Assignment 4
What do you prefer, private or public health care system? Why?
Between a private health care system and a public health care system, I would prefer a public health care system. Private health care is provided by for-profit hospitals and self-employed practitioners, and not-for-profit non-government providers such as faith-based organizations. Health care should be considered a basic need that each person should receive. Public health ensures there is equality through allowing access to health care as essential for living standards. The public system ensures that each citizen is eligible for good health, which increases labor productivity.
Health care cannot be considered as a profit-making industry. Medical practitioners are not considered job sectors that require financial incentives to conduct a good job. They should focus on patient care and job satisfaction. The private health care system requires incentives to be efficient and offer the best medical services to customers that pay more. The public health care system does not give room for such discrimination.
Health care is essential and cannot be categorized as a free market. Patients tend to trust the diagnosis of the doctor. It is not a commodity that allows you to go shopping for the cheapest doctor. Patients have to trust the diagnosis that they receive from the patients. Creating competition in health care is catastrophic because patients should not be put in a position to shop around to get a doctor.
Public health care gives room for every citizen to acquire health care services. It is considered a public health care provision. If health care were allowed in the private health care system, people would suffer since they cannot afford private health care insurance. The public health care system may not be as efficient as the private health care system, but it ensures that primary health care is accessible to each citizen.
Health care is not a free good but merits well. One may ignore going for a medical checkup but could be harboring a disease that, in the end, will become severe and difficult to treat. One needs to visit the hospital frequently for checkups. It can be expensive if the health care system is private. It is hard for someone to find a doctor for a regular checkup if they do not feel well. The public health care system is beneficial since it is free and easily accessible at any time.
Private health care and other government subsidies for the poor and elderly tend to have a high administration cost. The diseases that the elderly suffer from are expensive to treat and manage. For example, Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that have helped the elderly, from the age of 65 upwards in accessing medical care and prolonging their lives.
There is also a problem of adverse selection. If health care were left for the private sector, most people who are likely to be unhealthy would purchase health care insurance more. The move will discourage the youths from taking the insurance health cover since the premiums will be high. It will leave a large number of the population uncovered. Adverse selection requires intervention from the government so that there can be a control of the premiums.