As I write this essay the United States of America National Government is trying to get a “Repeal and Replace Obamacare (Affordable, really the UN-affordable, Care Act).” Congress gave the new bill the “American Care Act,” I think. This bill, just like Obamacare, involves people getting medical insurance. The personal story at the end of this story illustrates why medical insurance is a very bad idea.
If government was capable of providing health care, the Veterans Administration would be a shining example for all the world to see and imitate. Rich people from countries with government run health care would stay in their own countries to get care, instead of flying to countries which do not have government run health care. Medicare would not be going broke at a breakneck speed.
England has had socialized medicine (government run) for decades. They are transitioning to a private system for those who can afford it and don’t want to wait months for elective treatment. When I was there in 2012 the government was taking bids for a private company to run the non-medical (billing, patient records, etc.,) part of government run health care. While there I read in numerous papers many complaints about this system. The British seem to be slow learners.
Canada doesn’t allow private medical care, as far as I know. People who don’t want to wait months for care and can afford it come to the U.S. Where will they go if the U.S. gets socialized medicine?
Socialized medicine is a major step toward slavery. If government is in charge of everyone’s health care, to cut costs these health care Nazis can demand the type of food people eat, what activities they do, such as how much and what type of exercise people have to do; what activities are too dangerous for people, such as: zip-lining, scuba diving, paragliding, etc. Since child birth is a medical procedure, again to control costs, a sensible solution is to limit the number of children families have. China, for a long time has had a one child per family law. Abortions are much cheaper than child birth and pediatric care.
On a personal level, when I lived as a youth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a fellow student in my 6th grade class got appendicitis and was out of school for two weeks. I hated school and thought it would be neat if I could be out of school for awhile. I didn’t know that appendicitis was a medical condition requiring surgery and a hospital stay.
A few weeks later I came down with appendicitis. I think I talked myself into it. On a Thursday evening I started to throw up. My parents contacted our doctor and he told them to take me to the emergency room at the nearest hospital. We arrived there at about 8:00 P.M. By 10:00 P.M. I was in surgery where the doctor removed my appendix.
I had to stay in the hospital for seven days. Because I was 12 years old I was too old to be in the pediatric ward. My room was a geriatric ward with six beds and everyone but me was at least 80 years old and almost comatose. It was early March and it snowed while I was trapped there in this several story building. Right across the street was a park and I so wanted to go there and play in the snow. After this ordeal I decided that school was much better than hospital stays. At least we got to go outside and play during recess.
Our family had no medical insurance. My dad was a principal at an elementary school and my mom was a substitute teacher. My dad’s salary was $2,500.00 a year. He made another $2,500.00 mowing fields with our tractor in the summer. My mom got paid $25.00 each day she worked, which was less than one day a week during the school year.
Dad got the bill from the doctor for his work on me. It was $50.00. My dad paid it. The hospital bill for a seven day stay and surgery was $300.00. Dad paid it.
In 1996 my son, Michael, broke his femur while practicing water polo in a pool as a goalie. When he reached up to block a shot his femur broke completely in two parts. He had been complaining that his knee hurt. It turned out he had a cyst on the bone just above the left knee. The incident occurred in May during an off season scrimmage.
The ambulance ride with no sirens was more than $1,000.00. He had surgery the next day and stayed five days in the hospital. He sat on our couch all summer and on the bench the whole next water polo season. Good thing we weren’t in Canada where getting an MRI can take up to six months.
We got the bill. It was over $26,000.00 just for the hospital. Being a teacher in public school, I had good medical insurance. Our insurance company sent us a statement stating that they had paid the hospital a little over $3,500.00 and the bill was paid in full. Medicare paid only 80% of customary and usual charges. Hospitals raise their fees to get 80% of of their costs. Insurance companies negotiate lower prices and give hospitals some of patient paid premiums.
I was part of a group insurance plan through the school which self-insured with several other school districts. Out monthly premiums were over $300.00 a paycheck and the district matched that amount.
My premiums and deductibles were more than my dad paid for my entire treatment and hospital stay when I got appendicitis. People would be better off if there was no private medical insurance, no medicare, no medi-Cal, and people paid their medical bills just as they pay their car and house repairs and government removed all mandates. Prices would drop because people would not abuse the medical system. They couldn’t afford it.