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Politics : Actual left/right wing discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kevin Rose who wrote (8270)	8/28/2008 4:42:00 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10087

Not letting people die in the streets is an idea that's widely supported, but the vast majority of the benefit of the health care goes to the person who receives the health care. The fact that others receive some benefit does not make it a public good. A public good is a good that is not excludable, that if you provide it for one, you are providing it for all, defense against foreign invasion is a public good, and fighting a pandemic is pretty much one as well, but treating non-communicable diseases and disorders is not. It may have positive externalizes (benefit to people other than those receiving the good or service), but only the person being treated is receiving the treatment, the service is very excludable. as much her opinion that it is not the responsibility of government, but of some other body. However, there is no other ubiquitous non-government organization that would have it in their charter to provide universal health care. Arguing that there has to be a specific ubiquitous organization to provide or fund health care is begging the question. As to #1, I believe that answer is fairly straightforward. America pledges an education to all citizens; is an education more important that health care? I think not. Is health care more important than food? I think not. But no one is calling for a system of "universal" government food distribution. 2) Should government provided health care be operated by the government, or by private organizations funded by the government? en.wikipedia.org