“I support health care for people. I want people well taken care of. But I also want health care that we can afford as a country. I have people and friends closing down their businesses because of Obamacare.” – Donald Trump
Socialized healthcare (medicare) seems to be the talking point for Bernie Sanders and the Dems once again. They are touting how free healthcare is a right.
Wrong.
Why are you entitled to the services of another person for free? And let’s look at that word. Free. How exactly is healthcare for 327.2 million people free? As we all know, or at least those with a basic understanding of economics, nothing is free.
So how is this “free†healthcare paid for? One simple word. Taxes.
I already have my feelings about taxes in general. It’s government ran theft. That’s what it is.
Bernie’s plan would add $25 – $35 trillion dollars to our already bloated federal spending within just the first 10 years. The costs would continue to rise from that point.
We already have a somewhat socialized healthcare though. It’s the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These are insurances that are provided for the elderly and below poverty line folks in the country. In 2018, the US government spend a “guesstimated†$1.54 billion on Medicaid and Medicare. $604b was to Medicaid and $450b was for other forms of welfare.
How does Bernie plan to make this affordable though? By cutting what doctors and hospitals are paid. He wants to apply Medicare’s below-market rates across the board. This will result in a 40% cut in payments.
Sounds great, right? Nope again.
Do you know what this is going to lead to? It will drive healthcare workers out of the field and lead to the closer of many hospitals. Why? People don’t want to lose their income because a crazy old man thinks that their services should be free. What’s the point of spending 8-12 years in school to learn how to save lives if you’re going to have to give away those services for free?
I don’t work to support my neighbors.
And all of our friends in other countries who are utilizing socialized healthcare seem to see it backfiring on them.
Looking at our neighbors to the north, Canada. Their patients are waiting, on average, more than two months to see a specialist once they get a referral. Once they see that specialist at the initial appointment they can expect another 9.8 week wait, on average, before treatment even begins. The wait times are 97% longer than they were in 1993. Since they have such bad access to care, it is averaged that 52,000 Canadians are coming to the U.S. every year to seek medical attention. They don’t want to wait to die.
Our previous overlords across the pond, Britain, are in no better shape. As of 2016 3.4 million people were on waiting lists to see doctors. That was a 36% increase from 2010. Approximately $1,000,000 people were on a waiting list to receive treatment for four months. 300,000 people were waiting at least six months.
That doesn’t look so appealing to me.
For example, in the United States our average wait time to see a brand-new doctor is approximately 24 days. This is actually an all-time high for the United States. For the various specialties, there are various wait time. An orthopedic patient can get an appointment within 13 days. A child can get an appointment in 17 days while a patient with cardiac issues can be in to the cardiologist in 18 days. Most ob appointments can happen within 24 days.
The concept of Medicare for All is great. Free healthcare. But, my money isn’t your money. Your money isn’t my money. The increased taxation is enough for me to shake my head and say absolutely not. I’m not responsible for taking care of my neighbor’s health just like they’re not responsible for mine.
As the Dems push for these policies, I see the government getting bigger and bigger. Quite the opposite of what I believe. Our government wasn’t meant to grow as large as it has. It is intruding in our lives at a rapid pace. We can’t take a shit without Big Brother watching. I don’t want the government in my healthcare. Who’s to say that when we get sick enough they deem us not worth saving and let us die?
