Tag Archives: Public Plan

What Happens When Government Restricts Competition

Do you know what happens when the government restricts competition?  Yeah, um, you get less competition.  Weird that works out that way.  But some people actually think that when the government restricts competition and you get less competition, that the only answer is to have government compete.  Huh?  Confused?  Me too.

But this is real life and this is what we get:

“There is a serious problem with the lack of competition among insurers,” said Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of the highest-cost states. “The impact on the consumer is significant.”

Wellpoint Inc. accounted for 71 percent of the Maine market, while runner-up Aetna had a 12 percent share, according to a 2008 report by the American Medical Association.

So, lemme get this straight.  Wellpoint has the market i Maine to the point that it can charge almost anything it wants and the REST of the insurance world stays out of Maine because?  Because…..?  They don’t wanna make money?  I have to believe there is another reason Wellpoint is the only player in Maine.

I’ll betcha a candy bar.