Quotation for Today: Medical Care: An Involuntary and Imperfect Marketplace (Updated)

The quotation for today offers us a look at one of the fundamental truths that makes necessary the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  The quoted comments were part of the Solicitor General's argument in the case Department of Health and Human Services, et al., (Petitioners) v. Florida, et al..  The Supreme Court of the United States, over a period of three days, is presently hearing arguments in the case.

"In the health care market, the health care market is characterized by the fact that aside from the few groups that Congress chose to exempt from the minimum coverage requirement ... virtually everybody else is either in that market or will be in that market, and the distinguishing feature of that is that they cannot, people cannot generally control when they enter that market or what they need when they enter that market."

Donald B. Verrilli, Jr.

Mr. Verrilli is the Solictor General of the United States.  The above quoted comments were excerpted from a transcript of Mr. Verrilli's response to a question from Justice Scalia.


Boldfaced emphasis was added.


You can read the transcript and/or listen to the audio by following the link enclosed below.


"Analysis of the Arguments — The Supreme Court Health Care Challenges." The New York Times 27 March, 2012: online edition.

Related information:


Solicitor General of the United States.



Krugman, Paul. "The Conscience of a Liberal: Why markets can’t cure healthcare." The New York Times 25 July, 2009: online edition.

Things Forgotten About the Economics of Medical Care or Kenneth J. Arrow's Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care. (PDF)

Update:


"The Supreme Court’s Momentous Test." Editorial. The New York Times 27 March, 2012: online edition.