Since the arms race to employ the most Orwellian way to vaccinate scores of the population that refuses to get it is currently underway, perhaps someone can throw out an alternative approach?

This is my review of Goose Hate Birds:  the Birds that Hate Island 312 Wheat.

 

What is the alternative approach?  Per this Professor of Public Policy at Texas A&M, a reasonable inducement might be to stop paying for their healthcare, while he intensely stares into the camera like he’s Clint Eastwood.

Not in such explicit terms of course:

Who should bear those costs? Under our system of risk-sharing, it’s all of us, whether through government programs like Medicare and Medicaid or through private insurers. When someone who refuses to get the vaccine gets seriously ill, their bills currently are paid by taxpayers or others in their insurance group.

But why should the vaccinated bear those financial costs? Insurers, led by government programs, should declare that medically-able, eligible people who choose not to be vaccinated are responsible for the full financial cost of COVID-related hospitalizations, effective in six weeks.

While it is true that pooling risk is essentially how the insurance industry is able to pay claims.  It is also true the federal government is the single largest payer of health care expenditures in the US.  The fun infographic here shows the amount of change from out of pocket in 1960 to nearly half covered by Medicare/Medicaid if anyone is interested in being nauseated.  This total expenditure is estimated to cost a little over $11,500 per person, assuming CMS knows how to add, and yes it is probably only going to go up in the future.

Its also very much evident with 5 of the top 10 health insurance companies in the US specializing in delivery of government sponsored health care (#5-10) we are indeed paying for everyone’s stupidity.

At the risk of boomers shouting “I paid into that!” while throwing wilted lettuce and rotten tomatoes—I have to admit he’s right.

He just doesn’t go far enough.  Why should we have to pay for everyone’s poor health choices?  I have a relatively clean diet, I don’t smoke a pack a day, I exercise regularly.  Although I drive 5-10 over the speed limit and I enjoy the *ahem* occasional drink.  Why is it my responsibility for somebody morbidly obese, smokes like a Mad Scientist, or polishes his rocks by trying to outrun the cops on a Hayabusa?

This would eliminate some of the moral hazard that contributes to claims from frivolous patients driven by hypochondria.  Not to mention the price floor that is the Medicare Fee Schedule that at a minimum disincentivizes lowering provider costs.  It might even eliminate the mission creep these insurance companies have gotten into like paying for groceries and even offering delivery.

In fact why even have these public and private collectivist schemes at all?  Why pool everyone’s resources together only to be used almost exclusively on the weakest, fattest, members of society?  They should pay for the consequences of their poor choices.  If we eliminate Medicare and allow the market to adjust towards incentivizing fee for service care, perhaps all the finger wagging asshats stop?

No, sadly the finger wagging will continue.  What’s really funny is how a professor of public policy didn’t notice if his proposal goes through it leads to nothing but discrimination lawsuits.


Hate Bird Island is a manmade island formed in the middle of the Chicago River.  It was said that at one point it was an actual island that served as a waypoint for Hate Birds to flock on their way south towards my neck of the woods for the winter.  Screw those hate birds.  We get enough wintering Canadians, they don’t need to bring their goddamn birds along with them.  The beer is a neutral filtered German style wheat that is best described as “non-threatening”.  Not quite what I remembered last time I had it, but its not bad with minimal banana. Goose Hate Birds:  the Birds that Hate Island 312 Wheat:  2.5/5