Todd Wexman’s Aug. 22 letter advocating a “single payer” health care system characterizes our current system as “market-driven,” which is preposterous. The current system is riddled with government-imposed distortions, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the purchasing of insurance with pre-tax dollars.
Additionally, the term “single payer” is just a convenient euphemism for avoiding the more accurate but discredited terms “socialized” or “nationalized” health care. I have worked closely with a large Canadian firm for 14 years, and the only thing that Canada’s “model” system has successfully done is anger and disappoint everyone I know there.
Perhaps the biggest danger in the nationalization of our health care industry is the resultant notion that because the government pays for your health care it has a right to mandate your behavior as it pertains to your health. We see this already with the states attempting to “recoup” their Medicare/Medicaid “expenses” from the tobacco companies and smokers. Would alcohol and “unhealthy” (or politically incorrect) foods or lifestyles be far behind when Uncle Sam is paying your health care bills? Would you get a monthly visit from the federal dental-floss inspector to make sure you are taking care of those teeth that the feds have invested so much in?
This argument is not as far-fetched as it seems; one of the first things a new Army recruit learns is “you belong to Uncle Sam now” and not “taking care of yourself” is damage to government property. But then, maybe that’s the idea.
Clearly the answer is less government intrusion and more freedom. Set people and markets free to purchase insurance and health care as they see fit. The government is not involved to this extent in the other major decisions and purchases that we make, such as cars and homes, and we seem to do just fine.
Aside from regulating for fraud and solvency, the government has no place in my health care.
