The debate in the USA is framed with the implication that if you (the health care consumer) does not have "choice" then you will be forced to only see a really terrible doctor, and get substandard care at a high price. And that, with a little effort on your own part, you will be able to select a better doctor at a affordable price.
Therefore, if you have a bad doctor or expensive care, it is your own damn fault. You just didn't try hard enough to find a good one.
It is the same thing with the debate about school vouchers vs. a standard public education for everyone. A heaping dose of "the free market fixes everything", for all life's problems.
I would rather not have a "choice". I would like to be able to select any nearby doctor, and be assured of getting competent care.
I'm not often in the situation where I have a wacky tropical disease that presents odd and incongruous symptoms, which would take a Dr. House to figure out. I am far more likely to have run-of-the-mill heart disease or a common form of cancer. I just need a doctor with some basic level of competence, who can just listen to me and help me through the common health problems of modern life.
Therefore, if you have a bad doctor or expensive care, it is your own damn fault. You just didn't try hard enough to find a good one.
It is the same thing with the debate about school vouchers vs. a standard public education for everyone. A heaping dose of "the free market fixes everything", for all life's problems.
I would rather not have a "choice". I would like to be able to select any nearby doctor, and be assured of getting competent care.
I'm not often in the situation where I have a wacky tropical disease that presents odd and incongruous symptoms, which would take a Dr. House to figure out. I am far more likely to have run-of-the-mill heart disease or a common form of cancer. I just need a doctor with some basic level of competence, who can just listen to me and help me through the common health problems of modern life.