Universal Care Means Government Control
Whenever a government attempts to guarantee a good or service such as health care as a "right", it must also necessarily control it, if only to keep costs down. If the government lets people have as much health care as they want, then the system will quickly go bankrupt.
In a free market, individuals, providers, and insurers decide how health care is allocated based on mutual self-interest. In contrast, in a system of universal health care, the government decides who gets medical care and what sort. Countries like Canada typically use waiting lists and rationing to keep costs down. A Canadian woman who feels a lump in her breast may wait months before she gets the surgery and chemotherapy she needs, with tumor cells multiplying with each passing week. An American woman can get the care she needs within days.
In countries with "universal health care", the allocation of resources and services is ultimately determined by politicians and bureaucrats, not by physicians and patients. Far from being a "right", health care becomes a privilege dispensed by the government on the government's terms.
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The argument from FIRM is correct in an abstract sort of way. In practical terms, however, people elect their governments, and if the government is not providing essential healthcare services, it tends to get voted out at the first possible chance.
And the fact that government healthcare is limited in scope does not necessarily limit the scope of medical services that are available. A person who wants services beyond those covered by healthcare insurance can pay for those out of his or her own pocket.
Before any decisions can be handed down. We as a community need to make the health care industry responsible for the high cost of medical needs. My insurance premium went up 535% this month, and I have not had any claims that would warrant such increase. MRI that my daughter received 2 years ago cost 2,400. This year same scan, same doctor , same facility. $5100. Could someone please explain this to me. My fear is that the cost is going to continue to fall on those of us who carry insurance and will be bridging the gap for those that don't or can't afford health care coverage.
Through the VA system the president of the US and the Congress and thier families recieve the finest health care in the world at Walter Reed medical in DC. The same campus was found to have mold growing on the walls in the rooms that our returning soldiers were being assigned to while they recoup from battle injuries.
The government cannot be trusted with something this important. They are totally ineffecient. The red tape ties the hands of the employees that do care and gives cover to the ones that don't.
Name one program the government runs without massive waste and corruption, and I will consider your argument for government run healthcare.
Check out the VA hospital system if you want a "shining" example of government-run healthcare.
It is the most expensive hospital bed in the country, oftem have unlicensed, poorly trained physicians and tend to deliver very poor medical care.
I am a physician and volunteered in a VA clinic and it was pathetic. The medication formulary was so limited that I often would go back to my office and FedEx sample meds to the patients who needed tham but the VA refused to stock the meds in order to "save costs".
This limited view of medical practice resulted in many surgeries that may have been prevented. Many of the VA hospital patients are used as teaching tools for medical students - not a bad practice but as the quality of the staff is sometimes poor the teaching is poor as well.
If we go to universal healthcare with the Federal Government as the purveyer of care - we will get just what we deserve - poor care and extravegant costs.
Your comment regarding the government controlling health care, "if only to keep costs down." Which is precisely the issue. My familys health care premiums have risen from $700 a month to $2000 a month in 3 short years with no major illnesses taxing the system, not including copays and deductibles.
My friends in Canada say that if you have a serious health issue, such as a lump in your breast, there is no waiting period. The waiting period so often referred to by people opposed to universal health care would be for voluntary surgery and minor medical issues that aren't time sensitive. And even then, as I understand it, it's not much different than a normal wait for a U.S. doctors appointment. In fact, my son just missed an appointment with his allergist due to a family emergency. How soon were we able to reschedule it? 32 days later... somehow I think we probably would have gotten rescheduled sooner in Canada.