Health Care

Government Intervention Drives Up Health Care Costs

As we draw nearer to Election Day, Democrats will want you to believe that universal health care–particularly Obama’s plan–will transform this country. The illusions of efficiency and low cost cannot, however, stand up to sound reasoning. The adoption of socialized health care cannot provide low-cost coverage; in fact, you can count on costs increasing.

This is, perhaps, the main argument against adopting a universal health care model. Let’s not forget, too, that fully subsidized health care eliminates the patients’ ability to seek the best services at competitive prices, the physicians’ incentives to provide quality service and the drug companies’ incentives to develop new drugs and treatments. When the government has total control of health care, the quality of health care will deteriorate–and Uncle Sam will look to your wallet to provide for the care of other people. But I digress … Back to the issue of costs…

It’s already an accepted fact that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Even when the government takes into her hands the supposed activity of the private sector, the government has no capability to provide free services to its population. Such a monolithic plan will require a staggering amount of funding in order to make it successful. In order for the government to finance the health care of all those it governs (and some it does not, for that matter), it needs large amounts of cash. That cash undoubtedly will come from tax increases.

If we are given a choice in our health care and the government isn’t allowed to further insert itself into the industry, then competition will find a way to ensure efficiency and a good price. If the government is allowed to usurp added control thru socialized medicine, you–not the government–will carry the burdern of that cost. Regardless of your own medical needs, your costs will go up. No matter what preventative measures you take–you can cut out all the red meat, tobacco and corn syrup you want–the burden of providing (read: paying) for everyone’s health will fall on you.

Tags: socialized medicine, subsidized health care, universal health care