Affordable Healthcare?
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Question: I guess you’d say that I’m pretty studied-up on the whole Michael-Moore-side of Universal healthcare. I can’t, however, base my entire point of view on his film.
So I’ve been wondering, what are the arguments /against/ Universal Health Care?
Please, no hostile or noticeably biased answers. The person who answers the most objectively gets the best answer.
Thanks!
A lot of these responses attempt to answer my question with rhetorical questions for which the answers seem obvious.
It would seem to me that since we are a country made up of UNITED states, we should unify and do the best to help eachother out. It seems unfair to pay for others’ health, especially if they lead lifestyles that neglect their own health, but it seems more unfair to just let the people who can’t afford insurance go without healthcare.
I’ve also seen ’socialized medicine’ be compared to public schooling. Sure, since we’d have to pay more taxes for other people’s medicine doesn’t mean that you’re being “held at gunpoint” to see a government-run institution. You can go see a private doctor. Although you’re still paying for others’ healthcare on top of your private clinic’s bill, you have to keep in mind that while you’re still paying for other kids to go to public school, you’re also paying to send your kids to private school.
Am I wrong in comparing these?
7 Comments
November 5th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I don’t want to pay for your health care. I have my family to worry about and I’m barely providing for them. I don’t know you and I personally don’t give a damn about your problems. My taxes are high enough already.
If we pass Universal Health Care, will we include in that program a provision that people claiming to be poor who subsequently purchase a 52″ LCD with their savings will be removed from the program and required to pay for their own health care?
November 5th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Universal health care delivers an essential service to the young, poor, ill, old all disadvantaged groups of course. It also cares for the vast majority of the population who are people of modest means for whom paying for health care when needed is a huge burden that they may carry for most of their lives if the illness/accident is serious. Good health care should not just be for the better off in a civilised society.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:25 am
‘Affordable Healthcare’ is a fair example of an oxymoron.
First of all, the “Michael Moore” side of the debate is pretty biased, though, perhaps, not quite as hostile as Farenhieght 911. He’s just that kinda guy. So don’t take off too many ‘points’ for percieved bias. Try to keep an open mind.
There are many pithy little arguments against Universal Health Care. It’s socialist. The government is notoriously inefficient. It will hurt the quality and availablity of care. It will be too costly. It will inflict a crushing tax burden. All of them are true to some degree.
But, while the existing healthcare ’system’ can be criticized in some detail, since it’s something of a knowable quantity, “Universal Health Care” in the USA really can’t be, since it doesn’t yet exist, and there’s no telling, for certain, how a proposed system (even if it’s a plausible proposal) might turn out.
If you want to be pollyanna about it, you can dismiss any argument against it, on that basis.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Universal Healthcare is a bullet to the Healthcare Industry in the US. Look at the failure in Canada and Europe. The ones who have the money come to the USA to get affordable health care before the die waiting for it.
Socialist Programs do not work, but do destroy what ever they take over! Just look at the number of Hospitals that are near bankruptcy because of the Socialists forcing them to treat Illegal Aliens illegally in Our Country.
Public Schools and other public institutions in border States are facing bankruptcy due to the costs for ALL the FREE SERVICES to People who do not even belong in Our Country.
If this continues, the entire American Healthcare System will collapse.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:21 am
The gov is already running health care through the back door via medicaid medicare licensing forced free health care and a myriad of outer regulations.
If you let them take more control it will just get worse.
http://mwhodges.home.att.net/state_local.htm
The top site gives you an idea of what they are already taking.
The next site gives some ideas of how to undo the damage they are already doing.
http://www.georgereisman.com/blog/
November 5th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Our health care system is based on profit, not your health and it’s the most expensive in the World. A person can buy the same prescription drugs in Canada for less money, Unfortunately a deal between the government and drug companies put in a law making that a crime. Why? To protect the profits of many American Drug Companies who have admitted that they charge Americans the most for the same drugs.
November 5th, 2009 at 4:35 am
1.) Participation would not be voluntary. Last time I checked, forcing people into government programs at gun-point was the definition of a tyrannical government.
2.) If I eat right, exercise, and wash my hands, I will have very low health care costs. So how can you justify me paying the same amount in taxes as my neighbor that eats junk food, never exercises, and doesn’t wash their hands? How can you justify forcing me to pay for services I never use?
Universal Health Care will look just like our school system. Most Americans will be stuck in the system with crappy service that never gets better no matter how much money is thrown at it. Only the rich will be able to afford good private health care.
The most compelling argument against it is that it is a theft of freedom and entirely unconstitutional.