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Does Barack Obama Support

Socialized Medicine?

by Michael F. Cannon

No. 108

October 7, 2008

Executive Summary

is possible. Socialized medicine exists to the extent that

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack

Obama (IL) has proposed an ambitious plan to

government controls medical resources and socializes the

costs. Notice that under this definition, it is irrele-

restructure America's health care sector. Rather

vant whether we describe medical resources (e.g.,

than engage in a detailed critique of Obama's

hospitals, employees) as "public" or "private."

health care plan, many critics prefer to label it

What matters--what determines real as opposed

"socialized medicine." Is that a fair description of

to nominal ownership--is who controls the

the Obama plan and similar plans? Over the past

resources. By that definition, America's health sec-

year, prominent media outlets and respectable

tor is already more than half socialized, and

think tanks have investigated that question and

Obama's health care plan would socialize medi-

come to a unanimous answer: no.

cine even further.

Those investigations leave much to be desired.

Reasonable people can disagree over whether

Indeed, they are little more than attempts to con-

Obama's health plan would be good or bad.

vince the public that policies generally considered

But to suggest that it is not a step toward social-

socialist really aren't.

ized medicine is absurd.

A reasonable definition of socialized medicine

Michael F. Cannon is director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute (www.cato.org) and coauthor of Healthy

Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It.

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