Richard Epstein, Opening Remarks
August 29, 2010 - 3:36 pm
Epstein says government regulations in the health sector have caused employer-provided coverage to decline in recent years. He calls government the greatest enemy to providing health care to individuals because they often mandate things into plans (like good neonatal, alcohol, and mental health coverage) that the consumer does not want. Employers do not like these mandates, so they will eventually pull out of the system, leaving people to fend for themselves. You cannot balance the accounts for what the Pro team wants to do. The main question is this: can we do better by a system of competitive markets and liberalization or do we do better by having more regulation? His answer is to deregulate.
Duration : 0:4:15
Epstein disagrees with Armey that the problem with Medicare is its reduction of liberty. Rather, he says the problem is that it is an enormous subsidy to everyone who enrolls, which is economically inefficient. Epstein also discusses the difference between health care and health outcomes. We spend large amounts of money on health care with little concern for outcomes. And when we tax to pay for health care, we take money from people that could be used for things that improve their quality of life and keep people healthier longer. Dentzer asks why government is such a large problem when much of America’s health spending comes from the private sector, and Epstein says even though it is privately expended, it is still government directed.
Bigby opens the debate by asserting that every individual in America should have adequate health care. America has signed various international agreements assuring a minimum standard of health. If we do not guarantee coverage, it means we are a society where individuals will suffer and die if they cannot afford health insurance. The only alternative to health care as a right is health care as a privilege. The definition of rights in America has evolved throughout history, so guaranteeing health care as a right is not a major departure from our system. Government must guarantee health coverage, but this does not mean that government must run it as well. Because Massachusetts has required coverage, over 300,000 new people have health insurance.
Why should the U.S. not observe the Declaration of Human Rights on health policy? Armey says the U.S. has a better promise than the UN. America says we’re going to set you free and protect your liberty, not control you as a ward of the state. Why should we lower ourselves to be in line with the rest of the world? The U.S. is the world’s leader in health care discovery and research, and if we had less regulation in the health care sector it would excel.
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