Abstract/Summary

We hope that doctors will recommend and provide the most appropriate investigations and treatments. I argue that some ways of structuring medical provision—mostly, those involving markets—impose a risk of overprovision. This is bad financially, medically, and epistemically, and as such is morally bad, and we should be extremely cautious about damaging trust in doctors. Thus “who cares if the doctor works for a private company so long as treatment is free?” defences of healthcare marketisation and privatisation miss an important point.