Poor People Should Embrace Privatisation

Big business is not your enemy.

Many of my family and friends readily admit that our healthcare system is in dire straits. However, they hate it when I float the insane idea that the government, having proven incapable of running it, should let people whose business depends on providing it take over. There are so many arguments (none of which I've found persuasive) why they think it would be horrible to privatise the NHS. One that people apply to every instance of proposed privatisation is that "only the rich would have access".

First, in the world of free Google searches and cheap Amazon products, I doubt private companies would sell anything at an unaffordable price. Also, with a smaller government taking less of our money, people would have more to spend on such services.

Second, more expensive goods and services are still bought by poorer people who prioritise them. Most Tesla owners are wealthy, but some are less so and care more about their cars than going out to eat.

Third, when the government stay out of it, the market is flooded with cheaper substitutes. Can't afford an iPhone 14 Pro Max? Buy a sexy, high-powered Android for half the price.

Fourth, for pricey services, people can buy insurance or subscriptions instead. You don't need to buy every movie anymore - for the cost of a new one every month, you can access thousands of them on Netflix. An emergency medical procedure could set you back tens of thousands. Insurance can cost a tenth of that per year.

Finally, without other options, people can borrow or look to charity. A pernicious consequence of the government running everything is that we've forgotten we can rely on each other. If my neighbour asks me for money to go to the pub, I'll probably say no. However, if he couldn't afford his essentials, it wouldn't take much persuading before I'd be doing a grocery shop for him.

Money is great because it can be exchanged for things we want. If people dislike privatisation because rich people can have more things they want, they're criticising the fundamental use of money. Without which, we'd be desperately impoverished in every way that matters (famine, anybody?)