Question 1:

Do any externalities arise in the provision of medical care? If so, what are they?


A reasonable answer.

It is obvious that the vaccination of individuals against a communicable disease will reduce the probability that neighboring people will get it and suffer accordingly. This is a real positive externality in the provision of medical care. As a result the presence of government-promoted vaccinations for everyone in the community is almost universal. At the same time, to the extent that members of the community suffer and die without medical care, many observers in the community will experience disutility, indicating a negative consumption or preference externality. It is probably for this reason that governments tend to supply basic medical care or medical-care-insurance.

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