John Goodman writes:

Most people in health policy are collectivists. … They value collective action over individual action. They trust collective action more than they trust individual action. And they hold collective action to a lower standard of ethics. …

Consider this revelation in the news the other day:

• Arizona…plans to limit adult Medicaid recipients to 25 days of hospital coverage a year, starting as soon as the end of October.
• Hawaii plans to cut Medicaid coverage to 10 days a year in April.
• Other states have already limited hospital stays under Medicaid: the limit is 45 days in Florida, 30 in Mississippi, 24 in Arkansas and 16 in Alabama.

What if you are in Hawaii and you need 15 days of hospital care instead of 10? Apparently you must pay out of your own pocket or forgo needed care.

What was the reaction to this news in the left wing press? Virtual silence. … Can you imagine the outrage that would have ensued if BlueCross had done the same thing? …

The view that public Medicare is good and private Medicare is bad really amounts to saying that when BlueCross is called “Medicare” it is good and altruistic, but when the same company is called “private insurer” it is bad and selfish. It makes no sense, but that’s the collectivist mindset. …

But collectivists never tell you they believe in process more than they believe in results. You have to figure that out on your own. In fact, collectivists rarely ever tell you they are collectivists.

Read the whole post: The Collectivist Mind | John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog | NCPA.org.