One Point Six Trillion Dollars Later
David Harsanyi answers Virginia Postrel on health care reform:
As the writer Virginia Postrel points out, we already have Medicare, a massive single-payer, government-run program and a “perfect environment for experimentation.”
“If more-efficient government management can slash health-care costs by addressing all these problems,” wrote Postrel, “why not start with Medicare? Let’s see what ‘better management’ looks like applied to Medicare before we roll it out to the rest of the country.”
As Postrel probably already knows, the effort to empower government with control of medical care is ideologically driven, making it impervious to experimentation. Socializing medicine is the grand prize for the left.
I still want one example of a program where the government spent less on something to give us more of it. Hell, I’d settle for an example where the Washington just spent less, period.
And thus we grow old…waiting.
And when someone shows a government program they claim costs less than a private program offering the same services, make sure that they are including the cost of taxation: the accountants, the compliance costs, the suppression of innovation due to the uncertainty of tax consequences, the move to less productive activities to lower the tax burden, etc…
I have seen estimates of $1.80 in cost to the economy for every $1.00 collected through taxes.
I always ask people ” In the future – who do you think is going to pay all those nurses and doctors?” the obvious answer being “us! the suckers!” but I tell you most people seem to forget that the whole health industry is made up of people, people who presumably want and deserve to be paid for their efforts. you think you have a government pension problem now? oh, you just wait.
I ask for one example, just one example where anyone on the “pro side” of this argument how this “plan” is going to do anything to make sure there are more doctors and nurses and x-ray technicians, people who make technology like MRI’s and pharmacists.
Just One Example!
I just want one person to show me where the new government plan is going to create a single hospital anywhere, at anytime! What I can show you (because its already happening) how it will close hospitals because no one is going to invest in this crap anymore.
How can anyone tell me that lowering the supply of something will lower its cost?
The answer is that there are none – not one new nurse, doctor or hospital will come on line after this plan comes into being, but hey, don’t let that stop you Democrats.
And think about this – Let’s say you are someone who wants to be a doctor, so you set about getting into Medical school(not easy), then you spend 8 years busting your ass learning the craft of being a healer(again – not easy and not for everyone). You then get to practice your craft in some inner city hellhole as an intern for two years where you regularly work 24 hour shifts. After that, you get to take a test(golly thats both fun and slightly undignified at the same time!), if you pass this test-which-determines-your-entire-future-and-validates-your-whole-life-and-career, you get to be a doctor! in just a shade under a decade!
So how does “the plan” change that?
It doesnt!
Because if I just spent 10 freaking years learning to be a doctor and going into debt to the tune of a half million clams – I’m sure as hell going to want to be “compensated” for all that effort. Sure, “good of mankind” and all that, but come on man. Would more people become doctors and nurses if we pay them half as much? Would you?
So ok, now we have a more expensive plan with fewer doctors, nurses and hospitals.
Perfect.
Oh wait it gets better. Now we have a government in charge of all of our health records. “Oh but Blutto, what could possibly go wrong with that?” Gee let me think today if you speak out against the government it takes about 20 seconds for political operatives to dig through your tax records and legal records to find out how to shut you up with embarrassing information(Joe Wurzelbacher – call your office!).
In the future,under the “Obama plan” our well meaning, progressive, behind the scenes political operatives will be able to tell the world you got pregnant at 17 or you got the clap in Mazatlan during spring break in 1982. Oh wont your parents be glad to hear that!
Oh sure you say, “that would never happen!”. Hey kids it happens today, only today you get to sue the hospital when it does happen. In the future let’s see how you get to sue the hospital when the hospital administrator gets their job straight from the DNC.
Ok, let’s get downright Orwellian, shall we? Let’s say we live in a future where the government runs our health car. Lets say (god forbid) that our man Steve has a relative and this relative gets sick.
Steve (being the guy that he is) is involved in political commentary. No surprise here, that in the future we find that our “future Steve” has a problem with something the government and begins to say so, loudly and proudly.
People take notice of what Steve says and on both sides of the argument.
Out of nowhere, the relatives health takes a turn for the worse. Here we see “Future Steve”, while sitting in the waiting room reading “highlights” when suddenly a “well dressed man” strikes up a casual conversation with Steve from across the room.
This man eventually makes it clear that the relative is likely not to get better unless there is a change to Steve’s attitude towards the government policy on which he currently speaks against. “well dressed man” gets up and leaves our “future Steve”, alone in his thoughts.
And there you have it. Speak out, speak your mind like free men used to do in this country and suddenly we find dear old Granny doesn’t get the right diagnosis, dialysis or gets into the queue for a new hip.
And to end all this bad stuff thats happening to granny, all you “future Steve” need to do is be nice, be our friend. Thats not so much to ask, is it?
And its just that easy. A government that controls access to health care without competition or the ability for you to opt out of the plan controls every single thing that is done by the citizenry.
every…single…thing.
I’ll listen to any health solution you want, right up until you say the government is the best place to solve it. Government means politics and politics mean that those of us non conformists will always lose out when we are in the party out of favor.
I really don’t care how much something costs if to buy it I have to give up every single thing I hold dear and every single thing that my ancestors fought and died for. Health care or not, I’m pretty sure I’m going to die. The question for me is, “how are we going to live?” As cattle?
Thanks, but no thanks.
I no more want the government taking care of my health care than I want them in charge of feeding me. Thats my job thank you very much and for now at least, its still my life and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can.