Healthcare Hoopla

Universal healthcare. Universal. Healthcare. The two words alone do not scare me but when melded together bring about a fear deep within that shakes the very foundation of economic standards this great country was founded upon. Ladies and gentlemen, healthcare has always and should always be a privilege, not a right, to the American people. This nation was founded with the economic principles of a free market system. Where resources are allocated efficiently and the supply reaches a point of equilibrium that is harmonious with demand. But, we are gradually moving toward everything our founding fathers fought against, Socialism. If the government intervenes in this substantial issue, it will indeed create a slippery slope effect of Socialist movements. And believe me, if universal healthcare is enacted, this precedent will affect future legislation that leans toward the Socialist ideals. Well, why do I care about people not being able to afford healthcare being granted the privilege that is healthcare you ask? What possible harm can it do to me even if I keep my old healthcare? Don't be ignorant. It will affect every single person living in this "Free" nation.

The funding for this legislation will have to come from somewhere, right? Well, the obvious answer is taxes. And who in their right mind wants to pay MORE taxes after half of their income already is taken to supply the government with their projects? Not I. Well, it will just take a little bit, you may say. No. Think about it. With the increase in people demanding healthcare, more doctors will be needed. Now, I'm not sure if you know this but hospital employees such as doctors (even more so with specialized doctors) and nurse practitioners make a pretty penny. This universal healthcare legislation will need to supply a large sum of money to pay those doing the surgeries, performing anaesthesia, and even diagnosing patients. Trust me, the tax will be there, and it will be heavy.

Well, just cut the salaries of the employees, you say. Oh, that has more implications than you may think. Be honest with yourself. Although it is ideal to find a doctor that practices medicine for the sheer love of helping people, it is more often than not that one goes into medicine for the financial reward. So if the salary of a doctor is, say, cut in half, you will most definitely witness people entering into engineering school, law school, or just a job out of college rather than waste an extra 4 years of tuition money AND not to mention the years of residency one must go through before actually being able to practice. But let's just say someone really wants to be a doctor. As you may assume, specialized doctors such as brain surgeons and cardiologists are paid substantially more for their profession than general doctors. Why is that? Because they must be precise. They have the life of someone in their hands and therefore must go through a much longer residency to prove they are capable of performing their job. If a specialized doctor and a general doctor have the same salary, what is the incentive to specialize? There is none (except for the bragging rights). Medical students will want to be general doctors and therefore there will be a severe shortage of the specialized doctors in the healthcare world.

Enough talking about the salaries and funding for this legislation, let's just talk about the resources. Doctors do NOT grow on trees. It takes a special person to practice medicine. There are so few in this world and to ask for an increase out of nowhere in order to cater to the needs of those that recently obtained this "Free" healthcare is absurd. Sure, maybe some nurses will take on doctor-esque duties but this number will be limited. Forget finding a way to pay for this healthcare, it will be near impossible to even be able to acquire the care. In countries such as Canada, England, and France where healthcare is "universal" many people wait in line for time periods up to 6 months just for a simple check-up. There was an instance in Canada where someone complained of a pain in their stomach that would not go away. Since it was not considered life-threatening, doctors put him on a waiting list of 6 months. The pain was so great that the man went to New York to acquire advice. He had the stomach x-rayed and found that he had a tumor on his lung. If he had waited 6 months, the cancer would have spread and probably killed him. I don't know about you but I would rather not wait for something just because one man deemed it to be not serious.

So ask yourself one question before you vote or write to your congressman. Is this legislation really worth it?