In 1922, long before large-scale medical socialism in the US, Mises made the following critique: “By weakening or completely destroying the will to be well and able to work, social insurance creates illness and inability to work; it produces the habit of complaining—which is in itself a neurosis—and neuroses of other kinds. In short, it is an institution which tends to encourage disease, not to say accidents, and to intensify considerably the physical and psychic results of accidents and illnesses. As a social institution it makes a people sick bodily and mentally or at least helps to multiply, lengthen, and intensify disease.” (Socialism, Chap 34, Section 3)
Crazy, huh?
Consider this item from Reuters sent in by A.E.: “American workers are changing lifestyle habits to keep the doctor away in light of increasing health care costs... The country’s No 1 mutual fund company said that almost half of the respondents in a recent poll said they started diets to reduce their need for healthcare, while 37 percent underwent routine screening tests and a third exercised more and chose to lose weight.”
