Free? Really?
My friend and I were discussing "free health care" tonight on the phone, actually we were sorta yelling back and forth at times, I think someone just saw the movie Sicko or something. Anyway, we both disagree on it. She thinks universal health care could be a good thing, and I think it would most likely prove to be a disaster. And hey, I have $800.00 in medical bills sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be paid, free health care sounds good right about now, HOWEVER, I know that it really would not be that simple.
For one thing, it most certainly would not be free for my family, we would be paying a lion share of taxes for it. Secondly, I don't want the same people who brought us such great institutions as the DMV in charge of my health care. Third, I've experienced socialized medicine for 10 years of my adult life, and while it's great for immunizations and pap smears and things, when something really goes wrong with your health it is completely hit or miss. I'll take my chances on a good old competitive for profit market any day of the week.
I'm sorry that some people don't have health care, but in reality I don't think it is the poor who are not covered. No, most of them are covered by state run medicaid and such. Every state is different, but I would wager the great majority of states have something to help out the poor. It is the middle class folks who can't afford health care, particularly the lower middle class. Those people who are right on the edge, they can't qualify for any "programs" and they can't actually afford health insurance and keep the lights and heat going.
There is no perfect system available. I hate having to pay so much out of pocket when we already pay $240/month for our insurance premium. That being said, I would much rather have insurance companies compete for business than be at the mercy of some government bureaucrat. It is folly to compare the U.S. to countries like Sweden and their socialized medicine programs, for one we've got about 240 million more people in this country than they do, nevermind the fact that our population is growing everyday as people cross our borders.
Let's say we entertain Michael Moore and the Democrats fantasies about universal socialized medicine, I would really like to know how the hell that's going to be covered financially. I can guarantee you that my family will be paying more than $240/month in taxes to cover the costs of such a system.
People hate the rich, they think they are spoiled and living the decadent life on the backs of the poor. Not everyone got rich that way. Some people used their backs. My husband is working his balls off in the freezing cold under the threat of thousands of pounds of machinery falling on his head, or having the place blow up from one little spark, and he's making good money at it. Good money that some bureaucrat will look at on paper and decide should be given to some fat breeder cow who decided to have 5 illegitimate children on the system, and decide that he should give more of his hard earned dollars to pay other people's way in life.
Not every unsuccessful person is just a hard luck case you know, or unfairly disadvantaged, some are not doing well in life because they spend too much time drinking and drugging to become productive members of society. They could not be sober long enough to pass a drug test to get a better job, and they most certainly would not spend a Wyoming winter working outside in the cold on a dirty old drilling rig. That's the hard facts.
You reap what you sow. Why farmer Bob would think he is entitled to a portion of farmer Jim's crops after Bob spent the whole summer down at the fishing hole drinking whiskey, while Jim was up every day at the crack of dawn shovelling shit, and doing back breaking work is beyond me, but the fact is Bob is only entitled to what he has earned, otherwise, Bob can go eat shit all winter it's as simple as that. Luckily for Bob, there are others around who will come to his defense and tell Jim at the threat of gun point he WILL give Bob some of his crop, or Jim and his family will be put into ruin and have their property taken from them and sold to the highest bidder. Oh but they didn't need to do that, Jim probably would have given some to Bob out of sympathy because he certainly would not want to see his neighbor starve even if he is a lazy fool.
That wasn't enough though, you see, there are many more Bob's around, people that Jim has never even seen, met, or heard of, and some people decided that since Jim worked so hard and had such a bountiful harvest, he should help even more people. They decide that he will give a certain percentage of his harvest to those less fortunate than he was. Of course Jim can't imagine how he came to be considered as so much more fortunate than everyone else, when all he ever did was work hard and ask for little. In fact, all he had when he left home at the age of 18 was youth and a few pairs of underwear, and maybe a couple of outfits. He didn't even have a car, or any household possessions at all. Just the clothes on his back. The rest he made for himself by showing up sober and doing what was asked of him.
Jim really doesn't mind helping people out who are down on their luck. He gives to charity, and does want to help people. He doesn't want them to starve, or go without. He just wants to have something left over to leave for his own children. He has worked hard to see to it that his kids have an inheritance, or at least a little piece of property to live on. Over the years Jim sees more and more people stepping up with a hand out to receive that which they are not entitled to. He is amazed at their sense of entitlement over his wealth. When he protests the increasing demands on the fruits of his labors he is called selfish, and greedy, and accused of making his wealth by standing on the backs of others, when all he wants to do is keep what is rightfully his.
No one remembers the kid he was when he left home with nothing. All they see is what he has now, and they think he is privileged, that he has somehow been given more advantages than others, that he hasn't EARNED what he has. Jim doesn't understand all of this, he is only of average intelligence, he just thought he was doing what a man was supposed to do. He never went to college, he just went to work. It doesn't matter the circumstances though, people only see that he has more than they do, and have decided it's not fair.
That's how it is with socialized medicine, only worse, people's lives are at stake when the government pinches and pinches as much as they can get out of the programs, and the people are left with dilapidated facilities and poorly trained staff. All of the Dr.'s who were making big bucks have left the profession because they found out they can make a lot more as lawyers and ceo's than they can on the government stipend they get for their labors. It only makes sense that most people are not going to want to spend almost 10 years of their lives in school to make socialized medicine wages.
Once we determine free health care is a right, then it is not long before it is decided that anyone demanding high wage to work in the medical profession is just being greedy, why should they ask for so much when it is a right of people to receive their services. If you think the government is going to meet the current pay these people are making now think again. Medicaid pays cents on the dollar what the health insurances pay. That is why it is often difficult to find really good doctors who accept medicaid as payment when they could fill their busy practices with insurance patients.
The government has not proven itself to be a good steward of our tax dollars. I see no reason to think this would change once they are granted the power over our massive healthcare system. We are just numbers to them. Numbers without any meaning or value. Well, we'll see what's presented to us in the future. I think all of the politicians know it won't work, but the Democrats keep offering it knowing it will get them into office, and they can just blame the mean heartless Republicans for the dismal failure at getting these things implemented. Clinton had 8 years, health care for all was something he and his wife touted in the beginning, it never happened.
We'll see what comes.
One day farmer Jims wife gets sick and the big fat insurance company decides his wife smoked when she was young and they will not pay for her illness. So in a matter of a year farmer Jims whole nest egg is gone. His wife passes away. Farmer Bob died a few years ago from a nasty pickled liver. Farmer Jim is too old and tired to work, he survives on socail security. He has to depend on state run insurance for his health care until he dies. He has nothing to leave his kiddos just memories. Meanwhile his grandson is diagnosed with cancer but his son has no insurance because he lost his job because of a freaky saw incident that caused him to lose a limb. Farmer Jim was a hard worker as was his son but neither has insurance.
ReplyDeleteThe classic American free arguement that "socailized" medicine is somehow the first slippery step toward communism-does not hold water, because in the absence of a functioning privite insurance regime the government ends up picking up about 50 percent of overall costs for treatments anyways. The indigent rely on medicaid, the elderly on medicare and dont forget the VAs. I am uninsured but employed and I pay into the medicare tax that helps provide health insurance to the ederly and disabled while I go without. Health care costs are higher than ever. Even Corporation executives gag under the ever increasing costs of providing coverage for their employees. Private insurance companies have the power to keep medical costs high by bullying hospitals and doctors into overcharging and of course they will not challenge the big bad insurance company because the insurance company will just take their business to other hospitals and doctors. I am convinced that a socialized program will not work in America because the quality of care will decline and I dont really feel the need to wait for a simple procedure for months. I would like to see the insurance companies being fined for price gouging. Laws should be passed to control these insurance companies. Also some changes can take effect in the government programs such as changing the age for medicare to 55 and insuring all children without insurance with medicaid.
ReplyDeleteI hate insurance companies as much as the next person. In fact, I blame insurance companies for the steady push towards socialized medicine.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the idea of someone losing everything they have ever worked for because of an illness that some dirty insurance company has weaseled it's way out of paying for. I would not gripe too much about regulation that protects people in such situations.
As a middle class person, I stand to benefit the most from socialized medicine. The poor are covered and the rich can afford their co-pays.
But you know what, given the scenario by anon number 1, I would lay odds that in a matter of time the government would find any number of reason to place people at the back of what would be an enormous list of people waiting on services. Do you believe that our government would deal any less harshly with people's lifestyle choices when it came to handing out limited resources? And then with a single payer system, that's it, there's no where else to go.
Been to an emergency room lately? E.R. is a misnomer, we should more accurately call them, Dr.'s offices for medicaid patients. The rest of us hold off on our stuffy noses until Monday because we know darn good and well the insurance is not going to cover an e.r. visit for a sinus infection.