The "cures" being advocated for the health-care problems are far worse than the "disease." The hazards associated with socialized health care include the following:
- Socialism has been tried repeatedly with a 100 percent failure rate. Churchill declared that "the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of misery." This country with its free market system has given us the highest standard of living of any country in the world. Granted, there are problems that need to be addressed. However, should we scrap a system that for the most part has been successful for a system that doesn't work?- Socialism will result in a shortage of health-care services. Canadian physicians declare that, for heart surgery, you have a better chance of dying on the waiting list than you do of dying on the operating table.
- Socialism will further bankrupt this nation. The cost of socializing health care has been estimated to cost at least $100 billion to $300 billion.
- Some in Washington argue that health care must be controlled by bureaucrats to bring health costs under control. However, between 1987 and 1992 the total Medicaid expenditures rose at three times the rate of total national health expenditures. Can a government that promises to solve the deficit problem but continues daily to bankrupt this nation be expected to solve this problem?
- Socialized health care will disrupt the doctor-patient relationship. Physicians will become more responsible to the insurers (Washington bureaucrats) rather than to the patients.
- Socialism will create numerous new federal bureaucracies. More decisions will be made by Washington. Bureaucrats will decide what services will be provided, how much we pay. This "managed competition appears to offer a great deal of management and very little competition."
- If we are ever seduced into accepting socialized health care, we will never return to the free market approach.
Neil Newbold
West Jordan