The subject of universal health care
(or socialized medicine) has been thrust to the forefront of the
national conversation. Jingoized by every Democrat presidential
candidate and exploited by Michael Moore as documentary fodder,
free health care for all is being sold like snake oil to credulous
Americans. There are aspects of socialized medicine, however, that
have not been exposed by the American press, the proponents of universal
health care or in Michael Moore's documentary.
"FREE" MEANS "PREPAID"
The most obvious component of "free" health care is
that, in fact, it is not free. Socialized medicine is paid for through
taxation, and in countries in which it is practiced, everyone pays
these taxes. Much like our own "Social Security" tax,
which imposes a 15.2% tax on anyone who works for a living, socialized
medicine schemes are paid for through a combination of income taxes
and national sales taxes, or VAT taxes. In other words, working
people pay for "free" healthcare through payroll taxes
and taxes on purchases. Nonworking people and individuals working
for cash still pay for "free" healthcare every time they
buy gasoline, food or clothing.
Prepaid health care may not seem like
a terrible thing, but consider the expense of all of the government
overhead that frontloads every government sponsored program. If
you think that a universal health care system will be run and monitored
by a single department in a linear fashion, think again. Consider
how the government handles “poor relief.” What charities do in a
very straightforward manner is mishandled by a series of bureaucracies
in government. Redundancies among programs abound, and it requires
85 cents of every dollar collected in taxes to provide 15 cents
worth of benefit to the end user. For example, what is known as
“welfare”, or Aid to Dependent Children, is administered through
the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Section 8 housing
subsidies are meted out through Housing and Urban Development for
urban poor, and through the Rural Development Council for those
outside the cities. The USDA handles the food stamp and WIC programs,
and the low-cost or free school lunch program is administered through
a partnership between the USDA and the Department of Defense. One
government genius thought school districts may benefit if they were
able to purchase meat, milk and produce for their schools from local
farmers; government bureaucrats decided that the efficiency of that
system could be improved upon only if those farmers became certified
as Department of Defense contractors. Needless to say, small, family-run
farms whose priorities are sowing and harvesting, balked at the
idea of spending ten to twenty hours annually to complete the paperwork
needed for this certification. Government poor relief programs target
only about 35 percent of the population; imagine what the government
can do with a healthcare program that impacts 100% of the population!
NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
Another aspect of socialized medicine that is rarely discussed
is that it is rationed. Universal health care programs are the equivalent
of a government-run HMO. There are "gatekeepers" at every
juncture point in the program, whose job it is to assess your condition
and decide whether or not you warrant further care. The gatekeepers
are trained physicians, but first and foremost, they are government
bureaucrats. Their job is to limit the use of healthcare in order
to keep costs down. As a result, there have been instances in Great
Britain of children dying of tonsillitis because they were put on
a nine-month waiting list to see a doctor, and in Canada, one woman's
skin cancer metastized before she was allowed to see a dermatologist
because it was mistaken for a rash by her regional gatekeeper.
Gatekeepers use a number of factors
to regulate the dispensation of health services, not the least of
which is the patient's economic status or economic potential. In
short, low-wage, low-skilled patients whose tax potential doesn't
serve the needs of the state are less likely to receive care, whereas
skilled individuals who have a steady employment record have a better
chance of receiving care. For example, in Holland, attending physicians
are allowed to determine when critically ill or injured patients
should not be resuscitated. It was discovered that Dutch physicians
are more likely to pull the plug on low-income black patients than
they are on high-wage white patients. Lifestyle choices are also
a determining factor in healthcare delivery. Patients who look like
Michael Moore, smoke cigarettes (or other substances) or drink excessively
won't be a high priority when the inevitable heart attack, stroke,
or liver disease kicks in. How do you imagine the “lifestyle” criteria
will be applied to the homosexual population of San Francisco, or
IV drug users in South Central Los Angeles? Universal health care
does not guarantee equal treatment.
Can a patient get around the system
for a second opinion or faster service? If they have enough money
to buy their way out, some can. Canadians skeptical of, or disappointed
with, their diagnosis or treatment protocols routinely cross the
border and buy treatment in the United States. However, some countries
make buying health services outside the national system illegal.
Physicians who sell their services to willing buyers can be fined
or jailed, even if the patient's situation is critical. Practicing
medicine without the government's permission equates to robbing
a bank in the eyes of those governments sponsoring socialized health
care programs.
20 YEARS OF POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION
TO EARN MINIMUM WAGE
The amount of regulation combined with abysmally low wages for
doctors inherent in universal health care schemes has lead to a
shortage of doctors in countries that have imposed it. After completing
twenty years of post high school education and fulfilling rigorous
licensing requirements, physicians aren't happy earning less than
a union auto worker with a tenth-grade education. British, Australian
and Canadian-born physicians leave their respective countries and
move to, well, the United States or Japan, where they can earn what
their skills are worth. This situation has lead countries like Great
Britain to recruit high-skilled, low-wage doctors from Pakistan
and Indonesia to fill vacancies. As recent events in London and
the Glasgow Airport show, this solution has lead to other, more
catastrophic, problems with national security.
CAN YOU SAY WALTER REED HOSPITAL?
The United States already has a prime example of government-provided
health care. It's called the Veteran's Administration, and the scandalous
conditions uncovered recently at Walter Reed Hospital should be
a clue as to how well the government delivers health care services.
Unsanitary conditions, nonfunctional equipment and a lack of staff
were some of the issues plaguing Walter Reed, and the veterans whose
lives were at stake were virtual hostages to this healthcare nightmare.
“Where are the malpractice attorneys?” you ask. One other facet
of government health care programs is that they cannot be sued,
regardless of demonstrated negligence or malpractice.
The high cost of healthcare is a challenge
that must be dealt with on a number of levels. Reducing the power
insurance companies have to dictate how healthcare is delivered,
real tort reform that discourages frivolous lawsuits by patients
who believe that winning a lawsuit is like winning the lottery,
cutting misuse of the system by patients, routing out waste and
fraud committed by health care providers who make living milking
Medicare and Medicaid, and encouraging the use of cash for routine
health maintenance (e.g. physical checkups, inoculations, etc.)
are things that can help reduce overall health care costs. Putting
the health care system under the auspices of the government is a
cure that is worse than the disease, and may well prove fatal to
the patient in the long run.
The Stats
According to the Census Burea 36 million Americans (1/8 of the population)are
uninsured while 252 million (7/8 of the population) are insured.
So, that means there are efforts to completely overhaul the way
insurance is handles because of the way it affects 1/8 of the population.
That doesn't seem fair. We should try to get the 36 million insured,
first, while shoringup the existing system.
The failure of the Veteran's Administration (VA) is a compelling argument against government run healthcare.
Walter Reed hospital would be the last place that I would want to go if I was ill.
I find it interesting that the argument for opposing universal health care in this country has to do with a bumbling government and its inability to function. Obviously there are flaws in this county and especially in how we operate many of our government programs. Would it not be prudent to correct those problems anyways?
When we are discussing universal health care why is it we want to promote the idea that coverage will only get worse? Waiting in the emergency room while each patient is screened to keep cost down; insurance companies are doing this now and further more if you slip through the screening and later they may deem oops we made a mistake you will have to pay for that out of your pocket! I once waited 7 hours for 7 stitches in the emergency room in Chicago I was insured but still had to wait.
We have fire departments (they don’t decide which house fire to put out based on income) and we police departments that work to serve all, why is it when it comes to another safety aspect of our lives we do not believe they will help us?
Monetary. That’s it and that is all it will ever be about. There are too many people that make a great deal of money off the current deal and they are going to fight it tooth and nail. What is even worse, look at some of those insurance companies right now and take a gander at how many are outsourcing their jobs.