Mark D. White

Mark D. White

Yesterday's Blondie strip was enlightening, albeit (likely) unintentionally so:

I imagine Dagwood's response to the incentives provided by having to deal with some of the expenses of one's own health insurance is supposed to elicit disgruntled agreement among readers. But it really highlights an unintended consequence of the alternative: if individuals aren't responsible for any of the costs of their own health care, they have less incentive to pay attention to their own health and adjust their behavior accordingly. (The more cynical among us would recognize that the Nudgers will happily regulate people's behavior for them–how convenient.)