We have had some good discussion on this blog about the sad state of China’s health care system.

Check out yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article, China Seeks Advice on Health Overhauls, which discusses the two proposals on the table: (1) More money is given to the Ministry of Health to support state-run hospitals, township clinics and village doctors: (2) Don’t do it completely through public facilities, rely more on competition — the idea being to give money to a government agency that would purchase health services on behalf of patients from state providers or from private clinics and hospitals, who would have to compete for funding.

Which proposal would you support, and why?

And now, as a practical matter, which one will be easier to push through politically?

(To signal my own view, I reiterate what I have said for years about American and even world wide double-speak on this issue …. “Every individual, business, industry and government say they support the “free market” and competition …. until it applies to them.” Doesn’t that almost sound like a “yogiism” that Yogi Berra would say??)

See if you can discuss this for a few minutes in your class with Dr. Marlow. Part of his research and writing relates to this important topic.