In the New York Time and all over the news there is talk of Obama's healthcare plan and the desicions being made by the House and Senate to pass these proposed bills. These bills aim to expand coverage to millions of people who are uninsured and also take steps to control soaring health care costs. “The president expects and believes the American people deserve an up or down vote on health reform,” Dan Pfeiffer, Mr. Obama’s communications director, “And our proposal is designed to give us maximum flexibility to ensure that, if the opposition decides to take the extraordinary step of filibustering health care.”
While this may look good to some American and devastate others, Friedman would not agree totally with this act. Providing an overall health care plan will help those who cannot afford it but hurt the healthcare companies by taking away business and forcing them to lower their cast. This in a way restrict economic activity which Friedman believes is not a role that the government should have. Then again this would just be a form of regulation from the governments part. Imposing these laws so that healthcare would become more affordable and accessible to more people. Although this may not fullfill total lack of government intervention it would fall under the role of an umpire in regulating the price so that it is fair to the people. Implimenting this interferes with competitive capitalism because the power is still in the governmant hand, which is not the way Friedman believes that you can have a free society.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree, for the most part, with your post Mercedes. Yes, Friedman would be against the government involvement with healthcare, but not only in part but completely refusing it since he would say it would be limiting our total freedom, and also because he feels that whatever the market can take care of, which would be privatizing healthcare completely, then it should take care of, as opposed to having the government control it. Yes, i disagree with the privatizing of all healthcare and I think that the healthcare bill would be a big positive step towards providing the population with affordable healthcare, which is a human right in my opinion. But, this does not mean that Friedman would agree with this Bill being passed, I feel that he would be in favor of the principal of affordable healthcare, but not in favor with the means, which would be the government involvment in the healthcare industry.
ReplyDelete