Sick or Not, You’re Going
September 4th, 2007 by Peter SudermanCato’s David Boaz makes a strong point about just how scary John Edwards’ health-care plan is:
John Edwards says that his universal health care plan will be mandatory not just for taxpayers and doctors, but for patients: You will get preventive care, and you will like it:
“It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care,†he told a crowd sitting in lawn chairs in front of the Cedar County Courthouse. “If you are going to be in the system, you can’t choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK.â€Â
He noted, for example, that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat “the first trace of problem.â€Â
As Jon Henke notes, Edwards also proclaims that “the right to choose and the right to privacy are fundamental constitutional rights.†But apparently abortion is the only thing you have a constitutional right to choose. You have no fundamental right to choose not to get a mammogram. Or any other kind of preventive care. Shades of This Perfect Day and Brave New World.
This is, of course, a fundamental problem with socialism, or with socialization of the cost of anything. Edwards sincerely believes, with good reason, that preventive care helps to reduce costs by catching problems early and helping people stay healthy. (Though he may not be right about that.) But why is my health care budget his concern? Because he plans to socialize the costs of health care. So indeed, if I fail to take care of myself, I’m imposing costs on the collective. And as the collectivist-in-chief, Edwards wants to treat me as a national resource, not as a free adult individual.
To which Michael Tanner adds:
As if John Edwards proposal for mandatory preventive care wasn’t proof enough that national health care means less freedom, the Tories have now proposed that the UK’s National Health Service monitor Britons to ensure they are living “healthy lifestyles.†Those who don’t measure up could be denied treatment under the NHS (which could be a blessing in disguise). Those who lose weight, give up smoking, and make other healthy changes can have the government pay for their gym memberships and even buy them fresh fruit and vegetables.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with preventative care, and those who wish to stay healthy would probably be wise to seek it in some form or another. But just because something can be good doesn’t mean it ought to be mandated.
And as far as Edwards’ idea that everyone ought to be lined up and sent to the check-up room, like it or not, well, I’m not sure if it’s crazy, laughable, or terrifying. Really–are we actually thinking that we’ll have a Med Squad running round door-to-door, hauling off people to their yearly physicals?
If someone doesn’t want to go to the doctor, they’re not going to go, and I have a hard time believing that any politicians is really going to go through the necessary steps to force anyone to do so. We’ve already seen this problem with RomneyCare in Massachusetts; you can stack mandates on top of mandates, but it’s pretty tough to actually get people to comply with them if they don’t want to.
On the other hand, maybe Edwards really is serious about forcing people into the doctor’s office lobby — and in that case, the proposal is just frightening.
And even if the mandate did work, and everyone just lined up for their check ups as required, wouldn’t that end up wasting huge amounts of time on unnecessary check-ups for healthy people? If you want to bring health-care costs down, adding that sort of inefficiency to the process sure doesn’t sound like the way to do it.
September 4th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
This is scary, indeed. I don’t want the government telling me when to go to the doctor.
This is a prime example of the Left’s desire for an all-powerful Nanny State.
September 6th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Spoken by people who truly have no idea about what a national health system is about. You have been led down the path of fright by people that make no difference in your lives. The british health care system may have its faults, and you fools are only taking snapshots of public statements totally out of context.
When you have leukemia or brain cancer or some other acute disease, the first thing you are concerned with is your health, not whether you can afford to pay for the treatments, or what will your deductible be.
You can try and pretend there is a nanny state in the United Kingdom, you would be sadly wrong.
As for the Government telling people when to go to the Doctors, what an absurd position to use as defence against a national health care service.
A simple fact is this, Americans are unhealthier, live less, are more concerned with health care costs and are petrified of getting sick for monetary reasons than any other western nation.
Anyone can compare a bad health service, to the United States, how about this..compare your health service to a good health service like Australia !
When a corporate employee gets sick, he hopes his benefits are going to cover him, these costs are absorbed by the company he or she works for, they are passed on it the profitability of that organisation. Thats one of the main reasons why United States productivity will suffer long term as ‘ more costs for health care are present in a car, than steel.’
When we can’t sell our products because we are pricing ourselves out of the market, or we have passed all our jobs oversea’s because of prohibitive health care costs in domestic USA, what will become of us then, when millions more people cannot afford health care.
Truly, people do not have an incling of this issue, most Americans are painfully ignorant of the benefits of a National Healthcare system, and are unqualified to discuss it, simply you have never had one in your lifetime, never been treated by one, and have only been coddled by your anti social views.
A national health care programme does not somehow turn you into a communist, that is another American stupiditidy.
The United States could easily have a FREE healthcare system, without raising taxes to cover, its very simple, the Government takes out the entire profit from the health industry.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself this..do we care..!
If you were the fabled good samaratan would you offer your services to help…or would you have been the person that asked for payment afterwards to save the life..
Somethings go beyond profit… when you are dying with cancer and a Doctor is only thing that stands between you and death, do you think that is fair that money be the only thing that can save you…
Get a grip of yourselves…
September 6th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Which step is the one where a company of machinegun-armed jack-booted goons shows up at factories, and forces the workers, male and female alike, to line up and strip for their physicals?
September 6th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I do not want the government telling me I HAVE to go to the
doctor…..I HAVE to get certain tests done…..plus,”free” healthcare
is NOT free….the government will just take more money out of
the working man’s–and woman’s—pocket to pay for it. Just
like food stamps are not free, monthly checks are not free….
the money has to come from somewhere. And it comes from
the everyday working person.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Which step is the one where a company of machinegun-armed jack-booted goons shows up at factories, and forces the workers, male and female alike, to line up and strip for their physicals?
If government would repeal all existing taxes, and replace them with a single, fair tax for each level of government, the price of everything, including healthcare and health insurance would be reduced by 1/3.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Very soon they will want to put everyone over 50 on farms and treat the water with LSD. Oh, thats been done already.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Re: The United States could easily have a FREE healthcare system, without raising taxes to cover, its very simple, the Government takes out the entire profit from the health industry.
Sounds like someone slept through their econ class…If it were truely ‘free’ there would be no need for costs to be covered by confiscating the profits from the industry that is providing the service.
I’m not against not-for-profit hospitals etc, but what is so evil about being efficient and generating a profit in the delivery of health care? I trust that industry more so than I do the government to do a better job of reinvesting those profits into producing better drugs and procedures — and yes rewarding the owners who put up the capital.
Perhaps instead of system that is “free” you mean one where there is “no direct cost to me because I use the force of government to make someone else pay for it”.
September 20th, 2007 at 10:07 am
…FREE healthcare system…
Ya right. I’ve seen the FREE healthcare system in Canada. My mother was a physician in Canbada and she convinced me that following in her footsteps would be a foolish choice. That’s how happy Candaian doctors are with FREE healthcare. Waiting times can be months long, physicians have to fight to get patients into hospitals, which is even harder when entire wings close down for lack of funds. Need an MRI and Canada? Too bad - get in line and wait. I got one the day after seeing my family doctor here in the States. Healthcare is not FREE and we could do no worse than making American physicians feel like bureaucratic lackeys.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
he is truly frightening - one more freedom, down the drain - its time for another tea party
January 12th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Edwards is right to stump for preventative care, but simply giving people health care coverage that covers that preventative care will be enuff to get those people to take care of themselves. There’s no need to mandate people to go to the doctor…people will go on their own because it’s in their own interest and it won’t cost them an arm and a leg!
I laugh at your notion that “check-ups for healthy people” aren’t necessary and that preventative care might not work…LOL!! What’s wrong with making a profit off other people’s health care misery? How intellectually dishonest are you willing to be to get your own way??