Health Industry: In the Lib Crosshairs.

For all the chat we heard during the campaign, after all the protests and demonstrations finally the reality of the "single payer" system is scarily close. To put it clearly the single payer system is one in which the federal government is the only 'payer' to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers with no existing private insurance companies or competitors. Simply put it is the main foundation of 'universal Health Care. The reason I bring this up, the reason I point out these latter points, is because this is what Pres. Obama promises will not happen. Candidate and President Obama often told audiences that if they like their insurance provider, and doctor nothing would change for them under his plan. The Presidents health care proposal is a very significant down payment on a single payer system, not to mention the fastest way to push out private insurers, thus placing the government between you and your doctor. This was clearly stated this past month when Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) admitted that the Obama health plan would force out private insurance companies. (Video link A) In her speech she describes a conversation that she had with an insurance industry representative. She says: " I said, excuse me sir, the goal of health care reform is not to protect the private health insurance industry." She goes on to add: "I am so confident in the superiority of a public health care option, that he has every reason to be frightened." That sounds an awful lot like President Obama when he spoke to the AFL-CIO in 2003 where he said "I happen to be a proponent of the single payer, universal health care plan." (Video link B) Perhaps the President dropped this stance as he moved on in his political career. However, I seem to recall the First Lady sayings during the campaign: "The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more."

Now we see where millions of jobs could be lost in private insurance companies, and where the people that can't balance a budget want to now handle your health care. Lets just look at the brilliant resume of the single payer system. We can do this by looking at the success of the two current models that the libs in our country brag about, the UK and Canadian health system.

Current models of the single payer system:

*Produce long waits, and reduced quality. According to current models there are over 800,000 people waiting for hospital care in the U.K. In Canada the wait between a general practitioners referral and consultation with a specialist has been an average of 17+ weeks.

*Produce limited treatments, and discrimination in the provision of care.

*Price controls do provide reduced drug prices, but also reduce the availability of updated technology, as well as R&D for new medical devices.

*Price controls result in funding crises. Since the individual doesn't pay the direct costs of treatment, demand expands. The government has to control costs, and starts to ration products and services. Which in turn leads to the retention outdated facilities and equipment. (Ex. In Canada 60% of radiological equipment is outdated.) Dr. Kevin Fleming: High Price Pain. 9/22/2006

*Single payer system creates new inequalities, such as limitations on surgeries for the elderly and care for premature babies.

*Single payer system fosters labor strikes and personnel shortages. In 2004 a Canadian strike British Columbia resulted in the cancellation of 5300 surgeries, numerous MRIs and CAT scans. In the UK they have a large problem recruiting and retaining doctors. (Why work if you don't get paid?)

My thought would be if the UK and Canadian health system was so great why are so many of them coming here for medical treatments?