I was just thinking about going to an eye doctor, and thoughr it an example of why health insurance is the problem, not the solution. My health insurance doesnt cover optomotry or dentristy, and Ive notice that there are a lot more competitors in those areas and services are pretty cheap. Yet with something as simple as a visit to a General Doctor, for the 5 mins he spends with me to tell me to take an aspirin, it costs $100 (or rather $20 copay). Thoughts?

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

You're saying that the fact that insurance companies pay the doctor's fees rather than consumers dilutes the natural market forces that bring price down via competition (not debating, just clarifying)?

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"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

-Thomas Jefferson

I agree with your general point. The whole system of heath 'insurance' has gotten out of hand because people no longer use it to 'insure' themselves from potential risks. Instead, health insurance covers routine costs like regular doctor visits and scheduled appointments. In a way, it's like if car insurance started covering the costs of oil changes and routine maintenence. Why many people expect health insurance to pay for all health related expenses has always confused me. It seems like people don't want 'insurance' at all. They really just want someone else to cover their costs.

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"Some years ago I had a sobering realization about women, which was that there are just too many nice ones. One simply can't fall in love with, sleep with, or marry all the nice women...One of the saddening facts of life is that there is always going to be a delightful woman somewhere who, for whatever accident of timing or attraction, simply slips by and recedes to return only in a dream."
-Larry McMurtry in Roads

Yes, and also because your employer pays for your insurance rather than you. I have no idea how much my insurance costs me or how much a doctors service costs the insurance company. Then theres the administrative costs. This is often cited by doctors who get paid in cash. The savings on time alone are enormous.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.