Why are Republicans scared of competition?

[babylonsister]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/03/14/sirota/


Why are Republicans scared of competition?

The GOP can't stomach the prospect of American consumers having free choice over their healthcare programs.

By David Sirota

snip//

Don't Republicans insist that "competition solves healthcare?" Yes, ad nauseam.

Haven't they been telling us that government programs are obviously worse than private health insurance? Yes, again.

Then, don't they welcome a private-versus-public competition, believing that the former will easily trump the latter? Well ... uh ... no.

As I said, this is truly perplexing.

In one breath, GOP Jekylls say government medical plans will be inefficient, inferior to private insurance, and thus hated by Americans. In another breath, Republican Hydes effectively admit that government programs would be so efficient, superior to private insurance, and loved by Americans that they will attract more consumers and dominate a healthcare competition.

Of the two assertions, of course, the latter is closer to the truth -- and the GOP knows it.

Republican lawmakers received the new Commonwealth Fund report showing that a public system would save consumers $2 trillion through reduced premiums and lower administrative costs. They see surveys showing that the country overwhelmingly wants the government to create a public health program -- and they know if given a choice, many Americans will opt into that program rather than swim with the private insurance sharks.

Republicans can't simply acknowledge these truisms, however, because doing so would undermine the insurance industry that's filling their campaign coffers. So instead, we get pro-competition, government-is-ineffective "conservatives" working to thwart competition and implicitly admitting they believe the government will be too effective.

Yes, when it comes to competition, Republicans were for it before they were against it. And this time, that confounding flip-flop doesn't merely threaten a bumbling presidential candidate, it imperils a healthcare revolution.

[texastoast]

1. Because they are comfortable with totalitarianism

They need a box to live in and other people to stand on.

[rurallib]

2. Gee, they can't stand competition on the airwaves either

Perhaps their product is inferior. I remember in my lifetime that Republicans like Nixon and Reagan used to laugh at the lack of competition in Soviet Russia.

[Double T]

3. rethugs love greed and the people that perpetrate it.

HMOs, PPOs, doctors, hospitals, health care groups, BIG Pharma are just a few of the greediest individuals and organizations in our society; rethugs love these filthy greed mongers and will protect and defend their greed at everyone else's expense. Changing the health care system isn't going to be easy largely due to the criminal rethugs that always stand in the way of providing for the masses of hardworking americans. Self appointed elitists and complete idiots are a rethugs only friends. Time to take the power away from the AMA et al.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. The small group of individuals who are controlling the republican party

want control, not competition. They don't want to share wealth and power. They want to have the ability to do whatever they want and tell others they can't do the same things. Just because they can.

[cognoscere]

5. For most of them,

it's because they are no-talent,no-ability, know-nothings who, if they didn't lie, cheat, steal, and murder, would be living in a van down by the river (thank you Chris Farley)