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Importance Of Scarcity In Healthcare

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important information to consider as well. Scarcity is a central principle in economics that is important when analyzing healthcare because many resources are scarce. Also, it is important to address what market failure has led to a need for a solution to healthcare. Lastly, in economics, decisions are made by comparing the costs to the benefits which is necessary to determine if a universal healthcare system or a free market system is better in the United States. To fully analyze the economic standpoint of healthcare, the concept of scarcity is necessary to understand. A resource is scarce when there is a limited amount of it, and it is not able to satisfy everyone’s needs and wants. In relation to healthcare, there is a scarcity of health …show more content…

This happens when the buyer or producer does not know the true cost or benefit of the good or service. If people know that they will be covered if they get hurt, for example, then they are more likely to get hurt, which is called a moral hazard. They have less incentives to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Also, healthcare providers will tend to overtreat patients, which leads to inefficiency (“Pros and cons”, 2016). In adverse selection and asymmetrical information, people know how much they need insurance, so they are more likely to resist paying for it if they think that they do not need it (Herman, 2016). Before 2014, health insurers could charge consumers more based on their medical history and deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions to prevent adverse selection. Due to the ACA, over 129 million Americans that have pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied healthcare coverage or be charged extra because of their health (“Healthcare that works”, 2016). However, included within the ACA is the law that this can no longer occur because it discriminates against those who are disabled. Those who need healthcare insurance are more likely to buy it. Because of this, companies must pay more costs, and the value of the insurance is higher for the …show more content…

Resources are allocated by physicians, hospitals, and specialists in this system. The demand for healthcare will be the greatest when it is free for Americans, which will lead to an overconsumption of resources and reduction in supply (“Healthcare as a merit good”). This will cause longer wait times because of the limited number of physicians, and it will cause a shortage of resources, such as hospital beds. However, expense costs for consumers will be less because they will not have to pay for insurance directly. On the other hand, having a free market system could cause a disproportionality in equity for consumers because of the price. Though, a free market healthcare system will allow insurance companies and other private businesses to compete, which will help benefit the economy in the long run. The U.S. government created the ACA to subsidize costs for consumers because the price of healthcare insurance was originally high, but it has not fixed all the

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