Hazard Lights: On

You may have never heard of “moral hazard” and there’s no surprise in that. It’s a term used largely by economists and policymakers. Let’s just say, it’s the idea that if something is too freely available, say universal healthcare, that people will take more than their fill — a bit like overeaters at a buffet — and thereby abuse the system.

But this presumes that healthcare comes as an unlimited resource, that people could “overeat” at the healthcare smorgasbord. Problem is, anybody who has waited to be seen by a physician or who knows the details of the current and ever-growing nursing shortage knows there aren’t unlimited resources.

Moreover, even if you have a wonderful healthcare plan, as I did up to 2 years ago, the idea that anyone would willingly go to the doctor for something unimportant is absurd. The doctor’s just not that fun!

For more on this topic (which is going to impact healthcare in this country in a major way), please read this article in The New Yorker.