Zerocare will be imposed on all of us using the failed model Medicare, but Medicare Lite…at least from the funding side. This currently underfunded program now forces most of the cost shift in America and is directly responsible for the high cost of coverage. With Medicare paying only 82% of cost to the hospitals, those with high Medicare population like those of us in the South have a huge burden or sick tax to place on the sick and/or their payers.
Zerocare will by necessity be a two tiered system which will “cover” everyone, but the government will have a vested interest in driving the “rich” to seek care outside the system at their own expense by limiting quality and access like the NHS in the UK. When the gap between private medicine and government medicine becomes great enough, people will look to the private system for care and leave in droves thereby cutting the total cost of Zerocare. This is really just a tax increase when one has to pay doubly for the same item.
Look for a national health sales tax as well just like in Canada where it was called teh GST…known widely as the Gouge and Screw Tax. All this will be to provide “free care” just like in Canada or England.
If doctors are forced to participate look for substantial numbers to “retire”, particularly in certain key specialties where shortages now exist because of “central planning”. Overall the future is gloomy for healthcare.
