Personally, I think Reason.tv missed a great opportunity with its latest must-see video on health-care reform. Nick Gillespie looks at Lasik, the elective surgery that corrects vision through corneal laser treatments, as a model for real reform of the system. Instead of pursuing more third-party interventions, we should be removing third parties and reintroducing normal price signals for the health-care market. That would not only reduce costs, but it would also increase supply and make demand more rational:
I’ve made the same argument a few times on the blog, and Reason does an excellent job of presenting it. So why do I think they missed an opportunity? The same argument can be based on the cosmetic-surgery market, too. Most cosmetic surgery does not get covered by insurance, and as a result, providers compete for customers, customers get clear price signals, and providers rush into the market to fill demand, lowering cost and improving technology. Instead of showing eyeballs, Nick could have been showing — well, you can use your imagination.
