Competition has always been the cornerstone of high quality and low cost. If there were only one grocery store (or grocery store company) here in Albuquerque, that store could set the price of its goods at whatever level they chose. Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, just about anything with a shelf life would sit longer because consumers wouldn't have a choice to purchase better fresher produce somewhere else and the stores lose money when they have to dispose of spoiled goods.
It's called the market and it's really quite intuitive. If you were able to sell some product or service that was in demand and you were the only one able to produce that good or service, you could pretty much charge whatever you wanted. Food is certainly one of those items that every one of us needs and must buy - so is health care.
Yesterday, the House Health and Government Affairs Committee passed unanimously a single payer health care scheme that would in essence create a state run monopoly on health care in New Mexico (ABQ Journal - Subscription). How does the saying go...? If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's free.
Nothing, we repeat... nothing is free. We all pay for health care. In fact right now, in addition to our own health care we pay for indigent care with our tax dollars. Currently, every emergency room must treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. How much more "universal" can you get?
What so called "universal" health care schemes do is create a government run health care system complete with all of the coercive influences and legislative power of the state. It would be similar to centralized control of the economy. The state is not equipped to make the millions, even hundreds of millions of decisions required to keep an economy moving, much less healthy.
(Sidebar)Hospitals are complex operations (pardon the pun) that require thousands of decisions that directly affect quality and cost. More importantly, theses decisions often have life or death consequences.
The 70 year Soviet experience proved our point. Shortages were the norm and the quality was so poor that when they finally started to open their markets, McDonalds had to build their own meat processing plant in order to obtain high enough quality ground beef. We're talking McDonalds here. Not that we have anything against them but their ground beef isn't exactly filet mignon.
(End Sidebar)
We are often told that the goal of "universal" health care is to get those who can't afford health care out of the state's emergency rooms. Single payer healthcare plans won't get the poor out of emergency rooms (or their "universal" scheme equivalent); they'll simply put the rest of us in there with them.
Long lines, poor care, shortages of doctors, nurses, and staff, not to mention strikes will be a very real part of our health care future should a single payer scheme be implemented. Governor Richardson's plan would be better than a single payer scheme but would bring the full weight of government to bear on doctors by forcing them to accept all insurance plans regardless of whether or not the payment covers their expenses.
Once you get past the class envy - do you really believe that doctors should or would work anywhere for free... would you? We already have a problem keeping or getting doctors in this state, it simply makes no sense to create a health care system that covers everyone but results in a situation where there are no doctors and nurses to cover them.
In the final analysis, government intrusion into health care is dangerous at best - and would more likely be a complete disaster. What we need for government to do is to create an environment where competition can flourish and the consumer can make informed decisions about the health care plans available. Comparison and choice are the heart of competition - something a single payer health care scheme cannot and will not provide.
9 comments:
Nail. Hit. Head. Health care is the mess it is BECAUSE of government intervention. Why no one gets this – including our so-called "learned" legislators – is beyond me. Thanks for being at least one small voice of reason.
What pisses me off is that for years we that work for a living, have had to pay for the indigent, the lazy and the welfare recipients not mentally capable or willing to hold down a job. Now we have to pay for their cousins, the Illegal immigrant,rapists, murdering, theiving, robing, drug dealing, gang banger bastards who won't abide by our laws and are welcomed and supported by their other cousin bastards Marty and Bill.
Am I missing something here? Oh they can vote.( for Marty & Bill) that must be it.
Maybe we should let more red-light camera service companies compete with Red Flex's monopoly. Perhaps the market will force the price of those hefty civil fines down.
According to the Administration , only RedFlex can do what they do.
They can photo your back end for running a red light, photo your back end for speeding and bang you in the tail pipe, all while smiling.
We love ProcteRedFluck.
Speaking to the second comment: I don't mind so much helping out the poor and the indigent – those who truly cannot help themselves, that is. That's what charity is for and we all know that you ask of Americans to help and they give. Between the churches and private charitable organizations, the truly down and out will always have medical assistance.
What bothers me most about nationalized health care is that it's a subsidy for the middle classes. Those capable of working and saving for the basics of life. Which you purchase before the big screen televisions and iPods. Can't afford health care for your children? How about not having them until you can?
The only reason the middle classes can't afford health care is because those in power in Washington have encouraged the insurance companies to come to power. Eliminate them as a necessity, let medical services be governed by the workings of a truly free market, and you can bet medical care will once again become affordable. You want to buy health insurance for the big stuff? Fine. But mandatory insurance just for yearly exams and the occasional visit to the ER? Madness.
The wellfare hags are the ones abusing the system. Taking expensive ambulance rides for a stomach ache because they think they'll be seen quicker, NOT TRUE. Or they don't want to spend money on gas, so a $500- $2000 ambulance bill that they don't have to pay is their answer. The hospitals triage according to severity of illness. These non-emergent, non-patients are clogging up the hospitals, on many days the hospitals don't have any beds, some have to close. But health care providers can't say no because of liability.
Albuquerque has about 60,000 of these types a calls a year, no joke. This takes away from the people with true emergencies. AFD actually responds to close to 90,000 calls a year. So for those who think we sit around all day watching TV, THINK AGAIN. Growth of fire stations is decades behind the growth of this city. Especially with all the new manufacturing & other business' Marty's bringing to town, I mean Bill. There's very little planned infrastructure.
Those wanting universal health care need to ride along with first responders for a couple of days. 911 is so abused, especially by the illegals, because they think we're their doctors. They use many names SS #'s to get all the government goodies. Brand new cars in their drives, big screen TV's that I couldn't afford. The middle class are the ones suffering. The illegals are very well educated about our system, it's a very organized faction.
For those who don't have a clue, and want universal health care, need to see what's really happening. Spend a couple of days at an ER, or ride with public safety you'll be shocked. The poor kids get all the benefits, it's the middle class paying for it all while their kids suffer.
What we need is truthful public education as to what 911 is for. Politicians to get out of their bubbles and see what's really going on. And bean sprouts need an education also. Emergency rooms are just that, emergency rooms. If a person is sick go to a doctor or go to an urgent care. The nurse help lines almost always tell people to hang up & call 911. They're not with the patient and can only diagnosis what's told to them over the phone.
I'm tired of my taxes paying for such abusers. The pendulum swung the complete opposite way and now it needs to get back to the center.
First of all I would like to comment on the last post....What is a "welfare hag" there has been many posts in here that are so hateful as if the welfare system is so spectacular! Want to know what your taxes give "welfare hags" $310.00 per month for a family of 5; does that pay your rent? How about the $122.00 of food stamps for a family of 5, can you even feed yourself with that? Or how about the medications that you have to pay out of pocket because "welfare" says that its not on the formulary which can add up to another $100.00 a month which leaves you about $210.00 left over to pay rent, lights and gas and manage to put in at least $10.00 of gas a week to search for a job that offers you nothing and when you land that wonderful dream job the “welfare hag” is yanked off of benefits and now has to pay $600.00 a month for health insurance which also requires a co-pay god forbid one of the 4 children gets sick...that is the reality of the situation, that is how most people here in New Mexico live, so when you sit there and cry about your taxes, just remember your taxes are not really helping anyone to get ahead, I don’t know anyone who sits on Welfare for the hell of it why would you when you can work at McDonalds and earn more than what welfare is giving. No welfare should not be giving out thousands of dollars a month, however in order for some just to make ends meet health insurance needs to be dealt with, and I don’t know about you but I would rather pay $150.00 a month for government ran health care then to pay the $600.00 that is painfully deducted from my income every month. I don’t think they are even close to being able to make this work because they are going at it all wrong, but I do think that something needs to be done and that is the opinion of this ex “welfare hag”
I believe there was another comment on here as to waiting to have children when you can afford them, please tell me there are not any more of you out there! Everyday someone’s life situation changes…god forbid that you are married and you say “oh wow I think that I can afford to have children now”, so you have two children and your husband says “oh by the way wifey I’m not happy anymore and those kids that we could afford together well they have to go back now because well on your own you cant afford them”. When that happens to you as I’m sure it will how cheesy will you feel, maybe just maybe you will think about your idiotic comment and feel ashamed of yourself.
Comment to response to "wellfare hag": You sound like a person that lives in that bubble. Get out in the real world & see the abuse. I do everyday I work. Again check an ER out at a local hospital on a cold night. Homeless people making up illnesses so they can have a warm place to sleep for the night. Is the ER the place for that? No we need pro-active shelters that will except people that have been drinking . Why do you think they're homeless? Most the shelter won't except them if they're over an .08, well most of them wake up in the morning with a BAC like that. So right now there is no solution.
I'm not ashamed and I'm not hateful I see it first hand. $310/month, tax free, is great when using 4-5 names & buying SS numbers on the street. Most of the women don't get married because they'd lose their benefits.
You are right social services was meant to help people get on their feet, but that's not what's happening. It's generational and they act entiled because our system has allowed it. If we could prevent half the abuse there would be plenty of money to help those who temporarly need it.
What happened to the back to work program? Trying to help single moms get back on their feet and back to work. As far as I've experienced I've seen none of that.
So if you want to be pro-active about the problem. Get off your your chair behind your big desk, quit reading the PHD created reports, stop with all the bogus task force's and see what it's really like. Again spend a night in an ER, really any of them these days and check out the abuse. By the way Saturday's & Sunday's are the best days for back pain so the abuser can get their pain meds, which they turn around and sell on the streets. YOU need to wake up!
You know what? I can't have children, but I consider every child whose parents are on wellfare, and of course the many benefits that go with it, my children.
I pay a lot of taxes for the social system. I physically can't have any children, but I'm paying for all the people that can. They're my kids and they should be taught work ethic.
My mom was a poor single parent and we never went without. She never took advantage of the system. She knew it was for families that had NOTHING, including big screen TV's. If anyone deserved it, it was her.
So for those that think our poor kids are suffering, think again. With your taxes paying for "your" kids, you should have the right to demand the results of the benefits the government (us) are handing out.
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