Universal Health-Care: Not Such a Bad Thing? (Rebuttal needed)

Marble Garden ^

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Greetings. I have a piece of text I'd like to copy and paste from a topic on another forum (known as Marble Garden, which is where political, philosophical, and sociological threads and debates are posted). I had started a topic (username: Ultra Sonic 007) about health care, asking which system would be better; socialized or private?

One of the forumers there is TheCycle, a Canadian. He just recently posted a long post on the universal health-care system and why it would be a good idea for the US to make the switch to such a system. It was in response to snippets from Michael Savage's book 'The Enemy Within' that regarded health-care. Snippets I posted.

This is where I ask for help.

[fanfan]

Absinth is another one of those goodies that you can get here but not the US too :-)

Absinth? You drink that stuff?

[proud_yank]

I have a bottle that I brought back from Croatia two summers ago. I've heard all the stories about it and a while ago some friends and I each had a shot. It has sat on top of my cabinets since! A friend of mine really likes it though. In general, I'm not a real heavy drinker.

Friends of mine in the states have asked me to bring some back for them. The only appeal I imagine is that it can't be bought in the US.

[fanfan]

Are you going home in the summer?

[proud_yank]

FReepmailed you

[Ultra Sonic 007]

I oppose government-controlled health care.

I have long ago given up trying to convert leftists. I pity them, but owe them nothing. Certainly not my precious time.

Eh, Cycle, in terms of the political scale, is a Lefty McLeft. I have no delusions of converting him...but I can make his arguments sound stupid in the meantime. ;)

[FreeKeys]

See: Reevaluating China's Democide to be 73,000,000

[beavus]

1. MONEY PIT

Cost inflation is primarily a result of third-party payer and government subsidies. "Universal health care" would maximize this problem and compound it by banning competition. Economically, a worse approach cannot be imagined. Add to this the following...

2. MONOLITHIC

One organization managing every person in the country would require a beaurocracy of gargantuan proportions. This would be wasteful and slow to adapt to the explosion of new innovations.

3. NEEDS OF THE MANY OUTWAY THE NEEDS OF THE FEW

WHEN (not if) the program becomes too expensive for the government to fund, everyone's health care becomes a political decision. That means decisions are made democratically. So, expensive treatments for diseases affecting small numbers of people will be first to be banned. Without a legal market, it will not be available to you in that country no matter how much you are willing to spend.

4. BERLIN WALL

People who can afford it will want to escape such an undesirable system. Since this creates a two-tiered system which is counter to the egalitarian principles that spawned universal coverage, the government will be tempted to ban all private commercial medical transactions (as in Canada). Punishing peaceful mutually benefitial voluntary transactions between its citizens is the essence of tyranny.

5. LIMITED LEGAL RECOURSE

If the government doesn't treat you right, good luck taking them to court.



These problems are observed facts of socialized medicine where it is practiced.

[wgflyer]

There are four reasons why medical insurance in the USA is so expensive:

1. Medical school leaves doctors in massive debt.

2. People sue. Because of this, malpractice insurance is through the roof. Thus, doctor’s fees are through the roof.

3. Medical treatment is free to people who have no insurance. Emergency rooms are full to the brim with illegal aliens who are either pregnant or whose kids have a cold. Thus hospitals charge 50 dollars for an aspirin to those who do have insurance, and insurance pays the tab.

4. Corruption. Fraud is rife. Insurance costs skyrocket because doctors, either crooked by nature or by need, rip off insurance companies and patients put phony neck braces on and demand medical treatment that they don’t need, paid for by insurance. Medicare and Medicaid are huge sources of funding for crooks and the government doesn't seriously care.

Get rid of these problems and medical care in the USA becomes not only affordable, but availability increases and you’ll start seeing house calls again.

Nationalize health care and you'll quickly see massive waiting lists for minor and some major surgeries. You'll see a stepped up nanny state as government begins to care and legislate more about what you eat and what unsafe things you do that might cost them down the line in health care costs. Smoke? Don't expect much sympathy from the cancer ward. They have more responsible people to deal with.

Watch euthanasia to become more the in thing, with government bureaucrats deciding who lives and who dies. Watch treatment withheld because a medical bureaucrat decides your life isn't worth spending any more money on.

Look for an increase in foreigners coming over from (shhh) Mexico for the free treatment. (oops. That’s already happened. See above).

Finally, look for the quality of medical staff to get lower as uncaring staff get that civil servant mentality and watch corruption go through the roof, along with your taxes and watch our economy go in the tank like Canada's and Europe's have.