Zinser and Hsieh on Health Policy

Moral Health Care vs. "Universal Health Care"

by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh

This article is published at no charge online by The Objective Standard (Winter 2007-2008, Vol. 2, No. 4).

Zinser and Hsieh explain that modern problems in health care and health insurance are the consequence of decades of political meddling.

This reading is perfect for single meeting. Suggested review questions follow. Additional material from Zinser and Hsieh may be found at their web site, Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine.

Review Questions for Zinser and Hsieh on Health Policy

1. What are the general problems with health care and health insurance in recent years? (Introduction, pp. 9-10)

2. How did government policy during the Great Depression promote Blue Cross and Blue Shield at the expense of other sorts of insurance? ("Government Involvement in Health Insurance," pp. 11-12)

3. How did federal tax policy drive employers to provide health insurance, and what are the resulting problems? ("Government Involvement," pp. 12-15)

4. How did Medicare and Medicaid further alter health insurance in America? ("Government Involvement in Health Insurance," pp. 15-17)

5. What were the consequences of politically mandated benefits and guaranteed issue? ("Government Involvement in Health Insurance," pp. 17-22)

6. What were the consequences of forcing emergency rooms to treat people? ("Government Intervention in Medicine," pp. 22-24)

7. What problems did the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) seek to address, and what were the actual consequences of the legislation? ("Government Intervention in Medicine," pp. 24-25)

8. How has politically controlled health care worked out in Canada and the UK? ("Attempted Solutions," pp. 26-29)

9. How has politically controlled health care worked out in Tennessee, Hawaii, and Massachusetts? ("Attempted Solutions," pp. 30-32)

10. What reforms do Zinser and Hsieh recommend for health policy, and on what philosophical foundations? ("A Genuine Solution," pp. 33-38)

11. Can health care actually be provided on a free market the way that "feed, shelter, and clothing" can? ("A Genuine Solution," pp. 36-38)

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