Sunday, August 9, 2009

Universal healthcare

This universal healthcare project of Obama's has me scared out of my mind. It's not that I don't want everyone to have affordable heatlhcare... I just don't think that socializing it is the best idea. I know its tough and that there are lots of people in this country without coverage (heck, at the moment, I'm one of them!) but, there's no such thing as a free lunch, people. Everything has a price. Are you sure you know what the price tag on this one is gonna be? It sounds nice and pretty now, but it definitely won't stay that way...

I was speaking with someone the other day who is from the Ukraine. She was sharing about how worried she is about the current state of the country, since she came to America to get away from an oppressive government. She said that the current state of affairs reminds her a lot of living in the Ukraine... and that its a familiar feeling that she doesn't like. She shared with me how the healthcare system worked in her country, and that she can't imagine that mistake would be replicated here. What people don't realize is that the "universal" system quickly becomes a cesspool of corruption and abuse. Since everyone technically has equal coverage, if you have a problem, you have to get at the back of the line. What if the line is too long? Well, then, the rich people start throwing some cash around, and they move up the line. If you have money, you get service. If you don't, good luck. Have fun at the back of the line. She said that one of the scariest things was that she had to worry about which doctor to bribe when she was giving birth to her children.. the nurses are telling her "okay, ready to push?" and she's saying "no, I don't know whose pocket to slip the cash into!" She said she was much more worried about who to bribe than she was about actually giving birth. How sad is that?! Do you really want that kind of system here?

Universal healthcare seems like an effort to level the playing field. Some pay more, some pay less, and all get the same care. Except the rich still get better care, because they're rich. You can't ever level that playing field... any attempt to bring down the rich is just going to backfire. Its so simple its ridiculous. How people can't see this is just unbelievable. I really don't get it.

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