29th
Robot Heart: Sex, Religion, and Politics: Health Care stories from the United States
I can’t think of an area with more convoluted regulation than the intersection of the health-care and insurance industries in the US. Is there really someone out there arguing that the current system is free market driven? I’m pretty sure tax law has a bigger impact on what you pay for a given procedure in this country than supply or demand of health services. There are several significant barriers that stand in the way of having an efficient market for health care, many of which are considered “good things” by the vast majority of the US (c.f. Arrow). However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many ways that our wonderful lobbyists can’t work with legislators to make the system worse than the status quo. When in doubt, it’s typically safe to assume that the government will make things less efficient. Please-all solutions will most certainly have that effect.
