Open Letter re: Socialized Medicine

Although on the surface it might seem helpful, socialized medicine (or whatever new term is being used for it at the moment) will not be helpful. It is vital to resist socialized medicine in this country for the sake of safeguarding our personal freedoms economically as well as fundamentally. There are few other programs that could strip our rights away so swiftly. Under socialized medicine of any type, a patient will have zero rights and is at the mercy of a faceless bureaucracy. Bureaucrats select who get treatments, when, where and from whom. As a consumer, or rather a human being with a mind, this is completely unacceptable. Regardless of the good intentions at providing universal coverage, the bottom line is that it costs an enormous amount to fund a single-payer system. These costs will need to be controlled and a controlling board or body would implement healthcare rationing, just as Britain and Canada have. The fundamental flaws of socialized medicine are evident worldwide and profound. We cannot allow America to be next on the list of government-run healthcare. The pitfalls of such a system would be disastrous for our quality of life in the United States.

In order to keep their medical system staffed, doctors and nurses are often imported, and therefore not always as educated as we have grown accustomed to. There is no incentive for citizens to pursue a medical career because pay, promotions, research and other incentives are capped to prevent "rising costs" on a government that is always looking for ways to keep the spending to a minimum. As such, medical staff needs to be imported since they are inexpensive in comparison to natives.

Seniors, terminally ill or "lost causes" often are left with no recourse when they are denied a quality of life procedure by a bureaucrat rather than a doctor who will try, no matter the expense, to help his or her patient live a better life, no matter how long they might have. This element of rationing means that surgeries that are commonplace in today's society would only be performed on those projected to be "worth it" by a bureaucratic system concerned only with controlling costs.

Some would argue that rationing would not be necessary since nothing would fundamentally change. This line of thought fails to take into account basic human nature. Rationing of care will become necessary with socialized healthcare because everyone will take advantage of "free" healthcare which wastes time, manpower, resources and capital. Think of how people of all walks of life line up for free pizza; imagine the line for free healthcare? Would a woman in labor have the time to wait in such a line? Would a person with a gunshot wound have the time to wait? Would a child? Or a heart attack victim? Triage only works so well, and a line of people with allergies and a common cough would increase wait times possibly causing death to those who are in the back of the line.

Medical costs can be cited to tax, forbid or otherwise castigate normal legal behavior because it burdens a socialized medical system unnecessarily. Some of the leading causes of death would be open to increased regulation or total prohibition "for the common good" and to control healthcare costs. Motor vehicles cause about 50,000 deaths annually, not to mention significantly higher rates of injury. Obesity and overeating are directly linked to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses which account for the majority of deaths annually. Will the government now step in and regulate how many calories per day that I can eat for the "common good?"

The best option to help the citizens of the United States with the cost of healthcare is to make it in the best interest of businesses to offer good health benefits. Provide companies with tax breaks or incentives. Rewards work better than punishments. Put pressure on pharmaceutical companies to lower prices on drugs by making it easier for them to do business - lowering taxes, simplifying regulations, etc. Help doctors by lessening their insurance because of frivolous lawsuits by passing tort reform. But by enforcing an universal healthcare system will take away our rights to choose our own doctors, hospitals and prescriptions, let alone the damage it will cause to the medical research that America is known for worldwide. Don't be fooled by promises. Other countries have, and now they are wishing they could turn back time. Please, don't allow the United States to be added to that list.

pm & mm

6/14/2009