The Moral Hazard Essay

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“The Moral Hazard Myth” by Malcolm Gladwell Why do many people in today’s American society feel the need to be insured and those who without, think, as Gladwell quotes, “remain uninsured as a matter of choice.”? (Gladwell 244) In his article “The Moral Hazard Myth,” Malcolm Gladwell analyzes about the health industry and healthcare realities of Americans today. He successfully proves the idea of “Moral Hazard” has shaped a private health care system that leaves millions of people behind without coverage. Gladwell aims to expose how the concept of moral hazard has played a major role in shaping our failing health care system. By catching the reader’s attention, he uses vivid imagery, facts and statistics, and emotional anecdotes. What is the idea of the Moral Hazard? As Gladwell describes, “the term economists use to describe the fact that insurance can change the behavior of the person being insured” (Gladwell 241). In other words, Moral Hazard is used to describe people who act more carelessly when they are insured which leads to thinking there are harmless consequences to their own actions. Gladwell proves there is no connection between the Moral Hazard and health care insurance. He further argues that the Moral Hazard Myth is not the best way to construct our healthcare system. To make his argument valid, Gladwell provides his audience through various series of personal anecdotes that captures the reader’s emotional feeling. Stories such as the real-life perspective of John, a manager in Idaho, who can’t get a proper medical attention are similar in way because people who go through that experience, just say, as Gladwell quotes, “I can deal with the pain”. (Gladwell 240). Furthermore, Gladwell makes this point in by quoting, “Because the uninsured are sicker than the rest of us, they can’t get better jobs, and because they can’t get better jobs, they

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