OK people. We’ve got some learning to do on healthcare,
so let’s dive in.
Now before we can address
healthcare, we should review a basic economic function of government, and this
will be uncomfortable for some.
Let me explain by asking
two questions. First, and remember where
governments money comes from when answering, “How much of the money I earn do
you think you are entitled to?” And
second, “Why?”
You see, if you need $10
to go buy a burrito, and steal it from your neighbor, you will be going to
jail. But if you need $10 for a
particular medicine, the government takes if from your neighbor and we don’t
call it stealing. See the problem? There is no difference!
Now this is the hard part
to accept. “Health care is NOT a right.” You have no right at any level to get your
needs from your neighbors. They don’t
owe you. So why do we call it OK when
government does it! To those of you who
want to explore this further, please read, “The Law” by Frederic Bastiat. Frederic was a French economist and this was
first published in 1850. The book
outlines basic economic principles, how much power governments should have, and
how socialism ALWAYS degrades into communism over time.
I have a friend in Australia who needs their socialized medicine as her daughter has horrifically high medical
expenses. But to say the government pays
for it is a misnomer. From the most
recent stats I could find, the USA spends 17.8% of its GDP on medicine, or
$9990 per person per year. This is way
too high! Australia spends 9.4% of its
GDP on medicine, or $5479 per person per year.
The money has to come
from somewhere! In the USA, it is
through private insurers or Obamacare that costs too much. But Australia is not that far behind. Australia’s Medicare is funded by a 2% tax
levy + money from general revenue. The
USA does not have this. So, to say
Australians pay dramatically less than Americans for healthcare is a
misnomer. Americans pay at the
door. Australians are taxed. Same money, just different ways to collect
it.
In an international
comparative study, Australia ranks highest on health lives, so their system
seems to be working well, however there are strong hidden currents of
underlying problems beginning to manifest themselves. HealthWorkforce Australia in a 2012 study
predicted in the near future there will be a shortage of 3000 doctors, over
100,000 nurses, and more than 80,000 registered nurses. And Australia's system has been only in place since the mid-80s. The system is starting to crack.
Also, Australia’s
healthcare system works only in the more metro areas. From the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare, people in remote areas had decreasing life expectancies that increase
the more remote they are from major cities.
An average of 7 years less in lifespan.
It is also noted, that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait island people have
horrible health care. Their system seems
to be nearly non-existent in rural areas.
America does not have
this problem in rural areas. Where my
sister lives in Blackfoot, ID, a small town, they have nationally ranked
doctors in several disciplines. However,
this does come with a cost.
So, what is the
solution? The only economic system that
does not degrade over time is the free market system. Which the US does not have by the way
in Healthcare.
Companies competing for
your business in a free market society will maximize the cost/benefit ratios in
the most effective manner. And then a
re-insurance system for catastrophic illnesses so families with problems such
as Cynthia’s daughter and my wife don’t go broke!
Unfortunately, to take
this conversation further, I would have to write a book and who has that much
time? The point of this tome is not to
solve the problems of high healthcare costs, but to show that the money healthcare
costs is paid by the people in one form or another. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
And whatever systems
exist, they must be voluntary. In about
1985, I read an article that stated since WWII the US population had grown 150%
while the federal government grew over 900%.
This is the communistic road all countries are on if we want the
government to solve all our problems.
And when any government system degrades to this healthcare will degrade
as well.
Canada is supposed to
have a great medical system like Australia, however when my Canadian friend shattered
his kneecap in a 4-wheeler accident, it took 6 months to schedule the surgery
to repair his knee. That is not a good
system by any reasoning. And it was due
to rationing health care imposed by government controls.
My hip surgeries cost a
lot personally, but they took 5 minutes to schedule. Think about it.
Also, where does medical technology
and advancements come from? NOT from
socialized countries. I know the US
system is expensive, but it produces. In
the last few years, the US has produced 7.87 million papers and citations on
medical advances. China is number 2 with
3.1 million. Australia is number 11 in research
with 782,000 research papers. Of the top
25 institutions producing biotechnology, 23 of them are in the US. Basically, if a socialized medicine country
uses a technology to save someone, chances the device or drug was invented in
the US.
It is easy to say
socialized medicine is great, and America’s system is too expensive. But these two statements don’t even begin to
address the issues.
