To paraphrase George Harrison: everything government money touches turns to crap. From Freed Radical at theburningplatform.com:
A business friend asked me to attend a meeting where he was pitching a life saving device to an elder care facility’s management. This was a system designed to help prevent grandma from hurting herself accidentally. So there we were with the campus administrator and a couple other people, one of whom was the staff federal government insurance expert.
As my friend glided through slide after slide of how this innovation was going to save lives, save money, and avoid lawsuits, with every new feature the head administrator looked at the insurance expert and asked one question: “Is this reimbursable under Medicare?”
The administrator asked us no questions whatsoever. There was no concern over how much money they would save, how easy the system is to use, what it costs, or what reduction in lawsuits could they expect. No, the only question was, would the taxpayers pay the bill?
Then last year I made an appointment for a physical at a doctor’s office where I was a new patient. The lady asked me on the phone for my insurance information. I told her I would pay cash. Silence. “Hold on.”
