Scarborough: "...we don’t need private industry involved in health care at all?"

For free market Ayn Rander's, Republicans and Libertarians, that now disproved theory has been repeated so many times, they have actually convinced themselves of their own BS.

In this perfect example, Joe Scarborough really did try to understand the steady and convincing debate offered up by Rep Anthony Weiner, but still didn't get it. Years of free market babble appears to have blocked the ability to grasp the idea that maybe insurance companies don't need to be involved in health care. As clear as Weiner was, removing capitalism's profit motive just does not compute.



WEINER: The problem that we have here is that we’re trying to…rig this system so that insurance companies continue to make healthy profits. Why? …Insurance companies take about $230 billion a year out of the system in profits and overhead. The real question is why we have a private plan?

SCARBOROUGH: Now you’re sounding like you want the government to take over. You say ‘why do we have insurance companies in the health care business because…we believe in free enterprise.

WEINER:...What is the value? What are they providing? … Forty percent of all Americans get their health care from a single-payer, government-funded, government-administered plan. Medicare…Department of Veteran’s Affairs…So they have a pretty good experience of a low overhead thing…I’m not here to advocate for the profits of insurance companies, I’m here to advocate for health care.

SCARBOROUGH:...Well, it sounds like you think there is no need for us to have private insurance….

WEINER: I’ve asked you three times: What is their value? What are they bring to the deal?

SCARBOROUGH: …I’m astounded by your question because your question is suggesting that there is no need to have a country that is run on free market principles. …

WEINER: But this isn’t a commodity, Joe.

SCARBOROUGH: You think that health care is different….

WEINER: What are health insurance plans doing to produce health care? Just tell me.

SCABOROUGH: I don’t even understand the question, other than it’s you trying to make the point that we don’t need private industry involved in health care at all. You are advocating a complete takeover…

WEINER: When you say “takeover,” only as much as the federal government took over health care for seniors 44 years ago.

SCARBOROUGH: But you want to expand that for all Americans…

WEINER: …So they get a 4% overhead, they get efficient reimbursement, there’s no profits being taken by the insurance companies

SCARBOROUGH: Your position is what is scaring a lot of Americans…Those people who are showing up, who say the federal government wants to take over health care. Those people are scared of your position.