Healthcare For All: Five Reasons Government Controlled Medicine Would Be Bad
August 27, 2008 / 10:53 pm • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierAs I watch Dennis Kucinich jump around the stage and scream for “health care for all!” and then claim that his views are mainstream while Bill O’Reilly listens amused, I wonder just how mainstream universal, aka government controlled, health care actually is to average Americans. Good look finding hard data. Government controlled health care sounds good in theory, but it’s terrible in reality. How do we know? Let me count the ways:
1. People would lose jobs. The very people who would stand to benefit from health care would be in trouble, because what’s the plan to pay for these grandiose policies? Small businesses will pay. And how will they offset those costs? Hire less people. The people who need jobs will lose jobs.
2. It would be outrageously expensive. Beyond the cost to employers, there will be costs to American taxpayers. Someone is paying for this mess. A good analysis is here.
3. It would create more government bureaucracy. Can anyone argue that the government makes anything better? Just think IRS. Now imagine a bureaucrat deciding your health care coverage. It should send shivers down your spine.
4. Patient care suffers. Ultimately, this is about what is best for patients, right? One only has to look to countries doing what universal health care types desire to see that between waiting for procedures, being lied to about care choices, etc., government controlled health care is bad for your health.
5. Government involvement stifles innovation. America leads the world in cutting-edge technology and patient care. The innovation draws patients in dire straits who benefit from socialized medicine world powerhouses–Canadians, Britons, French, etc. Still, they come to America to get prompt, excellent, cutting-edge treatment. Will the government improve upon the efforts of the private sector where the innovation happens. Doubtful.
8 Responses to “Healthcare For All: Five Reasons Government Controlled Medicine Would Be Bad”
August 28 2008 / 10:54 am
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There already exist several government-run health care systems: Indian Health care for beneficiaries who are Eskimo, Indian, or Aleut; Military health care, for active duty and retired military personnel; Veterans Administration for disabled vets and other vets who choose VA care; and of course Medicare. All these are supposed to be either free to beneficiaries, or low cost. But there are a lot of complaints about rules, and budget cuts limiting patient care, waiting for care, and clerical personnel making decisions about who gets what care, and when, and for (in some of hese systems) how much money it will cost. Personnel systems are the same as all government agencies, and often the best docs are not hired or contracted for services, due to federal pay scales being significantly below what private enterpise physicians can collect in private practice. Some parts of the country, technician and other staff, including nurses, have federal pay above the local pay in private enterprise, but mostly the fed tech/RN pay is below general competition pay at local for-profit or non-profit hospitals. I figure most employees in these systems are either serving humanity,like Kennedy said to “ask not what govt can do for you, but what you can do for it” or in the worst case, not the best possible candidates for the jobs.
Thanks
August 28 2008 / 11:30 am
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I come from the UK, and my father passed away over there earlier than he needed to, partially due to healthcare rationing.
There is only so much money to go around, and it is not spent effectively or efficiently, as my family directly experienced. On of the other problems with rationing is this, even when you do have the money, the government might not allow you to buy it, bizarre but true.
August 28 2008 / 12:13 pm
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A fatal flaw of most socialized medicine plans is that they are wedded to the notion of equality of care, to be legally enforced. They can’t tolerate the notion of tiered care, a mix of public and private care and so forth.
Personally, I think basic health care, with a co-pay, should be available to everyone. This would cover out-patient basics; stitches, colds, immunizations, broken bones. All done by interns and nurses and second rate doctors.
Frankly, the Wal-Mart clinic model is the way to go, only slightly expanded. (And can we shake up the government/industry monopoly on prescription drugs–the whole thing is a racket. It pisses me off that so many medicines that should be OTC not only need a prescription, but have to pay a damn $20 copay to get my doctor to give me a prescription.)
August 28 2008 / 12:29 pm
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I thought a person holding the office of President of the United States HAD to be a natural-born American citizen. Why are we even considering this imposter for our President ??
Here’s a great question bound to make Obama squirm: Mr. Obama, would you kindly produce a certified copy of your Hawaiian birth certificate? (He can’t and won’t, because it doesn’t exist).
OBAMA isn’t even a natural-born American citizen. !!!
End this charade NOW !!!!!
August 28 2008 / 5:24 pm
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I’m always amused when I hear people say that the government should take over health care to eliminate all the burocracy and paperwork created by the insurance companies.
A government run health care system would combine the compassion of the IRS, the convenience of the TSA (airport security), and the efficiency of the Motor Vehicle Bureau.
August 28 2008 / 7:02 pm
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On the button. Every single time one of the liberals I work with bring up this topic these are the points I make. Sadly, talking, okay arguing with a liberal is like doing the same with a bring walk and with the same results. None.
November 30 2008 / 9:44 pm
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HHHHHMMMMMMMMM let me get this right………..Obama is not a US citizen? Almost seems laughable but to some, they do find some truth to ignorance.
As for US healthcare reform……………….it cant come any quicker. Its understood that some would believe that a universal healthcare is a bad idea and they have every right to have their OPINION but in actuality America is said/thought to be the richest and most politically and economically powerful national in the world yet many of its citizens are not covered- please correct me if I am mistaken but its more than 16 million Americans do not have health insurance, can someone please answer me why? Hhhhhhhmmmmmmmm I would have to say because Americans are individualistic
and we tend to only think about ourselves and not the greater good because a countries standard of living is embedded in its healthcare system.
If this is posted then great but if not that’s fine because I completely understand why my thoughts might not align with yours or they might be considered OUTRAGEOUS and unpatriotic or whatever other code words that might be used to unit all mavericks.
Have a Nice Day
February 5 2009 / 2:25 am
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I just don’t understand the resistance of the US people against this. In the Netherlands it is mandatory to have insurance and it is government controlled but the healtcare is good and everybody that need healtcare is helped. I pay around 89 euros per month for healtcare. That is not a lot. And you get good healtcare for that. It is not perfect but a lot better then what you have now in the US.