It is in many other countries... why not here?
2007-01-11 04:50:14 · 18 answers · asked by Mujer Bonita 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Duh, I should have thought about that. I guess both have pros and cons.
2007-01-11 05:46:35 · update #1
Nothing is free. Here it's paid through insurance or directly. In some countries it's paid through taxes.
2007-01-11 04:54:40 · answer #1 · answered by yupchagee 7 · 18⤊ 1⤋
Because "free" health care isn't free, nor should be. Your taxes pay for it. We have the best health care in the world b/c we can afford it. If we go to free health care, we won't be able to afford it as a whole, and it will become worse. For example, my daughter had her tonsils out 2 years ago. With insurance, it cost us about $100 though the bill was over $1000 for real. Now, under your system, I should be able to walk up to you and demand $2 from you to help pay for the operation. How often are you willing to pay this? I already pay over $400/month for my own health insurance. It won't be cheaper for "free health care" and I'll get worse care. Plus, do you really want to pay for other people's health care when most often, the health problems people have are self-induced? Would you give a 3-pack a day smoker money for his/her lung operation? If we had "free" health care, we'd start passing laws to make people healthy which means, laws on personal lifestyle from smoking and drinking, to how much you can weigh, how much salt you can eat, if you can go water skiing and etc....
Free health care sounds nice, but it's not free. Go to the border of Canada and count how many Canadians are sitting in US waiting rooms (1000s) and then go to Canada and see how many Americans are sitting in their waiting rooms (none).
2007-01-11 12:58:06 · answer #2 · answered by theodore r 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Nothing is life is "free". Those countries pay for it in the form of oppressive taxes.
That said, America is a capitalist nation. We believe in liberty and freedom, which includes free markets. Healthcare is a commodity to be bought and sold like anything else. Doctors are businessmen, not government servants.
America has the best healthcare availiable in the world. If you want some then by all means, you can purchase it.
2007-01-11 12:54:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
In Many other countries health care is free and it is not in the US. First of all that is socialism and second I would like to say you get what you pay for..If you needed heart surgery, would you rather it was done in the US or in Europe??
2007-01-11 12:59:28 · answer #4 · answered by rallman@sbcglobal.net 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because it would diminish the quality of health care tremendously. there would be no incentive to have top quality, take away competition for services, then why bother, eh? long waits for treatment. in other countries, people suffer and die waiting for treatment. you cannot choose which doctor you would see, it would be government selected. it would create another expensive layer of bureaucratic crap to the government. and have you ever looked at the percent of taxes people pay in countries that have socialized medicine? in america, we like to keep our money, we dont need the government telling us what to do with it. i will give you one example, and that is sweden, where it socialism (communism) has worked, but it is even now beginning to fall apart and they have had to have welfare reform. the average tax in sweden is about 30%, and if your rich, they take about 20%+. now, how would you like that? I WOULD NOT! there are plenty of countries you could move to in order to get free medical in europe. i happen to like having the best doctors in the world at my disposal. kind of what the rich people of the world think too.
besides, ask any mexican, they all get free health care, thats why they like to drop babies here, beautiful woman. on top of that, there are free health clinics, medi-cal, and county hospitals. all will give you service, FOR FREE. unfortunately.
2007-01-11 13:02:55 · answer #5 · answered by Buk (Fey) 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Im not trying to be a smart as_ but have you ever watched the BBC channel? Look at their teeth. Plus the US needs that money to support or keep the war going.
2007-01-11 13:48:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we are not socialist AND I am glad we are not!
The UK has socialized medicine and guess what? They have to wait 6-8 months to get a surgery. Also, it will take 1-2 months to get your prescription medicines.
SO, having said that, I am glad we don't have FREE medicine.
2007-01-11 12:58:15 · answer #7 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because good doctors and pharmacies like to get superior pay for their superior services and products.
Because people who don't pay for things, don't value them or deserve them, and always abuse them.
No competition, meritless pay, and mandatory service requirements yield no supply, no excellence in services or products, and resentment for one's patients, respectively. The merits of a career as a physician or pharmacist will be greatly diminished, as will the numbers of quality people who choose to enter those professions.
2007-01-11 12:58:24 · answer #8 · answered by Andy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's never free.
It's public.. you pay for it.. out of your taxes.
And to those who have proclaimed it to be socialist. It isn't. As it is a system in place that is part of a Social Democracy. In Canada it is incorporated into our Capitalist form of economy.
2007-01-11 12:58:24 · answer #9 · answered by Richard LaRose 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it will never be free. however if someone can come up with a plan that doesn't lower the quality of health care and the increase in taxes is substantially lower than the insurance premiums that I am paying, I am all for it.
2007-01-11 12:54:17 · answer #10 · answered by truth seeker 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Because it would turn the system to crap like in Canada. Sure its free but free comes with a cost, that being increased taxes and low quality healthcare.
2007-01-11 12:55:41 · answer #11 · answered by bmw4909 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋