Is the provision of health care the responsibility of the government? How are liberty and freedom impacted by your answer? This is where I believe the real conflict in the health care reform debate lies, but the President has said that using health care reform as a proxy for the limited v. expansive government debate is improper at this critical juncture. I couldn’t disagree more and believe he’s missing or dismissing the reality that a large portion of Americans believe that limiting government is necessary to retain our freedom and liberty and, in this case, to actually improving health care.
A couple of generalizations to get us started and probably get me in trouble with a few people:
- Liberals and democrats typically believe that one of the primary purposes of a government is to provide a minimum standard of living, a floor, which no one would live below. If the government needs to spend (i.e. tax) more or expand to this end, it’s worth it.
- Conservatives and republicans typically believe that the primary purposes of a government are to protect life, property property and regulate free market imperfections.
So why are these philosophies on purposes of government important to the health care debate and not just red herrings as the President would have us believe?
First, while I’m strongly in favor of making sure those less fortunate have food, shelter, education and health care, I believe those needs can and should be met by caring and generous private citizens and charities, not the government. I believe those who disagree have good intentions, but their faith in humanity is tragically low. I believe Americans would rise to the challenge to care for the less fortunate if given the clear responsibility and financial resources to do so. When the government absconds the role and raises taxes to fund its ambitions, society suffers. Why? The public increasingly looks to the government as the solution to its societal problems rather than themselves or their family, friends and community.
Second, while capitalism is subject to greed and abuse, both can be held in check without the government taking over an industry or becoming a competitor to private enterprises. If greed is of concern, increase competition. Government penalties or incentives cannot compare to the check against greed created when a business has to respond to competitors who are working to sell more for less to gain market share. What happens though if a company choses to take advantage of market imperfections, e.g. lack of transparency for consumers, in response to increased competition? This is a situation where, if left unresolved by the market, the government can and should constructively step-in to assist and keep abuse in check. When the government fails to restrain itself to the roles of fostering competition and policing when needed, the market suffers. Distortions develop in response to ill conceived government intervention and the cycle of corrective, i.e. expanding, government action begins.
I agree with many others that health care reform is needed, to control costs, increase access and improve quality. I also believe, however, that a primary reason reform is needed is because the government has already intervened too much and has lost focus on its proper role. Today, individuals do not take responsibility for their health, Medicare is the pricing barometer and insurers have little concern for intrastate competition. Individuals, providers and insurers are simply reacting rationally to incentives or penalties put in place by the government. Those in the government have had good intentions, but like too many market interventions over the course of our short history, the unintended consequences cause more problems than they solve and spark a never ending cycle of correction action. Let’s stop the cycle. Let’s demand that the government refocus its actions on what will increase freedom and liberty, increase individual and collective responsibility and incentivize enterprising companies and individuals to lower costs, expand care and improve quality. It can be done and if pursued, will help draw us back to what makes us American.
Tags: healthcare, policy
Posted in: Leadership
