Socialized Medicine Essays (1775 words) - Health Economics

Socialized Medicine Socialized medicine is a service owned by all citizens and is present in many countries. How does it work and what does it do for a nations economy? One of the biggest fears most people have is becoming sick or injured, and the problem for them is paying for it. Under socialized medicine people would receive health care, regardless of their ability to pay. Everyone would be taken care of without worry of how they would pay for their care. The World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, says that, "health care is a fundamental human right." The benefit of national health care would be potential for people to live longer lives. Costs would be driven down because doctors, nurses, and other health care providers would become civil servants. "Another benefit would be that malpractice suits would decline, because it is very difficult to take legal action against the government" (Carol 1994). Economics is the biggest factor in whether socialized medicine is good or bad for a nation's economy. The United States, to a point, has socialized medicine with Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration Federal medicine, and health departments. The National Center for Public Policy Research said that, "In 1990 the government shared 42 percent of the health and gained over 50 percent of health care in 1992 as expenses begin to rise." In 1993 health care expenditures consumed 13.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and 15.6 percent in 1995 according to the Heritage Foundation. "Typically, people mistakenly blame rising costs on drug manufacturers, insurance companies, physicians, and hospitals. But the rapid growth in medical expenses is rising due to the rise in medical services needed" (Oatman 11-34). As the government attempts to establish health care, hospitals are being overburdened with minor and unnecessary uses of health care services. These have caused emergency rooms to be filled with treating common colds, headaches, and minor scrapes. Medicare is said to be useless by the year 2002, just 8 years before 77 million baby boomers begin to retire. "The only way that the country could continue is to raise taxes severely" (Oatman 40). The supporters of national health care are Canada, Great Britain, France and Germany. All are suffering from severe budget and service problems. They are all losing their best and brightest doctors to the free market systems of the United States. These health care systems have a two-class system. The rich in these systems use private hospitals with private insurance to receive the levels of health care that the average American receives (Peikoff 1994). In Canada, the national health care system is facing many problems. Many hospitals have been closed to cut costs, and proof of this is shown in the amount of Canadian health care workers in the United States. Robert Bourassa, former Premier of Quebec, after discovering that he had melanoma, flew to Washington D.C. for further consultation at the National Cancer Institute. Former Cabinet Minister, John Moore, in charge of British National Health Service, checked himself into a private hospital for treatment of pneumonia. "The British Royal Family has such faith in their health care system, that they are all treated in private hospitals. Socialized medicine is such a failure, even government officials admit to it by their actions" (Mc Cuen, 1988). When health care starts being a right, the medical profession will not be as wealthy, and the quality of medical care will be decreased. Under the traditional American health care system a person has the right to health care if one can afford it, if you earn it by your own actions and efforts. But no one has the right, just because they want or need it. Pierre says that one is born with a moral right to hair care and the government should provide that free of charge. As a result, people show up everyday for an expensive new styling, the government pays out more and more, and barbers love their new huge incomes. Would you even think that a hairstylist could possibly even come close to making as much money as a doctor or nurse? These are not quite the actual standings but close enough for concern. There are also free hair implants, eyebrow plucks, breast implants, nose