Privatizing the Nanny State

With the explosion of health care costs because of the government-fostered over-reliance on third-party payors,it was inevitable employers would attempt to control health care costs by controlling their employees’ personal behavior, including firring an employee for smoking on his own time. Of course, a private company should have the right to fire an employee for smoking, but if government policies did not make health insurance a good people sought from their employers, instead of purchasing themselves in the market, it is doubtful an employer would fired a qualified employee for smoking on the employee’s own time. After all, no one is getting fire for speeding or failing to get their car’s oil changed.

Look for Medicare to follow the private health insurers in imposing “lifestyle controls.” Eventually, the government will claim that those plans that exercise control over their clients’ personal life are so successful in controlling costs and improving health that every health care plan in the country should force its policy holders to adopt a “healthy” lifestyle. Government will be able to claim that they are just following the lead of the private sector, even though it the private-sector actions in question where a response to government distortions of the market.

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9:54 pm on February 21, 2007