Health Care

Another issue that will certainly be a major part of the next election is health care. FDT gave his take on what the Democrats will be proposing (whether it is HRC or Obama)--socialized medicine. I am guessing that the term that will be used is "single payer". FDT simply observes the Canadian and British systems and notes that we do not want that.

I agree with him. I look closer to home, however. We already have two single payer systems in place in this country--Medicare and the VA. Problems in the VA system were noted within the last year. But even the last two days have brought about discussions about the problem with the Medicare system.

The AMA has taken out ads calling for Congress to stop the cuts in Medicare payments because it will result in physicians taking on fewer patients. Basically this is fundamental economics--the government cuts payments, and doctors cut down on how much Medicare work they take on. What happens when all of the money comes from a "single payer" and that payer tries to cut the costs because it is taking the federal budget into the abyss? Doctors will start treating dogs, or go into consulting, or work for pharmaceutical companies, or ... anything else. Then you have the Canadian or British systems.

Hopefully FDT will go beyond coming out against the system that the Democrats will propose and make proposals of his own for reducing medical costs and making health insurance more accessible.