The Secret of American Health Care Surprise! It's already socialized

Almost nothing that politicians are currently debating is likely to change the overall costs of care. What’s merely at stake is the shell game about who appears to be paying. Want to cut Medicaid rolls to save money for your state? Private plans would see their costs escalate as hospitals shift costs. Want to defund mental health services for the poor? Major centers will likely cross-subsidize their care by more aggressively marketing other, expensive services like cardiac catheterization and weight-loss surgery to make up the gap. To be sure, some people will be hurt with the cuts, but like a complex organism, the American health care system has developed homeostatic mechanisms to ensure its nourishment and survival. It’s very hard to starve the beast.