I’m anxious for a liberal to justify
their preference for a government rather than a private sector managed
healthcare system..
I don’t think anyone would
dispute the fact the private sector built and continues to build this nation. Nearly, if not all, the periodicly reported
financial and economic metrics are specific to the private sector, not the
health of government. Yes, government
has enabled the industrialization of our economy through tax expenditures in
infrastructure, standardizations, and the establishment and enforcement of
protective statutes. But in fact,
government can take very little credit for the enormous wealth and prosperity
we have created. Innovation, ingenuity,
perseverance and determination are traits almost exclusive to the private
sector domain.
So if our healthcare system
was broken, why didn't we turn to the private sector for the solution? I mean, haven't we seen enough examples of bureaucratic
incompetence to last a lifetime? Liberals
would have you believe it is primarily the insurance industry which has brought
down the most efficient and effective healthcare system in the world. This is nothing more than obfuscation and
misdirection! The system became somewhat
dysfunctional as a consequence of federal and state government regulations and their
meddling in the free market, not to mention the incestuous relationship between
the regulators and the industry. And
let’s not forget government run welfare programs, such as Medicaid and Medi-Cal,
did more to corrupt the pricing of health services and insurance premiums than
any other single factor. And consider
this, if insurance companies are truly gouging their customers, why aren’t
these same companies the darlings of Wall Street and every investor in America?
Insurance is a pretty simple
game. Set the premiums at a level where
the revenue stream covers the risk, the associated costs, and returns a
reasonable profit to the investors. This
works for nearly every form of insurance except medical and for all the obvious
reasons. The key to universal healthcare
is getting everyone, regardless of distinctions, to pay into a homogeneous system. This means you have to eliminate all other
regulators except one. This is where government
can play an important role. Such issues
as portability, uniformity, pre-existing conditions, deductibles, tort reform and
healthcare for the poor and disadvantaged are all solvable issues with
government cooperation, not government control.
I think liberals have three
primary reasons for wanting government mandated and controlled healthcare. First and foremost, a nationalized healthcare
system is essential to controlling the behavior of the people. Liberals really don't trust the common folk
to make wise and informed decisions about their lifestyles and their
healthcare. And once government has
secured this authority, it is easily justifiable to extend this reach into all
other aspects of our lives with the primary and ultimate goal of eliminating
private wealth and property.
Second, the thought that
private healthcare organizations could profit from providing healthcare is
simply abhorrent to the soul and spirit of a progressive liberal. Never mind that profits are redistributed to
the owners/investors (known as the people) but, more importantly, it is a sure
bet the combined annual profits from all private healthcare providers would pale
in comparison to the annual bureaucratic waste and fraud which is inherent in
any government managed program.
