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Comment by offmycloud | Hacker News Reader

To me, it seems odd that government would have a monopoly on anything in health care. Non-profits can play a very valuable role in exposing inefficiencies in large bureaucracies.

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I don't think I implied governments should have a monopoly over health care? There are many other options. For example, I'm wondering why isn't health insurance covering testing? It'd save them money if it helped limit the spread of disease.

It would make sense if everybody were insured. However they really would want everyone to get tested, not just their customers, for the reason you cited. If anything, they should be incentivized to make their own foundation to give it away, like Bill Gates is. Car insurance companies have pooled together to form the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for crash tests. So such things can come about.

Nah, they'll just refuse coverage for COVID-19 treatment anyways.</cynic>

Playing a role in exposing inefficiencies, and fulfilling basic needs, that governments and health care systems in far poorer countries across the world have had no trouble doing so, are very different things.

This appears far more of the latter.

I mean, the article says they will be able to do about 400 tests a day.

That’s a fraction of the number of tests poor developing countries have been doing for weeks now.

Non-profits play a role in the health care systems of most major countries that do have universal systems.

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