Government Should Get Back to the Basics on Health Care

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Those who worry about a growing role for government in health care reform have reason for concern: the government already plays a surprisingly large role in our health care system. Like Thomas Jefferson, the father of the Democratic Party, they may feel that: 'Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we shall soon want bread.'

Normally, the government's role in the sectors that provide us with goods and services is to protect us - by enforcing anti-trust and consumer protection laws, guaranteeing transparency through agencies such as the SEC, and preventing fraud and abuse. It also enables income redistribution, so the poor and disabled can participate in...

RealClearPolitics - Articles by Regina Herzlinger

Government Should Get Back to the Basics on Health Care