Socialized Medicine
Molly Ivans had an article recently that touched on this item. At the bottom, for those that are looking. To quote:
Socialized Medicine creates a universal catch-all for people. A catch-all that is much better than Medicaid. Socialized Medicine has the effect of eliminating the (large) middle tier in medical insurance, the Employer Plan. Doctors and patients in nations with socialized medicine have noted that if you want a rapid response, going to a private (i.e. non-Socialized) clinic works best, but will cost more. And since the Government is picking up the tab for health insurance, employers do not have any incentive to provide improved plans.
Socialized medicine has the effect of leveling the playing field for various incomes. As things sit right now, even people earning $70,000 a year find increases in health deductions painful to pay. Those at the bottom end of the income bracket and are lucky enough to have employer-plans find such increases unpayable. In the classic sense of the word, 'communist,' with socialized medicine the $70K earner and the $22K earner have exactly the same plan and pay exactly the same for it (zilch) . And since we'd be coming from a more market-driven system, that $70K earner probably was able to keep his Family insurance, where the $22K earner probably had to crank back to Self or just get off the plan all together since the plan just plain cost too much. So the $22K earner gets a great bump in coverage at the cost of responsive service for the $70K earner.
This does sound like a bad thing. We're a market driven society right now, and the idea of giving up stuff so the lower classes can have a decent living sort of goes against cultural forces. Yeah, charity is Christian. But really, I can afford to live a little, why should I be forced to donate? This is part of what is driving our 'no new taxes' kick lately.
But.
By doing this, the 'lower classes' actually get reasonable health-care. It isn't tea and cramped, but it certainly beats 'health-care by ERA' like a lot of them end up doing since they can't afford a plan. Getting the government into the Healthcare business (you can guarantee that the first incarnation of it will be with private contractors, probably on some kind of cafeteria plan) will put downward pressure onto costs. While it won't make it any less, 'out of control,' at least coverage will be much better. That's the true goal.
Yep, that ol' debbil "socialized medicine" against which the right wing has so long and so relentlessly inveighed is now the darling pet of huge corporations. We need it desperately. In case you haven't noticed, our health care system is falling apart.Corporations lurv socialized medicine because it allows them of offload health-care onto the government. Much like WalMart does right now, actually, which says something about the practice. By offloading like that employers have employees that cost anywhere from $200-$1000/month less. That's significant money. Not that such money will make it to the employee in the end, but I digress.
Socialized Medicine creates a universal catch-all for people. A catch-all that is much better than Medicaid. Socialized Medicine has the effect of eliminating the (large) middle tier in medical insurance, the Employer Plan. Doctors and patients in nations with socialized medicine have noted that if you want a rapid response, going to a private (i.e. non-Socialized) clinic works best, but will cost more. And since the Government is picking up the tab for health insurance, employers do not have any incentive to provide improved plans.
Socialized medicine has the effect of leveling the playing field for various incomes. As things sit right now, even people earning $70,000 a year find increases in health deductions painful to pay. Those at the bottom end of the income bracket and are lucky enough to have employer-plans find such increases unpayable. In the classic sense of the word, 'communist,' with socialized medicine the $70K earner and the $22K earner have exactly the same plan and pay exactly the same for it (zilch) . And since we'd be coming from a more market-driven system, that $70K earner probably was able to keep his Family insurance, where the $22K earner probably had to crank back to Self or just get off the plan all together since the plan just plain cost too much. So the $22K earner gets a great bump in coverage at the cost of responsive service for the $70K earner.
This does sound like a bad thing. We're a market driven society right now, and the idea of giving up stuff so the lower classes can have a decent living sort of goes against cultural forces. Yeah, charity is Christian. But really, I can afford to live a little, why should I be forced to donate? This is part of what is driving our 'no new taxes' kick lately.
But.
By doing this, the 'lower classes' actually get reasonable health-care. It isn't tea and cramped, but it certainly beats 'health-care by ERA' like a lot of them end up doing since they can't afford a plan. Getting the government into the Healthcare business (you can guarantee that the first incarnation of it will be with private contractors, probably on some kind of cafeteria plan) will put downward pressure onto costs. While it won't make it any less, 'out of control,' at least coverage will be much better. That's the true goal.
posted by Corwin at 6:59 PM
