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No, No No, and NO!

I've lived in a land with a 'universal' (national) health care system and it didn't work, for a number of reasons:

1) Patients Abused the System
When it's free, its very easy to make appointments when they aren't really needed, to 'forget' to show up, to show up late, to neglect your responsibility in preventing our own illnesses.

2) Wait Times
Depending on the location, it was very easy and quick to get in to see a doctor. However, critical surgery was often a different matter. There where many cases of "you have six months to live unless you have this surgery - the surgeon can see you in nine months". Of course if you 'know' someone, you can get in the next week.

3) Cost
If you hold down any kind of job, you pay an insurance tax. When I was working in the UK, my NHS (National Insurance Service) tax was equivalent to what I was paying in the States for heath insurance. Pretty much ANYONE could be treated, but that also meant visitors from abroad and those who refused gainful employment were being cared for on YOUR tax money.

4) Quality
I found the individual doctor's were as good as they are anywhere. However, the hospitals I had occasion to visit were something out of the 50's. Apart from the ancient infrastructure, the biggest problems where mixed wards (women and men in beds next to one another and sharing 'facilities' and the food made American hospital food look positively gourmet.

5) Politics
We all love our politicians don't we, respect their decisions and admire the way the work together, despite their differences? Imagine national politics dictating how your health care is managed. Not a pretty picture, is it? As a single example, consider how the would deal with the issue of birth control, which was free in the UK?

Do we need health care reform - YES! Should it be controlled and/or financed by our government and our tax dollars - ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Do we need affordable health care for everyone - YES! Do we trust a government that is routinely running at a deficit to provide it? NO WAY!

Learn more about this author, Pat Gray.
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