Award winning economist Paul Krugman says that “one of the truly amazing and depressing things about the health reform debate is the persistence of fear-mongering over “socialized medicine” even though we already have a system in which the government pays substantially more medical bills (47% of the total) than the private insurance industry (35%). .jpg)
Krugman reports that “at a recent town-hall meeting in suburban South Carolina, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” “I had to politely explain that, ‘Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,’ ” Inglis recalled. “But he wasn’t having any of it.”
According to most polls, until recently the vast majority of Americans have favored the public health care insurance. As the debate wears on however it appears that public support is slipping.
The health care powers-that-be are doing their best to ensure and anemic outcome to health reform legislation. Representing the interests of lobbyists over that of the American people, the Senate Finance Committee, the so-called Gang of Six continues to say NO to the creation of a new government run health insurance plan that would compete with corporate health care industry.
Earlier today I had a doctor’s appointment. I talked with my doctor not only about my personal health. I couldn't resist bringing up the current debate around health care reform. At one point she said, “I don’t know what will happen if we end up with socialized medicine in this country.”
As a believer in the right of single payer universal health care I felt a little vulnerable as the words left her lips. She agreed that the current system is a big mess. But her fear of “socialized medicine” served as a poignant reminder of the whispers that have become full throated. The bogeyman of socialism is licking his chops, just waiting to gobble up the American healthcare system.
Socialism is the devil--exorcise this devil say the pure of heart--unless of course you are talking about my Medicare or a Social Security benefits.
The word "socialism" conjures up images of of big brother government. But as many mainstream economists have pointed out, the public health care option that is making Blue Dog Democrats and some Republican queasy even though it has nothing to do with Socialism.
Sometimes it seems Americans collectively lack the power of discernment. Sometimes it seems that deep down we are really a bunch of shallow thinkers.
Wake up America: Any plan that lacks the public option will keep the powers-that-be, in power.
Perhaps the fear "going public" points to an extremism more dangerous than every other: insidious individualism.
In his book All Together Now, economist Jared Bernstein argues that in this culture people hold one of two views on what it means to live together in an economic system. Bernstein says that that people are either YOYO’s (You Are On Your Own) or WITT (We Are In This Together).
Are you a YOYO or a WITT?
This is the question the current health care crisis forces upon us.
Robert Reich puts it succinctly: "As a practical matter, the choice people make between private plans and a public one is likely to function as a check on both. Such competition will encourage private plans to do better -- offering more value at less cost. At the same time, it will encourage the public plan to be as flexible as possible. In this way, private and public plans will offer one another benchmarks of what's possible and desirable."
As Krugman put it: "health care can’t be sold like bread. It must be largely paid for by some kind of insurance. And this in turn means that someone other than the patient ends up making decisions about what to buy. Consumer choice is nonsense when it comes to health care. And you can’t just trust insurance companies either — they’re not in business for their health, or yours".
Everyone agrees the American health care system is sick. There may be no cure-all, but absent the public health insurance option, we will have pulled the plug on any real hope for health care reform.
Nonetheless, I take solace in the truth that we are still a democracy, and in a democracy if the people lead, the leaders will follow.
Our greatest hope is that in this culture of toxic individualism we will sooner or later get real religion--the commitment to the truth that we're all in this together.
Only a public option can make room for all of us,
Comments
It is particularly interesting following this debate from Canada, as the big question right now is weither or not we should make more room for private medical services in our public health care system. The scare tactics against anything ressembling change are pretty much the same as the ones used in the american debate, except that in our case, private practice is The Devil.
Something that is rarely brought up in these debates (in both the US and Canada, as far as I can tell) is that in many countries (Australia and Finland are commonly cited), public and private health care work together, and the population is quite satisfied.
Excellent article, thanks!
Excellent article. I am recommending it on my page. Please keep up the excellent writing.
Sincerely,
Charlie W. Gill II S.F.O.
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