Now let me tell you what is what. Our health care system is seriously flawed because of government interference. More will only make it much worse. Here is why.
Before all this nonsense started, American people paid out of pocket for their regular health care and had Catastrophic Care insurance or "hospitalization" insurance to pay for unexpected major problems. We selected any doctor we wanted, negotiated fees, doctors in private practice could be found in every neighborhood as well as Charity run low cost or free clinics. Then the Liberals decide to "fix" it.
They began with Medicare and Medicaid. Then they added HMO's, Health Maintenance Organizations to the mix. This effectively separated the care giver from the care receiver by injecting a third party to pay the bills.
The result was a drop in the number of doctors in private practice, doctors offices overcrowded with a bunch of people who did not need to be there but since it was "free" or a low co-pay they went anyway. Poor people began to show up at Hospital Emergency rooms for routine care, again, the cost passed on to insurance companies. Additional cost was added by piles of paperwork as insurance companies, ill-equipped to provide actual care desperately sought to contain costs while complying with more and more government imposed mandates.
While true, there are better UHC systems than the one being proposed in the USA but the entire concept of UHC is bascially flawed. Private enterprise has always done a far better job than any government bureaucracy.
The answer is to get the government out of the way, let insurance companies do what they are designed to do which is to protect financial assets and allow people to buy tax exempt Catastrophic Care polices on their own instead of employer provided plans and have tax exempt medical savings accounts for out of pocket expenses. People would be able to once again shop for the best deal, quality of care or whatever they want from a doctor.
Medical Students from abroad who are here on schlorship should be required to donate time to clinics, too, as part of their training.
Let the free market do what it does best. Provide goods and services people want at fair market prices. Free enterprise provides food, shelter and clothing without government bureaucracies. Why not health care?
Want cheaper prescrition drugs and eyeglasses? Try Walmart. Why do you suppose that is?
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