hire a tradesperson without a license, you are taking a chance. A licensed individual is accountable for his/her license and usually will not risk getting board complaints.

3) If you hire a person who has no insurance, you are taking a big chance. Ask for proof of insurance. If a contractor shows up at your house with a crew of day laborers and has no workers comp. insurance you can be held liable if they get hurt on your property.

4) A contractor should have the business name, location, license # on their trucks. That’s a law.

There is a reason some contractors charge more money, it’s called overhead. Licensed workers and insurance are for your protection. 

Years ago, a friend of mine hired a guy “on the side” to put in an oil burner. The guy did a lousy job with the connections. A day later, a line leaked. His entire 500 gallon oil tank sprayed out onto the basement floor. It went into the sump pump and it got discharged into his backyard which had a stream. 500 gallons of heating oil into the stream and the inexpensive guy was nowhere to be found.

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Remember you get what you pay for … …

… … sometimes “cheap” is much more expensive.

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RANT: ObamaCare “death panels”

Friday, August 2, 2013

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2013/07/31/Howard-Dean-Admits-Palin-Was-Right-About-Death-Panels

HANNITY: HOWARD DEAN ADMITTED PALIN WAS RIGHT ABOUT DEATH PANELS

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FOX NEWS INSIDER – There is more proof that the ObamaCare “death panels” are alive and well. The former head of the Democratic Party, who also happens to be a medical doctor, is sounding the alarm. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Howard Dean calls out a “major problem” with the health care law, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Sarah Palin, who warned against death panels in 2010, reacted on Tuesday night’s Hannity.

Sean Hannity broke down why this is important. First, a high-profile Democrat and one-time medical doctor is admitting that this board is a “health care rationing body.” Second, he pointed out that Dean is acknowledging that IPAB has the authority to “stop certain treatments.”

Finally, Hannity said it serves as another frightening reminder that the American people were misled by the president and other Democrats, including Dean, about ObamaCare. President Obama stated in 2009, “Every credible person who has looked into it has said there are no so-called death panels – an offensive notion to me and to the American people. These are phony claims meant to divide us.”

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Of course, when “rationing”, there’s a financial incentive to “thin the heard”. Stop paying Medicare, Social Security, and collect the various “death taxes”.

Wake up, Sheeple!

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GOLDBUG: Waiting lists for coins and bars?

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/gold/10028183/Gold-buyers-forced-to-go-on-waiting-list.html

HOME»FINANCE»PERSONAL FINANCE»INVESTING»GOLD
Gold buyers forced to go on waiting list
Gold buyers are having to wait up to six weeks for their bars and coins after a price dip led to increased interest.

By Rosie Murray-West3:55PM BST 30 Apr 201358

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Investment company Physical Gold said there were waiting lists of three weeks for some coins, and four to six weeks for gold bars. “Previously all would have been available within a few days,” the company said.
The company said that it had seen a 50pc increase in enquiries about purchasing gold and a 35pc increase in sales, with people buying tax-free gold coins. “We are now starting to experience physical gold shortages,” said Daniel Fisher, CEO of Physical Gold.

“In particular there are waiting times on some gold bars and a real difficulty in obtaining mixed year Sovereigns. “However, many clients are willing to ‘do a deal’ and wait for delivery as they want to secure the current price as they feel it will be higher in the near future.”

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Yeah, the price drops on “paper” gold, but premiums (seniorage) on “hard” gold goes up.

Now who doesn’t think the Sheeple and Clovers aren’t being manipulated?

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ECONOMICS: Rebuilding in Flood Zones

Saturday, March 16, 2013

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2013/03/rebuilding-in-flood-zones/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBigPicture+%28The+Big+Picture%29

Rebuilding in Flood Zones
By Barry Ritholtz – March 10th, 2013, 3:00PM

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Isn’t this the definition of insanity?

And as a taxpayer, why am I on the hook?

Argh!

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MONEY: Sometimes it’s smart to take the offer?

Saturday, November 10, 2012

http://www.doughroller.net/insurance/dont-make-these-mistakes-when-buying-life-insurance/

Don’t Make These Mistakes When Buying Life Insurance
by ROB BERGER
in INSURANCE

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3. Holding Out for A Better Offer

The most recent and biggest screw up we saw had to do with a 30 year old female applying for a $1 million term policy. After asking all the basic medical conditions, she gave us the impression that she would get approved at a Preferred rate. With her age and the amount she needed, we anticipated her rate to be about $70 per month.

After the initial paramedical exam, they found that her cholesterol was a little on the high side; and not just a little on the high side, high enough where instead of being Preferred she was rated a Standard Table B (essentially that means she was knocked down four table classes). That means her rate went from $70 a month to $162 a month. The insurance company made this offer without requesting her APS, otherwise known at the Attending Physician Statement. Your APS contains your entire medical background. If you have any medical history, then there is a pretty good chance that the life insurance company will request your APS.

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I’ve been always been a firm adherent to the “take the deal”. Have to bird in the hand; rather than two in that bush over there.

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POLITICAL: The debate is really NOT about “insurance”

Sunday, March 4, 2012

http://peadarroe.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/a-woman-said

A Woman Said
Posted on February 24, 2012

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What follows was part of a discussion on a well known “social media site”.  I copied it because I thought it said a lot about a great divide in our country, the one between two kinds of people, two generations, two different world views, two different cultures.  It was occasioned by the appearance of a cartoon showing the President of these Untied States wearing the clerical robes of a pope.  It was s satirical cartoon designed for strong reactions, and it got them.  People objected to the artist’s robing Obama as the Catholic Pontiff, commented on his support for abortion and his refusal to recognize the conscience rights of Catholics.  Someone, a young woman, wrote:

I find it disturbing, but I’m mostly offended by the commentary it represents. I don’t like Obama, but I don’t find him to be any more “tyrannical” or arrogant than any other President we’ve had. Calling him a Communist really just illuminates one’s complete misunderstanding of communism, and the equation of abortion with the Holocaust as well as the implication that requiring insurance to cover birth control is equal to abortion, just pisses me off.

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As for the requirement that private employer’s insurance policies cover contraception – I could go on at length about the necessity of hormonal birth control for many women (such as myself) for entirely NON-birth control related reasons (if I don’t take it, I get terrible cysts due to my endometriosis – cysts that may very well prevent me from getting pregnant in the future when I choose to) – but also that I don’t think an employer, whether or not it’s the Catholic church, should be making the medical decisions of its employees. Removing one area of coverage allows others to be chipped away at – and employers and insurance companies may find it in their interest to lower premiums by not covering many routine [JR: My emphasis.] and/or necessary procedures they chose not to agree with for whatever reason.

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Stepping out from the pro-choice / pro-life debate for a moment, I’d suggest that we all focus for a moment on the word “routine”. To me that means, “ordinary and predictable”. And, are we talking about “insurance”? Where a bunch of folks with the same random risk profile pool their premiums to be paid out when that fire, flood, or tornado hits. Here we have a lady arguing that we, as a society, should “insure” “oil changes for our cars.” Where is the random disaster in an “oil change”? Went to aa Jiffy Lube / Oil Well / or some such place last week. In and out for under $100 in ½ hour. Now envision if it was insured. Call 1-800-thrid world country, file a report, yada yada. No way that was going to cost under $100 and less than ½ hour. In principle, it’s the same. Forcing “insurance companies” into the position of paying for “routine” stuff is just wrong. So, if this is NOT about “insurance”, then it must be about “politics”, propaganda, and manipulation. So this circles us back to the pro-life / pro-choice debate. Because it’s OBVIOUSLY NOT about “insurance”. imho. ymmv.

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MONEY: “Unemployment Insurance”, a Gooferment scam

Saturday, September 4, 2010

http://irisheagle.blogspot.com/2010/08/govteu-funds-hard-to-find-for-laid-off.html

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the EU’s much heralded relief for Waterford in the wake of the crystal factory closing down has not worked out the way the workers thought it would.

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Perhaps, “unemployment compensation” is a scam played on “We, The People” for the benefit of the “caring” politicians and bureaucrats, who need an excuse for a public paycheck.

Why is it that, in the free market, you can buy: car, fire, life, disability, homeowners / renters, and even umbrella insurance? But not “unemployment”???

(Why would anyone insure one’s umbrella?)

The answer is that it’s not a relatively random rare event that hits a pool of people who can pool the risk.

Like “social security insurance”, Obamacare (Which is socialized medicine), Medicare, Medicaid, or FDIC bank insurance, NONE of these is TRUE insurance. These, like “unemployment insurance” are really welfare programs in disguise.

Insurance companies serve several very useful functions: find people for the pool, estimate the risks, collect all the premiums, invest the money so it’s available when needed, investigate claims, and pay off as needed.

All done at a reasonable cost for administrative and profit. When you think in terms of taxes paid versus funds dispense, you have to wonder how much “unemployment insurance” costs. See what is deducted form every paycheck everywhere is no way the true cost. And, when you consider that the bureaucrats are earning hefty salaries with life time benefits and pensions that can be “stuffed” at the end (i.e., bureaucrats work “overtime” in their last years to score an enhanced, often obscene, pension).

Of all the insurances, “life” insurance is the perfect model. Everyone probably wants to share that catastrophic risk. In large populations, the risk is easily estimated. Fraudulent claims are few and far between. Premiums are low by any measure. Especially when bought young.

So, “We, The People” have to resist politicians going into the “insurance” business and embrace the “evil” insurance companies for their ability to cheaply pool our risks.

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RANT: The fall out from Obamacare begins

Sunday, July 25, 2010

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Some-insurers-stop-writing-apf-1129458619.html?x=0&.v=1

Some insurers stop writing new coverage for kids
Ahead of requirement to cover kids with medical problems, some insurers drop out
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Writer, On Friday July 23, 2010, 8:03 pm EDT

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida issues about 9,000 to 10,000 new policies a year that only cover children. Vice president Randy Kammer said the company’s experts calculated that guaranteeing coverage for children could raise premiums for other individual policy holders by as much as 20 percent.

“We believe that the majority of people who would buy this policy were going to use it immediately, probably for high cost claims,” said Kammer. “Guaranteed issue means you could technically buy it on the way to the hospital.”

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Romney care, Obama care, any kind of care … politicians and bureaucrats always make the same mistake — static analysis.

As a fat old white guy injineer, one of the first classes I took was “Static Analysis”. OK tough enough. Immediately followed by “Dynamic Analysis”. Now we let things move. Way way way more difficult.

So to in economics, people react to what is done, or not done, or even what is threatened to be done, and begin to act in their own self-interest. As any reasonable person would do!

That’s why, after the politicians raised the millionaires’ tax in Maryland, suddenly the next year there are a lot less millionaires in Maryland.

Do these politicians and bureaucrats think that they are the only ones who can read the tea eaves, make a plan, and carry it out?

Every beginning hunter learns quickly to lead the target.

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NEWJERSEY: “Pivatize” DMV; just return it to the Insurance Companies

Saturday, July 17, 2010

http://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/070910_Christie_looks_to_privatize_motor_vehicle_inspections.html

Christie looks to privatize motor vehicle inspections, other services
Friday, July 9, 2010 Last updated: Thursday July 8, 2010, 10:20 PM
BY CLAIRE HEININGER State House Bureau

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New Jersey would close its centralized car inspection lanes and motorists would pay for their own emissions tests under a sweeping set of recommendations set to be released by the Christie administration today. State parks, psychiatric hospitals and even turnpike toll booths could also be run by private operators, according to the 57-page report on privatization obtained by The Star-Ledger. Preschool classrooms would no longer be built at public expense, state employees would pay for parking and private vendors would dish out food, deliver health care and run education programs behind prison walls.

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So, now, libertarians in training, pay close attention to another lesson in Gooferment!

Why is the State involved at all in “car inspection”?

Yes, little Johnny, you had your hand up first.

“To steal wealth from the people while forcing them to do what the State wants them to do!”

Verrrry gooood.

Before we had Gooferment car inspections, we people killing themselves deliberately in unsafe cars? Were innocents being killed or injured by unsafe cars? As a matter of fact, if you caused an accident, your lawyer would have to defend that claim in a court. If the plaintiff (i.e., plain “tiff” which is a computer picture format. Funny?) could prove that the defendant’s car was a POS, then the jury would punish plaintiff. And, plantiff’s insurance company. (Do you see where I am going here?)

Fast forward to today. All accidents are “no fault” and the State inspect your car that we all pay for in our taxes.

Who won on that proposition?

Insurance companies (transferring their costs to the taxpayer), politicians (rewarded by the insurance companies while they had contracts and jobs to give their friends), and bureaucrats (who had cushy jobs to earn big bucks and big pensions).

And, “We, The People” get our wealth stolen, while we still have to check our own cars for safety on a regular basis.

(BTW — By The Way — for extra credit, why not take a stab at guessing how the new and used car dealers felt about “mandatory inspections”? Just follow the money and it will all be revealed to you.)

Following along the same logic.

What would happen if “Governor Christie” really wanted to “privatize”?

“My fellow Taxpayers: There’s no reason for the State of New Jersey to be involved in the current auto scam at the behest of the Insurance Companies. So effective <Pick your favorite date. July 4th 2011?> People will be responsible for themselves, their actions, and the consequences of those actions. Good bye ‘no fault’ accidents. Should you have an accident. The police will arrest all involved who can not prove they have adequate in-force insurance. Those arrested will have adequate opportunity to post bond *in the amount of the accident’s cost. I have directed by my Commissioner of Insurance to come up with an easily understood table mapping the number of cars, number of injured, number of killed, and estimated property damage to the bond amount. (In all but the simplest fender benders, it will be in the millions. So if I were you I’d get insurance. Insurance companies, who are recognized by the State as deserving and credit worthy, will be allowed to sell drivers ‘insurance’. Proof of such insurance will be accepted by the police at accidents to be evidence of fiscal responsibility and allow the drivers to proceed without arrest. It will be responsibility of the Insurance company to identify the drivers they insure, the cars then insure, and all processes concerning that. The Gooferment will operate the police and courts as before. OK, now let’s stay safe out there.”

The Taxpayers wouldn’t be subsidizing the Insurance Companies. The politicians and bureaucrats wouldn’t be getting rich off us either.

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