From The Wall Street Journal Cliff Asness writes In Praising ObamaCare, They Bury It
That more people would be insured was never in dispute. If you mandate that people buy something, penalize them if they don’t and give it away to some, more people will end up with it. The proper response to this is: Duh.
The real question is how many of those covered by ObamaCare were previously uninsured, how increased coverage is translating into more or better health care, and at what cost this comes both to public finances and personal liberties—all compared with what other alternatives? That is the stuff for serious debate.
Five years ago, opponents of ObamaCare focused on many questions. Can the government force people to buy a good or service? If ObamaCare is constitutional, is there anything the government cannot force citizens to do? Will government intrusion into the health-care market raise or lower the long-term quality of care? What will it do to innovation? Is the Rube-Goldberg structure of ObamaCare the right—or even a reasonable—way to go about this? Should we pass laws first, read them second and force the courts and agencies to fix the problems? The real issues are principles and long-term effects, not “voilà!” proof that allows one side, either side, to say “we win!” based on shoddy logic.
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