Obama’s Fast Track to Socialized Medicine
April 24, 2009 by cmmiller
Filed under General, Health Care
With the nation’s attention diverted by the recession, bailouts, and war, Obama and the Democrats have seized upon these diversions to try and shove through healthcare legislation that will drastically alter healthcare in America, most likely for the worse. Universal healthcare legislation, a linchpin of Obama’s domestic agenda, has recently been approved to be fast tracked by the House in a 227-196 vote, which, enact rules that block Republicans in the Senate from being able to slow progress of the legislation — or even stop it, through a filibuster. Odd, I could have sworn that Obama pledged to eliminate partisan politics in Washington. I guess that only applies to issues that already have the support of both parties.
While I am not a doctor, I do have some insight into the current problems with the health care system in America, and the issues that arise when health care is socialized. I know a doctor, a general practitioner, who has been in the business for over twenty years, and the key term here is business. He once accepted Medicare and insurance, however, over the years his business suffered significantly due to two factors. One, Medicare payments have been steadily decreasing over the years and insurance companies dislike paying their bill until the 89th day. So what was his response? Cash up front. He will not see a patient until he is paid in full. Is this cruel, inhumane, a violation of the Hippocratic oath? No. He has been forced to institute this measure in order to stay in business, which is the business of helping others.
As for the issue of socialized medicine, I have, what I believe is a revealing anecdote that illustrates the perils of this system. A friend of mine came over from England three years ago to work with his father, who owned a couple of businesses here in Florida. Unfortunately, he had been suffering from bouts of severe, and sometimes debilitating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, for a number of years. While in England, he had gone to the doctor numerous times and each time they passed it off as indigestion, bad curry, stress, and so on. However, once he was in the United States, he once again went to the doctor, and, much to his surprise, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
So, what might be the moral of these two stories? Well, one, socializing medicine will only serve to drive the best doctors of of the field due to the fact that they can’t afford to run a practice on the meager ammounts that the government is willing to pay. Two, by driving out the qualified doctors, the standard of care will drop significantly, which will lead to more mis-diagnosis and untreated healthcare problems for patients. So obviously, as Obama has claimed, this program will in fact reduce the national deficit, since by providing Americans with the illusion of health they will be even happier and more productive.
