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Posts Tagged ‘Monopoly’
Do Government Responsibilities for Roads, Air Safety, and Water Quality Justify a Health-Care Monopoly?
Question by Bruce: Do government responsibilities for roads, air safety, and water quality justify a health-care monopoly?
In response to my question, “Do I have a right to make someone else pay for my health insurance?” Jon wrote, “Let’s try a little experiment…remove the words “health insurance” and replace with any word(s) from the following list: roads, streets, air safety, air quality, water quality, public education, college education, public health, publicly owned sports stadiums… I’ll keep working on the list…it’s going to be pretty long.”
Others have made similar arguments in response to my questions about the proposed government health-care monopoly–that given the federal government’s stated purpose to promote the general welfare, the federal government is authorized to force someone else pay for my health insurance. Is this a valid argument?
Best answer:
Are We Better Off With a Government Monopoly on Medical Care or With Free Choice in a Competitive Marketplace?
Question by Bruce: Are we better off with a government monopoly on medical care or with free choice in a competitive marketplace?
Whether by a “single-payer” socialized medicine system or by government-subsidized “insurance” that deeply undercuts private rates, effectively driving out private insurers, Democratic schemes promise a government monopoly on medical care. Would we be better off under a government-enforced monopoly funded by high taxes or under a competitive free market where companies vie to supply better medical care and insurance at cheaper prices?
Some considerations:
1. How successful has government been in running other monopolies, e.g., the postal service or public schools?
2. In general, do monopolies (e.g., cable companies) supply goods and services better than competitive markets?
3. Today, it may cost a billion dollars to research, develop, and market a medicine. Who takes the risk to develop expensive new medicines and medical technology under government monopoly?
Questions About National Health Care?
Many people seem to be for a national health plan that will be written by non-medical politicians and will be a monopoly on health care that limits ability to have access to medical attention not covered by the plan.
Is it possible to have our government write a plan that will not guarantee high profits to those who donated large sums to a candidate’s campaign?
Will the plan eliminate (or at least address) Medicare and Medicaid fraud?
Will the plan continue to pay the high salaries of non-medical CEO’s who own health care facilities, testing centers and treatment centers?
Will tax payers be expected to pay higher land/homeowner taxes making owning a home impossible so that non tax payers can continue to have better health coverage than those who pay taxes and own assets that must be depleted if one needs medical care?
Will our national leaders get the same coverage as everyone else if a national health plan is started? (Will legislators get the same limitations as tax payers who vote(d) for them?)