On 10/15/07, Vitaliy <spam@maksimov.org> wrote:
> Alex Harford wrote:
> > The free market is working perfectly.  The problem is that the demand
> > for health care is inelastic.  Ie how much are you willing to pay to
> > avoid death?
>
> I disagree, there's plenty of elasticity. I know plenty of people who don't
> go to the doctor for financial reasons. People make choices that affect
> their health/risk of dying every day -- eating at McD instead of a fancier
> restaraunt, living in places with high pollution, choosing hazardous
> occupations, and so on -- based on financial factors. And in most cases
> people aren't seeing their doctor to avoid death. I see mine most often when
> I get a sore throat and I need antibiotics to get rid of the bug.

I was referring to instances like the one you quoted, a 6 day hospital
stay treating a possible heart attack.  Having a sore throat isn't a
life or death situation.

>
> There's nothing inelastic about healthcare. If it really was inelastic,
> everyone would be a doctor.

Then why do health care costs decrease and quality increases with a
single payer health care system like Canada?

Alex
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