Health Policymaking in the United States
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Health Policymaking in the United States
Question 2
I’m afraid I have to disagree with the idea of a single-payer healthcare policy. Essentially, a single-payer healthcare system implies that funding for healthcare services is only by the government. Even though private providers serve the market, compensation for the services they offer is automatically from the government directly or indirectly through government agencies. Proponents of this policy argue that healthcare services are available to the seekers cheaply. However, it should be noted that there are other important parameters for measuring a working healthcare system’s effectiveness and efficiency. Should cheapness supersede considerations for quality and freedom of choice?
First, a single-payer system means free universal healthcare services. Accessing healthcare services at zero cost will attract even those who rarely need such services to go for them. The scenarios create a high demand for healthcare services that are likely to overwhelm the healthcare system. Such demand will automatically translate to long queues meaning longer hours in wait lines (McMaken, 2019). This situation is evident in countries notoriously known for this healthcare system, such as Canada and the United Kingdom. Another essential argument why a single-player is a bad idea is the quality considerations. One sickly thought with proponents of a single-payer system is that they imagine the healthcare sector functions in isolation and is in no way compliant with the known market forces. Having a single-payer healthcare system will limit the choice for service seekers and limit the room for innovation and overall quality (Pipes, 2018). Attracting high demand will most likely stretch the resources, and often is when those who direly need the services don’t get them and if they do, not in the quality they deserve. This is a typical characteristic of any market where competition literary doesn’t exist.
References
McMaken, R. (2019). Single-Payer Healthcare Is The Worst Kind Of Universal Healthcare. Center for Individualism. https://www.centerforindividualism.org/single-payer-healthcare-is-the-worst-kind-of-universal-healthcare/#:~:text=Single-Payer%3A%20Bad%20for%20Both%20Freedom%20and%20Quality%20Indeed%2C,a%20central%20reason%20for%20the%20single-payer%20healthcare%20system.
Pipes, S. C. (2018). The False Promise of Single-Payer Health Care (Vol. 55). Encounter Books.