Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 10, 1992 TAG: 9202100180
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE ALWAYS A FAILURE
THE HEALTH-CARE predicament in the United States is largely the result of government meddling and tax policy. Nevertheless, a concerted effort is under way to blame present health-care problems on "free enterprise" and to convince Americans that the "solution" is even more government control under a nationalized system.History clearly tells us that socialized medicine has failed miserably wherever it was tried. The results of Russia's "free" medical care have been predictably disastrous. To keep their official death rate down, hospitals toss dying persons out. Medical treatment must not cost more than the official rate of 11 cents a day.
The Swedes now pay the highest taxes in the world and wait in long lines for their "free" medical services.
Britain's "free" health care will sop up an estimated $56 billion this year, nearly three times what it was 10 years ago. More than 700,000 people are on waiting lists for operations.
Advocates of nationalized health care for the United States have turned to the Canadian system as their model. Conservative estimates predict at least $339 billion in new taxes to fund a similar program in this country.
Canadians have notorious waiting lines, and at least two provinces have agreed to pay for certain long-line related surgeries performed at U.S. hospitals! Approximately one-half of all lithotrity patients at Buffalo General Hospital in New York are Canadians.
True, our present health system is a mess. The role of third-party payers (insurance companies) is to pay whatever bills are submitted, with few questions asked. Decisions concerning the allocation of health-care resources are as far removed from patients as they can possibly be. My insurer requires that I call them prior to hospitalization so that they can decide whether my doctor's recommendations are appropriate!
Third-party payers buy, medical providers sell. The patient simply consents to the medical procedures. There are alternatives, such as tax-free deposits yearly in a medical-savings account. NANCY M. KAMWELL TROUTVILLE