Health care values

A lot of the health care discussion focuses a lot on wonky technical jargon. I could happily wonk out all day, but perhaps there are genuine differences in the underlying values that are worth teasing out. And as should be expected with something as massive and complex as the U.S. health care system, much of the discussed reform addresses more than one belief at a time in a intermingled, potentially confusing way.

So here’s an experiment, now that I know that some people actually comment on this blog. Please respond to the following statements, saying whether you agree or disagree with them, and maybe even why:

1. It’s fair to ask people who are younger or healthier to pay more (through taxes, premiums, etc) to help provide health care for people who are older or sicker.
2. It’s fair to ask people who are wealthier to pay more to help provide health care for people who are poorer.
3. The right kind of governmental involvement can help bring down the cost of health care treatment.
4. The level of health care that Americans expect from doctors, clinics, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies is reasonable.