rinue: (Default)
[personal profile] rinue
Healthcare can never be run by a free-market system because a satisfied customer will not come back for further services and optional prevention will never make you as rich as necessary intervention in a disaster. Never mind that people are not rational economic actors when they are sick, or that there is imperfect and imabalanced information driving the market. You don't even need that. All you need is:

Healthcare can never be run by a free-market system because a satisfied customer will not come back for further services. Efficiency, in this case, drives down profits. And if you wait long enough, the consumer's demand is perfectly inelastic and you can charge them whatever you want. Competition doesn't change shit about this, particularly since doctors are not substitutes. They're a hell of a lot more distinct than Coke and Pepsi, and people are pretty particular about those. Only one hospital is the nearest hospital and I can't tell whether I'm going to die in fifty years or tomorrow, or whether vitamins make a difference.

Healthcare can never be run by a free-market system.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-02-26 04:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ksmeg.livejournal.com
True. Every word.

Of course, I would still like a way to be able to have some free-market forces doctors to actually display bedside manner and some degree of intelligence. But first lets make sure we HAVE reasonably priced health care, then worry about the details.

Profile

rinue: (Default)
rinue

April 2025

S M T W T F S
  12 345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930   

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 1st, 2025 09:09 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios