Health care and baseball

Free marketers vs single-payer wars continue. Matthew Holt compares this to the free-spending NY Yankees and the Oakland A’s (and their Moneyball system):

When it comes to price, essentially the U.S. healthcare system is the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox with their $200 million dollar payrolls up against the Oakland As. You’d think the guys with the expensive hitters and pitchers would win every time. But as anyone who has done comparative work in health care systems knows that’s often not the case. The reality in health care (as it is in actual baseball) is that the As with a limited payroll are a whole smarter about how they spend their money and doing pretty well in comparison.

Since 1990, the Yankees and Red Sox have won the World Series 5 times, Oakland zero. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer the front office that wins the championships, rather than one that skimps money yet stays competitive.