Thomas W. Hazlett

In the following viewpoint, Thomas W. Hazlett claims that despite the crusade against managed care, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) have improved the quality and affordability of American medicine. He asserts that doctors’ efforts to reduce the power of HMOs will result in an increase in medical insurance costs, which will make quality health care too expensive for many Americans. Hazlett is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank dedicated to preserving private enterprise and limiting the power of governments.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was the medical cost inflation rate in 1991, as stated by the author?
2. According to Hazlett, what has resulted from doctors running up medical tabs?
3. In Hazlett’s opinion, how does unaffordable health care cause illness"

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