· · Single source ·Updated

Experts debate Milton Friedman influence on US healthcare policy

Two scholars discussed differing views on American health care history and policy approaches during a Zoom conversation.

Opinion: Is Milton Friedman to blame for America’s health care woes?
File photo Opinion: Is Milton Friedman to blame for America’s health care woes? Photo: STAT

Longstanding Policy Disagreement

The discussion involved John E. McDonough and Stuart Butler, who have debated health care issues for roughly twenty years. They noted that their differences often concern methods and engineering rather than fundamental principles about desired outcomes.

Professional History Connection

McDonough first knew Butler from a distance while serving in the Massachusetts legislature before working on the Affordable Care Act in 2008. During that time, Butler was an early employee at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and McDonough invited him into inner circles.

Transcript Generation Method

The conversation took place via Zoom and was later presented as a lightly edited transcript. The text notes that an artificial intelligence system generated the final version of this dialogue.

Reported by one outlet

Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.

Reported by

1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.