In baseball, when you get three strikes, you’re out. There have been at least five strikes called against single payer (SP). Shouldn’t we hear from an umpire? Whether you call it single payer, socialized medicine, universal health care, Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital System, ObamaCare, Public Option, or National Health Service, these are all different names for the same thing: government-controlled healthcare. Details vary but all single payer-type systems have one thing in common: a central authority that controls both supply of dollars and providers, as well as demand for goods and services. Strike #1: Italy's price controls In the early 1990s, headlines in Italy newspapers screamed about “Costo dei Farmaci!” (cost of drugs). The Italian government responded in classic single payer fashion -- they imposed strict (low) price controls. Drugs that used to cost people $300/month were suddenly and artificially priced at $5-10/month. Consumers...(Read Full Article)