I finally got health insurance

[Saviolo]

22. Free market solution blah blah blah blah

Too many American politicians read both Ayn Rand and Adam Smith, embraced the first, and did not understand the second in any way whatsoever, so of course they all worship "rugged individuality" in the form of deregulation and their favourite catch-phrase "free market solutions." Because health care for all would be akin to slavery, y'see. You'd be forcing doctors work for you without pay, and that's just as good as stealing! And I can't believe that's the actual right-wing talking point about this, because that is so disingenuous on the face of it, I can't believe anyone says it with a straight face, but:

https://www.politico.com/story/2011/05/paul-right-to-health-care-is-slavery-054769

“With regard to the idea whether or not you have a right to health care you have to realize what that implies. I am a physician. You have a right to come to my house and conscript me. It means you believe in slavery. You are going to enslave not only me but the janitor at my hospital, the person who cleans my office, the assistants, the nurses. … You are basically saying you believe in slavery,” said Paul (R-Ky.), who is an ophthalmologist.

Truth of the matter is, regulation can spur innovation. This has been floating around on my Twitter feed lately:

Link to tweet

In US, average MRI costs $1k. In Japan, it’s set at $105 by the government and providers compete on margin. This led providers to go to Toshiba and demand an inexpensive MRI scanner. MRI scanners in Japan now cost $150k, 10% of the cost in the US. Regulation drove innovation.