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OPINION

Monopolistic Healthcare

Who Wants That?

By Alan M. Preston, MHA, Sc.D.

I am always surprised how people can rationalize the Even monopolies in a state's electricity industry is often opposed
In the private sector, we are almost uniformly against a monopoly.
merits of certain socialistic financial, market, eco-
nomic, and healthcare systems as desirable when the
of not supporting a monopoly. The Federal Government enforces
evidence is clear and compelling all around us that capitalistic sys- by 75 percent of citizens. The federal government has a long history
tems are superior to socialistic systems. Yet, people seem to grav- three major Federal antitrust laws, (designed to break up a monop-
itate to socialistic systems based on a conceptual framework, oly) and most states also have their own as well. Essentially, these
headline, or soundbite that when examined closely, I doubt there laws prohibit business practices that unreasonably deprive con-
would be any support for such. For example, who would be in sumers of the benefits of competition (i.e., a monopoly), resulting
favor of a form of government where the government owns the in higher prices for products and services. Let me underscore the
means of production? Nevertheless, we have an increasing num- position of the Justice Department on this issue; the lack of com-
ber of individuals in this country that are embracing components petition results in higher prices. This seems like common sense and
of such a system. a logical conclusion to draw about a monopoly.

18 San Antonio Medicine • March 2019