Higgs on the long-term impact of ObamaCare

Numerous students have asked me over the past two weeks about the long-term impacts of ObamaCare. My answer has largely resembled that of Robert Higgs in this post on from The Independent Institute:

"This system will almost certainly prove to be much more costly than now projected. Pressure will be created to increase the prices of care and the amount of insurance premiums needed to cover the costs of care. The government will respond by measures that amount to price controls and by selective subsidies to lower-income people and to those with the most political clout. Shortages will increase; waiting times for care will increase; the quality of services will decrease. The overall health care system will cost more and more while delivering worse and worse care. Ultimately, the government will probably throw up its hands and nationalize the entire system because it will have become such a terrible mess."

I couldn't say it better myself.