Consider that the demand for healthcare is like the demand for any other good?

Answer 1

Anything free at the point of delivery, will be abused by the user and the deliverer of that service. It is also inefficient, because it has no competition, like the rest of the Public Sector. Because there is nothing to control demand, ie. there is nothing to pay by the user, demand is almost infinite. So, as the marketplace doesn't control demand, it has to be artificially controlled by, amongst other measures, slowing down the supply of care, because there aren't unlimited beds and other resources. So, the supply of health care isn't like the supply of most other goods and services, because it isn't controlled by the price mechanism, but by artificial means. It also has no real competition.

Answer 2

yes and no. Yes it is like demand for any other good as the demand curve is downward sloping from the left to the right, of course it is most often highly inelastic eg diabetic will buy same amount of insulin if price doubles...trebles... but eventually demand will decrease considerably when price of insulin would be a much greater portion of expenditure, diabetic would look at improving diet, alternative medicine etc.. Elective surgery such as knee operations are more elastic, social baskbetball player might pay double current price but not treble... basketball player decides physio and a good knee brace and $2000 for other expenditure has more utility.
The no is a more social answer where most people would say that someone simply shouldn't die because they are poor, whether the rich should be forced to pay for it (taxes) or elect to (charity) is again another social decision. This question becomes more difficult when the poor person is not in a life or death situation but is a teenager who for example suffers the knee injury mentioned before, elective surgery but without it could never play sport again. So in the strictly economic sense yes but if you have a heart no it can never be as to be terrifically cliché and contradict myself you can't put a price on life

Answer 3

In addition to some of the points others have made, healthcare demand is different from that of other goods in that it is a long-term issue, and there are many preventitive tests and treatments that can lower future demand for other services (chemotherapy, surgery, etc). This is why it is advantageous to make things like routine checkups and preventitive tests and treatments relatively cheap to the consumer, so that they don't penny pinch to avoid costs now and end up costing the system significantly more in the future because cancer was not detected early, or they did not change their health habits in time to avoid early onset diabetes, etc.

Answer 4

The demand for health care is different for two reasons. We are not willing to let people die for lack of it which leads to government involvement and effects the demand.
Most people find going to a doctor and particularly a dentist unpleasant so the demand is self limiting. If you get more money your consumption for most goods will increase, but an increase in income will probably not increase your consumption of health care, unless you are very poor or sick. That is why you can insure for heath care cost but not for your cost of clothes or vacations.

Answer 5

Most health care products and services are in demand like any other good. The exception would be urgent critical care--clearly the victim cannot consider alternate providers, etc. I believe major catastrophic care would be different as well.

Answer 6

It's not. Most goods out there have substitutes; healthcare doesn't.

Answer 7

i agree. everything else in this country operates under the free market economy. we should treat health care the same- the rich people can afford better care, so they should have it.