While U.S. lawmakers quarrel over whether a "public option" is just what America needs to get moving in the direction of socialized medicine and catch up with the rest of the world, the verdict is clear from across the pond.Stepping in when Britain’s socialized medical system failed, American Idol judge Simon Cowell donated nearly $160,000 to help save the life of a cancer-stricken little girl.
From London’s Daily Mail:
Does this convince anyone else that European-style socialized medicine may not be the best choice for America? Their systems can't afford the latest technology and training that ours can, not to even mention their draconian rationing/death panels. Where will they go after we become like them? Where will we go?The pop Svengali donated the money for 18-month-old Sophie Atay–from Birtley, Gateshead–to fly to the US for pioneering treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York.
He acted after learning the youngster’s family launched a last-ditch appeal for 500,000 to pay for the treatment last week after they were told Sophie was suffering from a rare form of neuroblastoma and needed treatment within days. [...]She had received the best treatment that UK hospitals had to offer but if specialist doctors can see her within the next seven days, her chances of survival will rocket from 20 per cent to 90 per cent.
Thanks for pointing out and exploiting yet another good example of how socialized medicine can fail. However, maybe you're forgetting that close to half a million Americans went abroad last year searching for affordable alternatives to their health care insurance. You can read more about this "medical tourism" at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/medical-leave.html
ReplyDeleteThere are significant problems in both our type of health care system and those that exist in Europe. But to conclude that the public option will suddenly turn us into them is a stretch. The public option is designed to do two things: first, help insure the 47 million Americans that don't have health insurance and secondly compete with the already existing private insurers. It is simply an OPTION, not socialism. But before you comment back please actually look at the website above and then read my blog about the health care debate at http://inlightofpolitics.blogspot.com...please comment!
Everybody wants reform, but not everybody wants the government to take over the medical industry. The high cost of US health care has more to do with the overly litigious nature of our society, causing doctors to have to spend outrageous amounts of money on malpractice insurance (which the Republican plan addresses with Tort Reform), and passing those costs on to us. The fact that we have been the research lab for the world makes our health care more expensive because they benefit, but we pay. And bad legislation has made it impossible to buy insurance outside of your state, which undermines competition and the free market system. Address Tort Reform (while allowing for legitimate cases) and take away the no-insurance-across-state-lines rule and you've already brought down costs substantially while increasing competition so more people can get insurance coverage(the supposed goals of reform). The White House is now admitting that the public option will not bring down costs, will increase taxes, and will probably mean higher deductibles. And it still is only going to cover 2% of people, supposedly. It's not worth the costs!! Look at the Republican bill!! Just take a look!! I'm not a Republican, but I'm all for it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is quite disingenuous to think that America can flirt with socialized medicine and not have the same outcome as every other country that has done so.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of videos online showing that Obama and his administration plan on pushing the country to a single payer system through the introduction of this so-called "public option." (See this post for proof.) Once the government puts in place its own healthcare program that doesn't have to follow the rules (like meeting budgets), it will put all the insurance companies out of business. Then everyone will HAVE TO be in the government's "option." Then the rationing and high tax rates will start, and we will be even worse off than the UK because now no one in the world will have the money or the incentive to conduct research and keep expensive equipment.
It is my experience that people who argue for socialized medicine don't have any experience in the medical profession and don't know what they are talking about. Listen to Cura Te Ipsum on this blog, she is a doctor.
topmillerm2,
ReplyDeletei skimmed your article. it failed to mention where those medical technological advances have taken place and why. it also failed to mention the number of people coming to america for treatment. finally, it didn't mention that much of this tourism is for dental work, which is rarely worth having insurance coverage for.
as for the topmillerm2's blog, goodsense readers, please do not visit it unless you want to trudge through a painfully massive political essay praising obama just to get a few sentences on healthcare. those few sentences were simply platitudes that did not address true reform. i did leave a good (but regretfully long) comment at the end of it in hopes of promoting deeper thought about the consequences of adopting the democrat's plan.
Funny, I always thought Simon was such a jerk. Good for him in helping save that girl's life.
ReplyDeleteI'll take Simon's style of honesty over the disingenuous style of this administration and their SEIU doctors any day!!
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