The Heritage Foundation made an effort to provide comic relief.
This not an entirely trivial story contrived for political satire; in fact, even early this year, the 2009 opening to an NHS hospital was canceled until “early 2010” for among other items not being able to “[control] the heat of the floor in some parts of the hospital.” In 2008, a survey by the (British) Health Care Commission found that roughly 11 million hospital meals were simply wasted. Moreover, the Taxpayers’ Alliance in England, find that “misguided directive[s]” lead to a “total waste of NHS resources”, and most importantly, divert global health care resources “at a time when people are struggling to get life-saving operations and medication”.
While the US healthcare system is not (yet) the socialized health care system of the British NHS, Obamacare does continue a massive transfer of regulatory power in the health care and health insurance markets to the federal government. In the attempt to bring more equity into the US health care system by granting the federal government even greater power, even an advanced socialized health care system faces great concerns of inequality. This is highlighted best by Steve Webb, MP and Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, stating of the NHS that “health inequalities still run deeply through our society. People still face an unfair postcode lottery in accessing health services across the country, which bears little relation to need. Health needs around the country would be best met by democratic community bodies giving local people a direct say in the services they need.”
This underscores the gravity of the current health reform debate in the US where the federal government has progressively consolidated regulatory and financing power in health care for the last 30 years. Rather than moving more towards a decentralized system that many in Britain now want (and polls have shown US voters want) US legislators want to centralize more of the power in Washington.
While watching the clip I couldn't help but think about HollyOntheHill's post today regarding, What's wrong with Democare, really her picture says it all.
Since when in America has the government been able to run anything, economically responsible or even competitive, efficient, or competently? Never, to my understanding.
While at a dinner party this past week with medical doctor's, nurses and ICU staff from a local hospital, that though many of these professionals voted for Obama, they are NOT in favor of the impending nightmare of government run healthcare. One of the physician's I spoke with is from Syria and his reason for practicing in the United States was because of the opportunity to provide excellent care for his patients. It wasn't long after being here that he realized there were already shackles in place to prevent that from happening; in the form of insurance companies regulating the type of care and medications that they are willing to provide to particular patients based on coverage. He fears now that once Obamacare is in place, good doctors will either leave their practices, in search for new careers, while others will lower their standard of living and enjoy the life of set hours and pay and accept that their care will be mediocre at best. Then of course there will be the lack of desire to take on such huge amounts of school debt which will detract new doctors from entering the profession at all, adding to doctor shortages and further reduced care.
So, now the question I wonder...Where will the Canadians go to find good cancer and heart health care? America will no longer be able to provide that answer.
