Scottsdale Has the Opportunity to Promote Healthcare Freedom

Many of Arizona’s cities are notorious for restricting free market principles, property rights and innovation. Consequently, at the Goldwater Institute – where we specialize in defending citizens whose rights have been violated by the government – the majority of our lawsuits in Arizona are against local governments. Sadly, this stifling of development often comes at a high price: fewer jobs, a contracting economy, and unaffordable prices for goods and services.

This is particularly true when it comes to healthcare. Now, Scottsdale has the chance to buck the trend by approving plans for a brand-new, privately funded medical campus that will help meet the Valley’s growing need for more efficient, cost-effective healthcare services, as well as create jobs.

In no aspect of our lives is the freedom to make decisions for yourself and your family more important than the delivery of medical services—especially today. An estimated 100,000 people are expected to move to the north Valley over the next few years, even as our state ranks 42^nd in the nation for hospital beds per 1,000 residents and faces a doctor shortage. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Read the rest of the op-ed at the Daily Independent.

Victor Riches is the President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute, leading the Institute’s efforts to help people in all 50 states live freer, happier lives.