The health care debate continues Washington DC. It has been said that most ideas aren’t new they are recycled. Almost 50 years ago Ronald Reagan spoke on the issue. This 10 minute radio broadcast speaks volumes. If you feel socialized medicine will improve our country you owe it to yourself to listen to this.
Those of you who believe socialized medicine will be good for America. Be careful what you wish for you may get it.
CLICK HERE to view Reagan's 1961 radio clip. It is more relevant today than in 1961!
Much has been said about this man who went on to become President.
How do you feel about his warning?
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I'm the first again ? Oh well...
ReplyDeleteTerry , we should place Mr Reagans’ speech in context. In 1961 , the AMA ( a lobbyist group) , was fighting against the expansion of Social Security to cover the medical expenses of the elderly. In 1965 this was signed into law as Medicare. This record by the lobbyist group, narrated by Ronald Reagan, was to be played by doctors wives as part of the AMA “Operation Coffee Cup”. Funny, a corporatacracy arguing against socialism.
Medicare has now been with us for almost 50 years and is wildly popular. It’s main problems are related to waste and rising health expenses. This can be fixed, if we believe it can.
The VA is, indeed, a completely government health care system, with no insurance middleman. While not perfect, it is an exemplary medical care system. Nether of these programs has led to runaway socialism, communism, fascism or other labels of fear that have been thrown about for half a century. The proof is in the pudding and we need look no further than our own “socialized” systems of medical care.
Reagan makes a ‘slippery slope’ argument of “today socialized medicine, tomorrow socialized government”. Not only has this NOT happened with Medicare, but it makes a logic-leap that (1) Federal government is bad (2) Our personal freedoms are threatened when we work together to solve a problem-ie pooling our tax dollars to provide more & less expensive health care.
IF the private sector, through insurers, can provide inexpensive health coverage for all citizens—I’m all for it. But, we’ve been conducting this experiment for well over 60 years. We are now at a point where health costs are threatening our businesses, families and the very solvency of our government . This experiment is not working, and we need to do something different.
I understand that the insurance companies make billions of dollars on this system, just the way it is. Too bad for them—our country can no longer afford “business as usual”. Over 67 countries have universal health care and it is working well for them. In America we have the VA and Medicare systems that work well for the people that rely on them. Nothing is perfect, but the system as it is, is not even good—it is a disaster . Socialism, in this context, is merely a word.
Today the White House claims AMA supports Socialized Medicine. Reagan spoke of the loss of liberty that will come from socialized medicine. His hypothetical example was doctors being told where they could practice is not far fetched.
ReplyDeleteMedicare is broke. Government mismanaged our money.......again. Many doctors and hospitals service medicare and medicaid patients at a loss. This loss is passed onto the insured. That is why some California health insurance company had to increase rates.
One dollar in three spent on Medicaid is lost to fraud. Medicaid should be fixed before it is expanded.
The Canadian Premier recently came to the states for heart surgery. Interpret this fact as you will. Is that the Canadian Socialized Health Care System working well?
Insurance companies make an average 2% profit.
This is another fact you are free to interpret.
Many countries benefit from our free market system. It is a fact that any prescription drug sold here has gone through extensive testing. Socialized countries can sell the medicine we sell with confidence the risks are minimal.
Words like socialism have meaning.