Getting the government out of health care saves money? Why didn’t the Times tell us before!

New York Times to Greece: End socialized medicine to save money

By: Mark Hemingway
Commentary Staff Writer
05/10/10 1:26 PM EDT

Over at Hot Air, Jazz Shaw makes a great catch. http://hotair.com/archives/2010/05/10/n ... -medicine/
The Times, which couldn’t get enough of Obamacare, has an unusual prescription for Greece’s economic predicament: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/busin ... 1euro.html

Another reform high on the list is removing the state from the marketplace in crucial sectors like health care, transportation and energy and allowing private investment. Economists say that the liberalization of trucking routes — where a trucking license can cost up to $90,000 — and the health care industry would help bring down prices in these areas, which are among the highest in Europe.

Getting the government out of health care saves money? Why didn’t the Times tell us before! But seriously, the article also notes that a major reason why Greece is in this predicament:

Among the most significant features of the plan, a Greek government official said, would be a measure making it easier for the government to lay off some of the many thousands of public sector workers, whose low levels of productivity and high wages are a big contributor to Greece’s debt problem. Until now, the government has not been able to lay off civil servants, whose employment rights are in effect constitutionally guaranteed.

Yowza. I’d say that’s messed, up but as a resident of a country that has $3 trillion in outstanding public pension liabilities, I’m not really in a position to criticize.

http://tinyurl.com/24mc5hz