atization will likely do little to reduce operating costs of the health care system; rather it will simply shift the burden of cost. With increasing privatization, the responsibility for payment will no longer fall on the public purse and government, but will instead become the responsibility of the individual, (Armstrong & Armstrong, 1996). Efficiency and Quality The increasing competitiveness that comes along with for-profit markets, many believe, will reduce waste and increase efficiency. Because the private market is more concerned with controlling costs in order to increase profit many believe that there would be more efficient waste management and less abuse or misuse of health care resources. However, there is little solid evidence that the current system is abused or subject to overuse, (Armstrong and Fegan, 1998, Wilson, 1995). In fact, if the private sector allows money to govern health care administration the possibility exists that business will diagnose and treat simply for the sake of profit, as stated previously. Both those who support and those who oppose private health care recognize that the quality of care is suffering. Supporters of privatization believe that it is the “tyranny of a single-payer, which has led to rationing through the use of queues, (waiting in line), to decreasing accessibility and to diminishing quality”, (Dirnfeld, 1996, p.409). Supporters of private health care believe that a private option in health care would decrease waiting lists for public facilities. This, in turn, would improve access for those using the public system. According to Gordon, Mintz, and Chen (1998), evidence shows that an introduction of the private sector would not reduce waiting lists, rather it would alter the way waiting list are structured and prioritized. Instead of greatest necessity being moved to the top of the list, those who could pay would jump the list and receive the care they required. Implicat...
