Alternative Program To Nationalized Health Care
Jun 17, 2009
Author: Allen S. Glushakow, M.D.
Alternative Program to Nationalized Health Care
The liberal mainstream media are calling for an overhaul of our “sick” health care system. Politicians such as Ted Kennedy espouse a back door nationalized health program by forcing employers to finance costs for treating the “indigent”-patients whose family incomes are 500% above the poverty level.
The Kennedy plan according to CNN will cost 1.5 trillion dollars. Realistically, the actual cost will be much greater because government programs usually cost well more than their projections. Historically, this has been the case with large government programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Kennedy’s plan would empower an army of bureaucrats to render life and death decisions and direct medical treatment. Politicians control the costs of a single payer system by 1) rationing care, 2) delaying treatment and diagnostic tests or 3) drastically slashing doctor’s and hospital fees. The net result is skyrocketing taxation as occurs in Great Britain. When Canada attempted to ration care 10,000 Quebec breast cancer patients filed a lawsuit because they were placed on a long waiting-list for radiotherapy. Furthermore, there are numerous problems with the Canadian single payer system such as long waits for treatment.
The solution is simple. Institute tax credits for doctors and health care providers for treating indigent patients. The cost of tax credits is pennies on the dollar compared to a nationalized health plan and is a fraction of the TARP money doled out to banks and insurance companies. Tell your Congressmen and Senators to back tax credits as opposed to a very costly and inefficient nationalized health plan. Politicians and faceless bureaucrats would administer a socialized medical program. Judging by the fiscal condition of Medicare and Social Security, socialized medicine is hardly an attractive option. Nationalized health care will result in the degradation of medical care, restriction of future medical research, and the bankruptcy of our country.
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