It is wise to be skeptical when somebody says there can be some great benefit at “no cost.” Benefits pretty much always have costs. It is only a question of who will pay them – and when.
We saw this headline on a recent Associated Press article about health care: “Some preventive care to have no out-of-pocket cost.”
The story began, “From counseling for kids who struggle with their weight, to cancer screenings for their parents, preventive health care will soon be available at no out-of-pocket cost under consumer rules the Obama administration unveiled Wednesday. That means no co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance for people whose health insurance plans are covered by the new requirements.”
That sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it? ObamaCare will make those out-of-pocket costs just go away.
Or will it?
Farther down in the story was this important disclaimer: “Premiums will go up by 1.5 percent on average, as spending for the (preventive) services is spread broadly across an entire pool of insured people.”
Of course, that 1.5 percent increase is only an estimate. The true costs of massive federal entitlements have generally been far higher than originally estimated. There is sadly little reason to believe a 1.5 percent premium increase will pay the full tab for preventive services.
Once again, costs have not been eliminated. They have simply been shuffled from those who use socialized medical services onto those who may not use them. That is not the cost control that ObamaCare promised; it’s cost shifting.