Why not socialize health care??

Question

It just seems to me that theres some things that you shouldnt be able to capitalize on. Someones health or life should be one of those things.

In america today we have k-12 education socialized so that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, our mail is delivered everyday why can't we give people the equal chance to live and be healthy? I've stated before that capitalism is a good thing but I t just doesnt seem right that insurance companies get to decide who lives and dies over money.

Answer 1

Because we have enough people brainwashed to think it would go badly.  This amazes me when we live next door to a country whose health care system is socialized, is not a huge tax burden, and works very well.

Answer 2

The UK did this in 1948, all working people pay a National Insurance contribution this is meant to cover welfare benefits should you be unemployed and all health care needs. How much you pay is determined by how much you earn. It is mandatory there is no "opt out". Effectively, a tax on your earnings. The system is a good one, but over the years it has lost sight of it's primary function. Successive governments have sold more of our health needs infrastructure to private companies, bureaucracy has been allowed to get top heavy at the expense of care and treatment. Many who have never contributed get the benefits regardless. There are many more issues but would be here forever. Suffice to say, learn from the UKs example, set it up, but put safeguards in place to prevent what has happened to our once great "Free at point of need" National Health Service.

I have said for years that when money (capitalist profit) comes in the door, the right to (social) good health and care goes out the window. Both systems cannot run hand in and, it is an either or situation.  

Answer 3

I agree with your point regarding insurance companies.  Socialized medicine is tricky though.  In the countries where it is in place there are often two tiers, government health care and private health care.  It is this way in Australia.  You can opt for government care at the public hospital.  If so you may have to wait for you non-emergent surgery, for example total knee replacement.  Your surgery will be supervised by a physician who has completed residency but may very well be done by a lower levels resident (registrar in Australia).  Your appendectoky may be done by a junior registrar without any direct supervision.

At the private hospital your surgery is done by your fully graduated physician.  It is at a separate hospital without any government patients.  You typically carry private insurance or pay in cash.  Government health care does not cover the stay at these hospitals.  

Most physicians want to care for all patients.  They also want to be reimburssed.  We attend at least 4 extra years of schooling while others are making money and moving up the ladder.  We then enter into low paying residencies for 3 to 7 years.  So, we miss out on at least 7 years of wages, savings and retirement contributions.  Add-on office overhead and malpractice insurance costs and you can see why doctors charge what they do.  On top of that, insurance companies don't typically pay what doctors bill.  payments from medicare and medicaid for some services don't even cover the cost of providing the service.  

In a nutshell, with fully socialized medicine there will be longer waits, fewer doctors and possibly less than top tier care.  If the Canadian system is so excellent how come they ration the number of surgeries a certian hospital can provide per year and why are there Canadians coming to the US for health care?

Answer 4

Great question!  There are those who accept Veterans Administration health care and MediCare.  Why can't those services be opened up to the rest of us?

I like the idea of required insurance coverage similar to Social Security tax -- again, why not open up Medicare to everyone?