Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Romantic Illusion of Universal Health Care

I found all these short essays on CapMag on the same day - so it seemed appropriate to bundle them together and share them here to counter the ignorance I hear every day about Universal Health Care. It's gotten to where the phrase is used as a litmus test - you're either for it or against it (like the abortion issue). Even more perversely, the public consensus has judged that UHC is inherently good (who could possibly be against caring for people?), it is inevitable (everyone else is doing it!), and it is only being held up by selfish, heartless, greedy people (if you're not in favor of the Patriot Act, you must be a traitor!).

Universal Health Care Freedom on the Fourth of July
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4983
The talk about a "right" to health care really means that no one should have the right to any health care at all except through the government. As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year we must remember that our right to manage our own health care as we see fit is as vital to our liberty as freedom of speech or freedom of the press.
Why Health Insurance Should Not Be Universal
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4984
Power-hungry politicians feed off the irrationality of the citizenry. If the citizenry were more rational, there would be no place in the political system for politicians who value power over freedom and justice. Today's problems with medical care are the fault of the people who want the results of capitalism while instructing their leaders to install more socialism.
All Power to the Post Office
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4981
During a recent interview, a talk radio host told me that all private health insurance should be eliminated in order to give us all a reason to work together to make sure the government runs a good health care system.
A better analogy would be that conditions in our prisons might be expected to improve if we were all required to live in them. Socialists and some Liberals would find this level of government-enforced uniformity to be a noble sacrifice to which all citizens must submit. Many Conservatives would reluctantly agree—but suggest a voucher system that would allow us each to select the prison cell of our choice.
Health Care's A Mess--So What's the Solution?
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4980
It's better to consider the possibility that the market didn't fail us in medical care...but it was never allowed to function. If you don't want more of the same, which universal government coverage and control will provide, then consider something radically different: freedom in health care.

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