[VANITY] My letter to the Herald re: Hillary Care

14 January 2003 | MegaSilver

[MegaSilver]

Again and again, the subject of health care reform comes up in political circles. It seems that the mainstream American public generally believes that our health care system is dismal because of corporate interests and crooked insurance companies, and that a federal health coverage system will solve this problem.

What the mainstream American public doesn't realize is the true cost of a socialized health care system. First, there's the money. The taxpayers will inevitably shoulder the cost of socialized medicine; it will not be truly free. To avoid heavy taxation, the government will undoubtedly freeze the prices of drugs, which brings me to point two: the reason the health care system is in shambles right now is BECAUSE of government intervention.

Canada's (and other nations') drug price-freezing cause drug manufacturers to inflate costs in America to make up for reduced profits abroad. If they lose their profitability HERE, they will either shut down or slash production, and may ultimately end up halting development of new medications. Insurance rates have gone up because government mandates have forced companies to provide extra services that the customer of a basic package neither needs nor wants. And the reason we had a flu vaccine shortage this year was because a subsidization law intended to increase the (already high) inoculation rate of children ended up fixing the price so low that no one wanted to make the vaccine; as of now, we have only five manufacturers.

In short, what most Americans haven't been told is that socialized medical coverage is the key to major medical migraines, rationing of health care, and the end of medical advancement.

[MegaSilver]

The "right-wing propaganda machine" has done a great job of covering up the dark side of health care. Then again, maybe those liberal journalists just haven't considered it. Think they'll print this letter?

NAH!

[cwb]

Good points...especially about the burden Americans have to pay in prescription costs because other countries have put price caps on their medicines. Once this last free-market joins that club, you can bet that the R&D that leads to miracle drugs will be restricted...not to mention those companies that will simply have to fold. As sad as it is, this is one of the reasons we don't want states making pacts with Canada for lower costs drugs...this loss of revenue will have to be made up somewhere.

[cwb]

It would also be nice if the government would tell these folks with great medical plans, that once the government takes over, there is a very good chance that their private health-care plans will be turned over to the government since many employers will want to relieve themselves of that burden. This is also why the projected costs of this program are severely underestimated, since the government isn't accounting for those businesses who may opt-out. That also means that the projected premiums and co-pays will be substantialy higher than what they are accounting for, now. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Coroner]

From the year 2000.
Great Britain had a waiting for surgery list of 800,000 people.
In Sweden the wait to get an echocardiogram was 11 months and another 8 month wait if one needed heart surgery.
NewZealand population of 3 mill. 50,000 were waiting for surgery.
Canada had 17 CAT scanners for the whole country. For a woman to get a PAP smear it was a 5 1/2 month wait. Waiting lists for everything.
etc....

[MegaSilver]

Like I said, stuff you don't hear in the "conservative" media.