Quote:
Originally Posted by greytone
Many of the posts coming from people in Canada since my last post point out the main reason I am opposed to socialized health care. I think it permanently confirms the point of view that health care is a "right" which I think is antethetical to the historical American point of view. This is not bashing; I just think we need to go back to the understanding that the only rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit (not acheivement) of happiness. Anything that is the product of another person's labor can not be someone elses right. That includes food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare. I understand that most people in the world disagree with this and I can respect that. But it frightens me that so many people here a drifting that way. I am still not sure if the end of the cold war meant the Soviet block becoming Westernized or the West becoming Socialized. That may be a little off the point, but it is the biggest reason I am opposed to a national healthcare system. But I am coming to realize that would be a better solutions than expanding medicare to everyone and leaving us private. Because that system with a monopoly payer would collapse.
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I too am against socializing most things because the government is usually so inefficient. But do you think that if we eliminated government medicare rules (red tape) and legislated against lawsuits and excessive insurance profits that doctors and hospitals would become competitive in a free market system?
If my child is injured and I rush him to the ER what is to prevent them from charging $1000000 for a few hours work? How do I shop for prices and quality in this environment? I guess today the insurance companies control most of these charges. It is kind of scary to know that we are depending on insurance company executives to protect us from excessive costs.
The healthcare system today operates somewhat like a monopoly and will have to be controlled (hopefully not just by insurance companies) unless some way is found to make it competitive in a free market or costs will continue to go through the roof.