Cannon emails (in response to this post):

We can and should take steps to force more non-insurance-buyers to pay the cost of their ER care; e.g., we could move medical bills farther up the list in bankruptcy proceedings. That mitigates the free-rider problem without taking away anyone’s freedom. You could also point out to Kaus that it’s his preference to care for the sick that makes other people’s decision not to purchase insurance costly to him. (Does he think that his compassion should cost him nothing?) And you should call for the repeal of that legal obligation (i.e., EMTALA). It prevents experimentation with different approaches to mitigating the free-rider problem.