Too much health?

Yes, it is probably much better for us to tackle some of the individual problems of health care individually before attempting to unfurl master plans. It'll be much more interesting to ready, anyway.

First, I would like to point out that all of the challenges a universal health care system would face are very much present in our current system. Limited resources (beds, doctors, etc.) is a problem in the current system and are often rationed by paper pushers at your local HMO office. One can circumvent the process by paying for better insurance that gives more freedom, but the prices still go up if you choose to visit a relatively scarce expert like a specialist. And Steve Jobs recently reminded us that those with a private jet have a much better chance of finding a short line for that much needed organ transplant.

So let's make one thing clear: abuses and shortcomings of universal health care are really no different than those found in the current system. We're just making money less influential. It's an imperfect system for the masses rather than an ideal system for the few. But in a political system that is supposed to favor the majority, a new health care system should be a foregone conclusion.

But what to do?

Let's start by embracing the concept of government oversight. In the current market system, we hold our medical suppliers accountable through the legal system. If a doctor kills me through neglect (denial of services) or incompetence (faulty product) then my family can sue. Bad doctors are slowly removed from the system through the compilation of malpractice suits. Insurance companies, though much harder to get at, are also subject to these reviews. Government oversight is alive and well, only it takes place after the damage is done. In contrast, a universal health care system could allow for the speedy removal of inattentive or ineffective doctors. Even better, medical decisisons would not be based on the financial choices of the greedy few.

The key thing to realize in all of this is that health care is not the standard widget used in Economics. Health care is a means, not an end. When I purchase a new car, I know what I am getting, what the expectations are, and I can return the car if the promised results don't come to fruition. Health care, on the other hand, is intended to provide health, something it may or may not achieve. In either case, I can hardly "return" the care given to me if it fails to make me feel better. Doctors can't promise that a chronic condition will be cured or mitigated by the prescribed treatment. There are no knowns in the equation, and the all-powerful rational choice is denied to the consumer. Tell me, are there means for the economists to explain transactions in which so little is known by either party about the product exchanged?

Lines are the stuff nightmares are made of, but what's the harm? I don't think that medical services would be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis, actually. Those seeking medical treatment would be evaluated at the first tier of the system. My itchy buttock would be deemed less crucial than your faulty heart valve, and I'd be in line after you. Presumably, you could visit your doctor 2 days after I did and still make it in line for treatment ahead of me. While my itchy buttock is frustrating, I daresay that I believe you should be ahead of me in line. But that supposes I value my community in a way that many Americans clearly do not.

So lines are precisely the way you address the issue, and to everyone's benefit. Yes, I have to wait for you to get heart surgery, but I also know that I'll be at the front of the line when my illness is life threatening. It's a concept so simple, so steeped in a basic fairness, that children would have implemented it long ago.

Such a system requires substantial resources, something I'm rather concerned about. How are we to fund such an enterprise, Anonymous Economist? Can we continue to assert international dominance and build such a comprehensive health care system at home? Must we keep our beating hearts wed to the market system if we are to survive?