As published in the Suffolk Free Press and www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk, Thursday, February 7, 2019
As a libertarian, one of my main concerns are the ‘moral hazards’ created by the intervention of superficially well-meaning state bureaucrats.
Not only do these institutionalised invasions of individual liberties increase the control of the state, they frequently work against the very outcomes they are looking to secure.
Look at the issue of health. I recently attended a focus group comprising various health professionals and businesses.
We were presented with some telling statistics. The annual cost to the UK of absences from work and health-related productivity losses amounts to £100bn – equivalent to the GDP of Portugal.
The latest available figures suggest that over 130m working days are lost in this country each year. More than 11m Britons of working age suffer from at least one long-term health condition. And health conditions are especially prevalent among those of working age who are either unemployed or who can only work for short periods of time.
As well as acting as a drag factor on our economy, the costs – both financial and in terms of resources being diverted from other uses – of providing health care are higher than at any time in our nation’s history.
In my opinion, the ‘moral hazard’ here is caused the very existence of the NHS. I have no doubt this will provoke many to express outrage, but it needs to be said. A socialised health system free at the point of delivery encourages many to be wanton in their choice of lifestyles, diet and general approach to life.
No matter how your treat your body and mind, there is also someone else to pick up the bill for your actions.
Of course, I have no problem with my fellow citizens smoking, drinking excessively or taking mind-bending drugs. In fact, I would defend your right to so do. But it is you, not me, who should make provision for the costs of any curative treatment arising from your lifestyle.
So what is the libertarian alternative to this ‘moral hazard’?
It is based on classic principles of self-help and begins with the family unit. Children need to be taught from an early age about their own responsibility for their own actions – and they need more information at any early age to appreciate what this means in terms everything from sexual health through to being ready to earn a living.
I also wish to see resilience, by which I mean coping with and learning from adversity, encouraged. I refuse to categorise the rising generation as ‘snowflakes’ as some have done. But our childrearing culture has become increasingly risk-averse and has built up a sense of entitlement that, as the saying goes, ‘all shall have prizes.”
Businesses have a role to play as it is in their self-interest to ensure that their workforce is mentally and physically fit. The focus group devoted some time to looking at how all businesses, but especially smaller enterprises, are creating working cultures that support wellbeing and openness about health issues. Absence figures among firms employing less than 25 people is less than for larger firms. The high rates of sickness absence within state organisations is well-known to be the highest of the lot.
Finally, I would reduce expenditure on the NHS so that it focusses on a limited range of treatments. In its place, I’d like to encourage citizens to provide for their own health care via an expanded insurance model and tax breaks for companies offering wellbeing packages to their staff
An effective insurance scheme would probably need to allow for insurance cover for pre-existing conditions to get the system up and running, but that would be a price worth paying in overcoming this intolerable ‘moral hazard’.
No comments:
Post a Comment