The One Minute Case Against Socialized Healthcare
There is no right to healthcare
The United States was founded with the declaration that all men have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Founders recognized that all men have a moral right to be free from the coercion of others, as long as they allow others the same freedom. They believed that rights do not impose a positive obligation on others, but only the negative obligation to restrain from the initiation of force.
The claim that there is a “right to healthcare” violates the principle of individual rights because it requires that the liberty of doctors and the property of taxpayers be violated to provide for others. When the New Deal and Great Society programs forced doctors and taxpayers to become sacrificial offerings to the “common good”, the current “healthcare crisis” was born.
The myth of “free” healthcare
It is a common belief that when government provides something, it is free or cheap. But politicians cannot create wealth – they can only redistribute it. Money for all government spending comes from business – whether by entrepreneurial investment, the wages of patients, or taxes.
Whether by price controls of outright nationalization, when governments make prices artificially low, demand skyrockets, and shortages result. Politicians respond by passing ever more regulations to control costs. These regulations stifle innovation, drive up costs, and force healthcare providers out of business. The end result is to replace capitalism, the greatest wealth-generating system known to man, with an onerous system of central planning.
Capitalism cannot guarantee that all our medical needs will be provided for – no system can do that. But it does give entrepreneurs the incentive to compete to provide the best possible service they can. Centralized socialized systems have no incentive to improve service or to try bold new techniques. Politicians can force prices to be artificially low, but they cannot lower costs – they can only drive doctors, hospitals, and drug companies out of business.
The victims of “universal” healthcare
The waiting time for treatment in Canada varies from 14 to 30 weeks. Waiting lists for diagnostic procedures range from two to 24 weeks. Some patients die while waiting for treatment. To stop sick people from circumventing the “free” system, the government of British Columbia enacted Bill 82 in 2003, which makes it illegal to pay for private surgery. Patients waiting for critical procedures are now forced to seek procedures in the U.S. and doctors are abandoning Canada in droves. Cleveland, Ohio is now Canada’s hip-replacement center. Ontario is turning nurses into doctors to replace some of the 10,000 doctors who left Canada in the 1990’s. 1 2
What will patients do when it is illegal to seek private medical treatment in the U.S.? Politicians are already working towards that goal. State and federal regulation impose onerous regulations which forbid insurance companies from offering services such as basic coverage for emergencies by requiring coverage of many types of procedures. Medicare forces doctors to follow 130,000 pages of regulations. Critics often attack the “capitalist” nature of American health care system. The reality is that the government now pays for 50% of health care, and closely regulates the rest.
Healthcare is only affordable under capitalism
If a society is not wealthy enough to afford healthcare, health socialism will not make it richer. Cuba, a poster child of socialist healthcare schemes, spends $229 on healthcare per person each year, while the U.S. spends $ 6,096.3 Premium services are available only to paying foreigners, while natives must bribe doctors for timely treatment and bring their own towels, bed sheets, soap, food, and even sutures.4
A government can decide to replace individual choice with state-mandated decisions of what goods and services are more important for the “common good.” But it can only spend on one area at the expense of another. If Cubans are not totally deprived of medical treatment, it can only be at the expense of all other goods. A doctor’s salary in Cuba is 1.5 times the median at $15-20 per month. 5 A telling sign of their deprivation is the Cuban suicide rate, which is the highest in Latin America and among the highest in world. Cubans in Miami on the other hand, kill themselves less often than other Miamians.6 When they risk their lives in leaky boats to escape to the U.S., the right to make their own decisions regarding their health is among the freedoms they hope to gain.
References:
- “Free Health Care in Canada” by Walter Williams
- “Do We Want Socialized Medicine?” by Walter Williams
- Reuters: Health care in Cuba more complicated than on SiCKO
- BBC: Keeping Cuba Healthy by John Harris
- “An Evaluation of Four Decades of Cuban Healthcare” by Felipe Eduardo Sixto (PDF)
- Miami Herald: “Study: Suicide epidemic exists under Castro” by Juan O. Tamayo
Further reading:
- Moral Health Care vs. “Universal Health Care” by Lin Zinser and Dr. Paul Hsieh
- Health Care Is Not a Right by Leonard Peikoff, Ph.D.
- Health Care Is a Business—or Should Be by Richard E. Ralston
- Video: Unisured in America (Free Market Cure Documentary Series)
- Americans for Free Choice in Medicine
- FIRM: Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine
- The “Cost” of Medical Care by Thomas Sowell
- Michael Moore’s Shticko by Michael C. Moynihan
- NY Times: “As Canada’s Slow-Motion Public Health System Falters, Private Medical Care Is Surging“
- The One Minute Case for Individual Rights
What about state supported patient centered care? A database that makes patients responsible for their own records in as far as it’s all connected to them and not some private practitioner, but it would have to come from a state/fed agency to be cost effective, (not to mention all the revisions of HIPPA.) Wouldn’t that place the power in the consumer/tax payer instead of the doctor?
June 26th, 2007 | #
wow, so your saying that we stay here locked in an employer based health system that promotes the private sectors from having to pay out if they don’t have to. insurance is a scam, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be an occupation(there would be no money in it) its hard for me to see how us, as such a prosperous country be stuck in a state of such a poor health system, i think something like 37th in the latest study by the independent world health organization, keyword there, independent. this case is ridiculous, have you ever had to deal with an insurance company, i have a friend who had to pay for an ambulance ride after being hit by a car on his bike, because he didn’t get the ambulance ride pre-approved, cause that is more important than stopping the bleeding. now i don’t know if a governmental system is the right thing for america, but its a step in the right direction seeing how medicare has an overhead of under 3%, which isn’t too bad. people please put yourself in some one else’s shoes before, the system only works for those it wants to work for, and most of the time that isn’t who needs it the most.
June 27th, 2007 | #
“insurance is a scam, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be an occupation(there would be no money in it)” This man cannot be serious.
So by virtue of making money, what they do is automatically a scam? I certainly hope you don’t make money then, since I wouldn’t want to believe your a con man. 
“…i think something like 37th in the latest study by the independent world health organization, keyword there, independent.” You are absolutely correct, we are rated 37th by the world health organization. But I am curious, they cannot be talking about 37th in treatment time since we treat people faster than any other nation, wonder why so many Canadians come here to get operations? It might be because you have to wait around 18 months for a simple eye proceedure that gets done in 2 weeks in the United States even though they are rated higher by the World Health Organization. http://www.onthefencefilms.com/video/deadmeat/ that website will provide a video of some personal stories involving the Canadian health care system and how inferior it is to our system.
“i have a friend who had to pay for an ambulance ride after being hit by a car on his bike, because he didn’t get the ambulance ride pre-approved, cause that is more important than stopping the bleeding.” I wonder if they saved his life before asking him for money. Probably seeing as it’s hard to do paperwork when your bleeding to death. Imagine the nerve of people who save your life than ask you to pay for their saving your life, it’s like their doing a job or something.
July 1st, 2007 | #
“I wonder if they saved his life before asking him for money. Probably seeing as it’s hard to do paperwork when your bleeding to death. Imagine the nerve of people who save your life than ask you to pay for their saving your life, it’s like their doing a job or something. ”
Ok, emergency services should be provided to people for little or no money, right off the bat. ESPECIALLY if they’re paying for health care already. There are unforseeable events that happen to people all the time and when someone gets hit by a car, or is an accident or having a heart attack is charged simply for the ambulance ride BEFORE they even reach the ER is ridiculous. Of COURSE medical staff should get paid, but for people who go through their lives thinking that they’re covered by their health plans and then get smacked in the face w/ charges for emergency care becuase it wasn’t “pre-approved”? That’s just absurd!
Also, as for socialized medicine in Canada and the UK, talking to exchange students and relatives who’ve used the system had nothing but great things to say about it. Sure Canadians come to the US for operations. The US has made leaps and bounds in the medical field but in terms of emergency medicine and accsess to treatment it’s pretty bad. In Canada and the UK if you need to see a doctor for something you can see them within 3 days. I don’t know where this 18 months thing is coming from. Emergency patients are moved to the frount of the cue and people expecting cosmetic surgery wait a couple of years. Surgery patients are dealt with in a timely manner depending on the severity of their condition, again the worst of the patients rushed to the front of the line. Mother’s are given a minimum of 7 days rest in the hospital after delivery and arent charged a cent for their stay or the treatment of themselves and their infant.
A cousin of mine visiting England forgot her insulin at her hotel while exploring the country side. She went to a local hospital and was seen in 15 minutes and was written a perscription for brand name insulin and was able to pick it up down the street for half of what she normally pays here in the states. I personally believe that a Universal health plan can work if appropriately managed. In Germany, England and Canada, these countries still have private insurance and practices that people opt to use instead. Infact, those people who do don’t even pay the health tax since they don’t use the universal system (as it should be, anyone who doesnt pay Social Securiety shouldn’t receive it). So the quality of health care shouldn’t and most probably wouldn’t be affected. the only thing that will change is availability.
July 15th, 2007 | #
[...] It shouldn’t surprise anyone that non-elite native Cubans don’t exactly receive the same level of treatment as wealthy foreigners, but if your friends have been taken in by ‘Sicko,’ these photos might be a rude awakening.� For more, read my One Minute Case Against Socialized Healthcare [...]
July 17th, 2007 | #
“Cuba, a poster child of socialist healthcare schemes, spends $229 on healthcare per person each year, while the U.S. spends $ 6,096.3″
That’s actually a scathing critique of the US system. While healthcare in the US is better than Cuba’s, it’s not much better according to the WHO. The US ranks 37 and Cuba ranks 39.
So why is the US system so inefficient? Cuba does not have much money. It’s a third-world country under embargo after all. Where is all the money in the US going?
July 31st, 2007 | #
“Cuba, a poster child of socialist healthcare schemes, spends $229 on healthcare per person each year, while the U.S. spends $ 6,096.3″
If by critique you mean meaningless fact out of context, it certainly is. Perhaps you could see how many tests the average Cuban goes through to ensure his health and how many of those Cubans after treatment remain alive. Saying someone spends less on healthcare than us doesn’t say they have “better” healthcare. Do you expect cars that cost less to be better than ones that don’t?
The WHO rating system is not based on better healthcare or patient survival rate, it’s based on nonsensical standards like equal availability and the like. Why do so many Canadians who can afford to jump border for treatment come here? So they can get the terrible service? The best way to scout for objectivity in a source is to use some logic.
Ohh and all the money in the US should be going to doctors because it takes a bit of time in school to get a degree, which costs money and incurs debt, and they save your life. If you don’t reward people who save your life stop expecting your life to be saved. They do not and should not have the responsibility to save your or my life above theirs, since theirs makes my life possible.
September 23rd, 2007 | #
This is just pure FUD and false. We can manage to have the second best healthcare system in the world in Italy with almost 200 billion euros of missing profits due to tax bridging (100 billions) and interests on our public debt (thanks to our former leaders, 80 billions). Healthcare should just be public and stop the bu****t.
September 23rd, 2007 | #
Ok. Look at Lasik (vision correction) surgery. This is medicine that health care insurance does NOT cover and which the government is not involved in managing. When Lasik surgery first came on the scene 10-15 years ago, the cost of the service was around $5000.00
Now, in 2007 you can have it done for typically less than $1000. Why? Because government isn’t there mucking up and limiting practices or tacking on extra red tape. That’s called free enterprise, baby, and it works to to bring the best price and encourages competition which helps lower the price. Government mandates do the exact opposite.
Health care prices didn’t go up until the government got involved.
Besides, if the US does concede to a national, government run socialized medicine program, where will all the Canadians go to receive good health care?
October 30th, 2007 | #
I have lived in Canada for over 50 years and have a family of 5. I never realized it was so bad up here until I read this article.Are you sure you meant Canada? During multiple trips with the kids,wife and periodically myself to the Emergency Dept. or to my family Doctor, I’ve never waited over an hour.As for surgery, it seems that if it’s really urgent, you get in right away. If not…I had to wait 2 months for a nasal surgery…that didn’t seem to bad..
As for socialized medicine: Canadians would never stand for it or any other Socialist type of system. I prefer our system where you select your own Doctor, hospital or whatever. The nice thing about it is that serious or not, it doesn’t come out of your pocket. As for coming out of our taxes: Canada spends 11% of our GDP on healthcare and covers everyone (reasonably well I think), while the U.S. spends about 16% I’ve been told and leaves about 40 million people without coverage (I assume that in the U.S., once you’re covered, you are covered for everything forever as long as you’re premiums are paid). As for Candians heading south, I’ve never met any, but I understand that some folks have been sent to Seattle,etc because of a spike in demand here..everything paid at government expense which is nice. I can’t quite grasp the concept of paying directly for your healthcare. What if you’re broke or have Cancer or something serious? Is that covered in the U.S.??? I don’t know but it sure is a frightening concept.
November 6th, 2007 | #
[...] into doctors to replace some of the 10,000 doctors who left Canada in the 1990’s…. The One Minute Case Against Socialized Healthcare � The One Minute Case __________________ *** In memory of a little girl whose bright light shone too briefly (11/28/04 [...]
November 13th, 2007 | #
[...] December 1, 2007 in Links This morning I came across this fascinating blog that makes a strong case against socialized healthc… [...]
December 1st, 2007 | #
The point is, setting all other views of socializing healthcare and the system existing right now in the United States. We still pay WAY more for healthcare now than anyone else does in the whole world. Regardless if anyone has the money or not, healthcare should not be denied to anyone because of money issues. It is unethical. PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE INSURANCES WANT TO SAVE MONEY SO THEY DENY PEOPLE THE HELP THEY NEED, THE EXTRA TESTS THEY NEED, THE SECURITY IN KNOWING THAT THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM.
If George Bush is so against ABORTION then why is he allowing millions of people without money to pay for their healthcare needs DIE?
ANSWER THAT FOR ME!
December 11th, 2007 | #
Congratulations on an excellent post for a one-minute reading.
It’s a bit depressing that many of your commenters are so immature that, instead of addressing the arguments presented in the post, they prefer to make wild statements expressing nothing more than their emotions and their appalling ignorance of basic economics. That’s a sad commentary on our educational system.
I would recommend the referenced article, Moral Health Care vs. “Universal Health Care” by Lin Zinser and Dr. Paul Hsieh to anyone who seriously wants to understand the etiology of this problem. I’m not certain I agree with their solutions, however. I would prefer to see employers and private insurance companies voluntarily depart the system until such time as government does likewise.
Yes, health care and health care plans are expensive. But, so are many other necessities of life like food, clothing, housing and transportation. The obvious solution is that we each have a job that will let us pay these expenses. Otherwise, we must depend on charity. Unfortunately, since the New Deal, we’ve become accustomed to government supporting the non-working parasites on the backs of the real workers by taxing their earnings. Socialized medicine is just another variation of that pattern.
The only bright spot here is that socialized medicine, like the defunct Soviet Union, is unsustainable in the long-run because it flouts economic realities. The uninformed will have only themselves to blame for the pain and suffering they will create if they persist in advancing this scheme.
December 23rd, 2007 | #