Why is socialized medicine such a bad thing?

Question

Explain to me why it wont work.

Answer 1

Capitalism promotes healthy competition, as far as prices and quality of services go. Medical insurance flirts with the concept of socialism, without the socialist checks and governmental controls. Medical insurance is endorsed by law and promoted with the "take the money and run" capitalistic ideals. Capitalistic medical services would work great if people could invest their medical savings into their own savings accounts. The money that you would pay to a medical insurance would be in your control. This would encourage medical providers to reveal their costs and equalize cost to everyone, it would promote healthy competition and reduce insurance fraud and abuse. In my opinion the U.S. medical insurance "State of the Union" is in a primitive state of services.

Answer 2

It's not a bad thing. But, insurance companies and health care organizations/providers make an obscene amount of money from health care in this country. They are lobbying hard to make you believe that a more socialized form of health care won't work, because they stand to lose billions if it happens.

Here's the thing. Doctors and nurses make a lot of money. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out a list of the highest paying professions every year, and every year health care professionals are at the top of it. Insurance and pharmaceutical companies post their profits every year, and every year they make billions, while half the country can't afford health care. If you're thinking there are some disturbing parallels to oil companies here, there's a good reason for it.

Anytime you are talking about that kind of money, the ones who have it have an interest in keeping it. They can afford to pay for ad campaigns and disinformation, to keep change from happening.

Health care reform has to happen, if it health care is going to be available to anyone but the upper/middle and upper classes in the future. It may mean lower salaries for health care professionals, less profit for pharmaceutical companies, and the end of the insurance industry. Of the care providers, those who are in it solely to make money may quit. But, if that means those who are left, and those who then choose to become health care providers are in it because they truly want to help people, that's a good thing.

There was a very disturbing death that occured in my area not long ago. A woman who had had an organ transplant committed suicide. She left a letter, explaining that she had no family to help her, and that she could not afford the anti-rejection drugs she needed. Her insurance company had dropped her long ago; she was on Medicaid; but the hoops she continually had to jump through to get the care she needed had finally exhausted her. She had become deeply depressed, and took her own life. It actually made the papers for a day.

I work in health care. It's inexcuseable that we can inflate the cost of everything to such a degree, make such great wages, have such good profits every quarter, and leave people like that woman feeling so hopeless because of the care they can't get. It needs to change, and soon.

Answer 3

It's not a bad thing, but it has it's problems.

Such as: the loss of the competitive edge in quality and innovation, a possible shortage of doctors (not as many people will be willing to pursue such a difficult and long road for little pay), longer waits to see doctors, government intervention in health care (will the government pay for abortions, weight loss surgery, plastic surgery, etc.).

Answer 4

it won't work in this country because it requires established billion dollar corporation to give up their profits. never gonna happen. it's economically feasable. the problem is, like in most medical insurance companies, most of the money goes towards beauracracy and profits and very little towards actual health care.
i'd like to see a national health care program for everyone til they turn 18. young children and seniors are the ones who need health care the most and are the ones most often denied. and there needs to be health care reform so that no insurance company, no matter how big or small, is ever allowed to make even the tiniest decision regarding someone's health. if a licensed physician makes a determination that a procedure is medically necessary then it should be done, hands down.

Answer 5

For the same reason socialized anything doesn't work. These who provide superior service are not rewarded any more than those who do the absolute minimum. As a result, most people do the minimum or less. The result: lousy everything.

Answer 6

Hey Joe! Your rationale for why socialized medicine doesn't work - that the rich get good doctors and the poor get lesser doctors happens in America, too. We just pay more out-of-pocket for our crappy service. If I'm going to get crap, I'd rather pay the bargain basement price than have to make a payment plan.

Also, insurance is a flat rip-off. Insurance companies are the reason our medicine costs as much as it does - not the doctors. Their industry is also the reason we will never have socialized medicine in the U.S. They take our premiums, deny us service, and then use the monies to pay the politicians to keep them in business.

They are all pond scum.

Answer 7

Socialized medicine won't work. However, it would be nice to have some kind on national health plan that at least provides bear bones coverage, or a plan for parents who can't afford coverage for themselves can get their children care for.

Answer 8

Depends on whether you are a recipient of the services (i.e., on the dole), or a provider of the tax money to support all the others. Usually, the upper class (in Gt. Britain, e.g.) go to private (translated: good) doctors, while all the others go to public health doctors, and take their chances with whoever they end up with. Good Luck, if you're in the latter category.

Answer 9

I hasn't worked in Canada. It isn't based on competition. It makes people lazy. They are just given services for free, so they don't work as hard, economy gets worse.

Answer 10

It boils down to $$$$$$$$. Doctors cannot charge you an arm and a leg to put on a finger.