A way to health care for Americans without socializing?

Question

Why don't we require specialist doctors give, say, one week or two per year of their professional time or enormous pay to provide the foundation of an equitable, or at least reasonable health system available to all?'

Answer 1

Many doctors and their medical teams do devote much free time to indigent medical clinics, and patients who cannot pay are included in patient care of virtually all hospitals and numerous doctors.

My income has usually been median, but I was out of work and broke when my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and, owing to the poor state of her health prior to the diagnosis, she did not qualify for private health insurance.

She received the full course of treatment, but was treated coldly by health care personnel, and nurses constantly harrassed here about the cost of her treatment. This placed her in a constant state of depression and tears, and at one point she told a nurse qua bill collector, "I know cancer is terribly expensive, I made a mistake getting it, and you are welcome to take it back and keep it."

Some medical personnel might profess skepticism that this happened, but it did. At length, she chose to discontinue follow-up treatment rather than face any more cold-blooded, harrassing treatment. She died soon afterward.

She probably would have died anyway, but the financial pressure that the current system places on people who cannot pay a hundred thousand dollar medical bill is terrible, as is the financial pressure on over-burdened hospitals who may resort to high-pressure collection methods that cause terrible distress to dying patients.

I believe that a national health plan-- what some people called "socialized medicine"-- something like what Canada and most modern countries have, is needed in in the United States.

Once very conservative, I opposed all "socialized medicine".
My grandfather, who was a doctor born in the 19th century, did believe in socialized medicine. He was fundamentally a political conservative, but in this instance, his compassion outweighed his normal politics. I grew to accept his philosophy on "socialization" of medicine following my own disastrous experience.

Answer 2

Insurance is the biggest reason. If a doctor screws up, he gets sued, and his rates go up. Also, insurance companies make their money from their premiums. If people could get free or low cost care, then why buy insurance.

Answer 3

because it isn't right to "require" that. the answer to reducing health care costs is for health insurance plans to stop covering so many procedures. small stuff should be paid out of pocket, saving insurance for the larger more important stuff. if we did that, health care costs would plummet.

Answer 4

Or...

How 'bout everyone gets a job and buys their own health insurance?