With everything going on in this country, it comes to no surprise to anyone the whole Universal Healthcare issue hasn’t been brought up in a very long time. In fact, the last time I wrote about it was back in 2019 in a three part series with the same title as this. I was going to leave it back in the past until the news came out that millions of illegal aliens allowed into the U.S. by the Biden administration were also being given free healthcare, plane tickets, money and just about everything else under the sun as a reward for their bravery in crossing the border illegally. Sounds absolutely nuts, doesn’t it? But it all appears not only to be true, but ongoing. And while impeaching Mayorkas may be a good move for symbolism, it won’t really change anything. Then again, Biden could all of the sudden get religion and reverses what he should never have begun in the first place and magically reinstate Trump’s border policies in the hope it will boost his poll numbers. And should he do exactly that, it won’t do a bit of good because the Public will see that move as a desperate last ditch attempt. But it was the free healthcare that caught my eye. Then we hear that Governor Newsom in California is offering pretty much the same to all (what he calls) undocumented people residing in his state which I’m certain his voters wholeheartedly agree with. (He said sarcastically).
It’s because of this recent news that I decided to resurrect the articles written so long ago, combine them into a single article while adding new commentary when warranted. Only this time as you read it, consider there will be millions more who will be taking full advantage of this catastrophe should it ever materialize. For those of you who want to read the original series of three articles, here they are (part one with links to two and three) but I doubt much will change as I will be incorporating most if not all into this one. So with that, let’s begin.
Healthcare for All
Before I even begin to type, (I know, I know…. I already have,) I want you to all know that I have this huge block of wood here that I can knock on because throughout my life— from what I’ve read and people I’ve talked with, I have been extremely fortunate in regards to my health. (Knock on wood.)
In my adult life l can probably count on one hand the times I’ve had to see a doctor. And every time I’ve had to go, I already knew what was wrong with me. I went only because I needed a prescription which was usually for a bad case of bronchitis. I was never the kind of man who would race to a doctor at the drop of a hat. I’ve always thought of seeing a doctor only as a last resort when I knew I had done all I could do on a personal level— to no avail, then and only then would I consult a physician.
A little background…..
I had a “Leave it to Beaver“ childhood. Did many of the stupid things most teenagers did while growing up (in those days) and actually survived it pretty much unscathed (outside of a chipped front tooth at 16 that I finally had fixed at 18. To this day you’d never know it.) Again, knock on wood.
When it came to vaccines, there were only three that children received back then. Polio, DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (aka whooping cough) and smallpox. That was it. The only childhood disease I honestly remember getting was the mumps, (both sides.) Perhaps measles and chicken pox but I couldn’t swear on it. I’d have to look it up— however, seeing as this article is about healthcare and not vaccines, I’d rather not open up that can of worms. I mention it strictly for background. So, when I read all these stories and everything I see and hear on the news, all this talk about medicare for all and free access to healthcare, my first thought is….. Is America really THAT sick?
[Now – before I go any further with my thoughts on this topic, the very last thing I want to do is disparage or make light of the medical situations I’m certain many American people and families are going through. This is not my intention.]
So again, I asked myself, is America as a whole really that sick? The media makes it seem like everyone is seeing a doctor three times a week, or taking some type of medication[s] on a daily basis. I know (hope) this can’t be true but you’d believe otherwise from what you see, hear and read from the good old media. (For more on this, see my article Just Ask Your Doctor).
You see Politicians saying, “Everyone should have access to healthcare.” I ask myself, don’t people already have access to healthcare? I see urgent care centers, walk-in clinics, hospitals, free clinics (just to name a few) everywhere, therefore— access to healthcare is obviously available to everyone…. right? So, that can’t be it.
Then you see other Politicians promising, if elected… “Healthcare for all!” Whether they use those exact words or not, this is what they mean. But they always tout how much money Americans are sure to save.
Sounds ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL, doesn’t it? Well… doesn’t it? (Here is where I’ll refer you to a much more recent article titled Promises Promises). But is it, or will it be free or demonstrably cheaper? Of course not. People can’t be that stupid to believe that. It will have to be paid for. Either through higher taxes, another type of mandate or some other method. Most Politicians so far have yet to explain how— imagine that. And those who did [through higher taxes] have yet to say exactly how much higher. Typical.
This is just the tip of the mountainous iceberg called Healthcare for All and the U.S. is the Titanic.
The Scenario
I’ve always found it interesting that while “healthcare” and “health Insurance” are two completely different terms, Politicians tend to use both as if they mean the exact same thing. They obviously don’t but, we get it. It’s all about health coverage. Whether it’s through insurance companies or single payer, we’re definitely talking about health insurance. Health coverage is the product and has nothing to do with the “quality” of “healthcare” you’ll receive. It will depend on what their definition of “healthcare” is.
So, let’s say for the sake of argument that some form of Universal or Single Payer Health insurance is passed.
It really doesn’t matter how much it will cost because no one really knows. And in this instance, no one can know for sure. They’ll simply throw out some number that sounds reasonable to them and explain why this is a wonderful plan and will save the American Public millions of dollars.
So, Medicare for All or again, some kind of Universal Healthcare passes. They do away with private health insurance. The American Public are now forced to enroll in this new program which according to some news outlets, is better than Mom’s apple pie. In fact, in order to take advantage of these cost saving benefits bestowed upon the US Public by their illustrious benevolent government, it would probably be required to enroll in the program before you would be “allowed“ to see a health professional. Think about it! The perfect way to track every man, woman and child in the U.S. including— if they got their way, all undocumented men women and children in the U.S. as well. So much for privacy. (Part of that “Iceberg” we talked about.) The poor, (legal or not) receive their Healthcare for close to free because they can’t afford it. Everyone else will be breaking out their wallets.
“Still cost effective, will save tons of money and best of all, everyone will be covered!” say proponents and pundits on every liberal media platform. At this point, to the Public— it no longer matters. Whatever the name turns out to be, whether it’s Medicare for All or Universal Healthcare, it got passed. We now own it. It will take at least a year or three to set it all up which will give most rational human beings time to think about the mistake they’ve made and why. Again, it doesn’t matter, we still own it. And because it has yet to go into full affect, the pundits will simply respond with… “It hasn’t begun yet, just wait.”
Remember that iceberg? It’s just about ready to come into view.
Finally! Medicare for All or whatever the chosen name will be is open for business. It’s a wonderful day
….This is what will happen….
Visits to a doctor or other health professional [covered under this plan] will at the very least immediately quadruple. (If not more) Why you ask? The poor will see this as free healthcare and will take full advantage of the fact that to them, it’s free. Where once they were more reasonable and perhaps more cautious of racing to the doctor for every minor ache and pain because of the cost involved, they now go at the first sign of anything.
The lower and medium middle class will go more often also. Their rationale being that because they feel they are the ones getting hammered financially, they might as well get their money’s worth. Same with the upper middle class and wealthy although most likely not as often because they still have better things to do and will evaluate whether or not it will do any good to see a doctor for a particular ailment. Now, will everyone do this? No, but enough will.
Doctors love it because they make more money (patient assembly line) and will cut down on all the paperwork. Big pharma loves it because they’re selling more drugs to the system. Even if they did have to lower their prices, it won’t matter because with more people seeing doctors more often, the obvious outcome is only logical.
……..The Titanic just hit that Iceberg……..
The system becomes completely overwhelmed in no time. The costs to the system sky rocket to the point where the system is on the verge of collapse.
When this happens, and it will, there are only three choices (to keep the ship from sinking.)
1. Ration or limit Healthcare choices, and/or medical procedures.
2. Change the coverage.
3. Raise the price.
[4.] All of the above. (Most likely outcome.)
Which is pretty much what happened under ObamaCare. The premiums kept going up and up. Deductibles kept going up. Everything kept going up! It got to the point where you had to spend a small fortune before your insurance kicked in. That is, unless you were poor. Most that could happen to you is probably having to wait longer for an appointment.
A healthy young man or woman in their 20’s or 30’s would be hard pressed to spend three or four hundred dollars a year to see a doctor. Yet the least expensive plan [under Obamacare] he could get if he was making decent money would have him spending somewhere between 150.00 to 300.00 per month. Imagine what a middle class family spends.
In the last thirty-plus years, I don’t believe I’ve spent even 300.00, and that includes prescriptions, tests….. everything. (knock on wood! Yep, that piece of wood is still sitting here).
One could make the argument saying… “Well, that’s just as long as nothing catastrophic happens.” And that would be a valid point. But the point is moot because we now (in this scenario) have Universal Healthcare. Therefore, nothing before this will matter or make a difference. What’s done is done. So, just like Obamacare, the cost for Universal Healthcare will go up. The difference is with insurance companies, you had a choice. Under Universal Healthcare, you don’t because now you’re paying for it even if you never see a doctor.
Are there alternatives to avoid this nightmare? Absolutely! Are they reasonable? Will they be effective? That’s difficult to say, but we’ll go over them.
Possible solutions
One important observation I’d like to make before we delve into possible solutions that might be an alternative to the probable sinking ship we call Healthcare for All is this. Take a moment please— let this sink in.
In order for any Healthcare proposal to become law, it must be passed by Congress first. Then the President. Be honest, with the political climate these days, what’s the likelihood of that happening? (Rhetorical question.) Unless you have to pass it before you can find out what’s in it.) What’s the old saying? “Fool us once…….”
And it’s not just Healthcare. There are a host of other issues which candidates say (or promise) they will accomplish that will require Congress to pass first. This is the main reason it takes so long to get anything done. The only promise a Candidate can fulfill is that which can be done by a stroke of their pen such as executive orders. Anything else— all they can truly say is, whatever the issue may be is they support it and will do their best to accomplish it.
So, when a Candidate throws out all these promises, keep that in mind and don’t forget the article, Promises Promise).
My Dad used to say, “If you had a few million in the bank, you wouldn’t be worried about this.” [“This” meaning, the cost of anything.] Seeing as the majority of the American Public don’t have a few million in the bank, with many (especially now) living paycheck to paycheck, we have to do what we can to solve problems which affect us on a personal level. And when it comes to our money, it’s always personal.
Before we begin with some of my proposals, please allow me to clarify a few things. Healthcare and Health Coverage (Insurance) are two separate but intertwining terms. Both have and will continue to have an affect on the other. Keep this in mind and remember— the bottom line is what comes out of your bank account. And by the way, these are in no particular order of importance.
1. Ban ALL advertising for drugs which require a doctors prescription. Since when did patients prescribe their own medications? We don’t need to tell our doctors about any drug. They should already know what the appropriate course of therapy would be concerning our health. For the amount of money they spend each year on advertising, they should be able to lower the price of their products dramatically.
2. Allow pharmacists the ability to approve sales of antibiotics to their customers. In many countries, antibiotics are sold over the counter. However, seeing as many Americans are idiots and would abuse this to the point of becoming a detriment to their own health, they would need the approval of their pharmacist first. Customers would also be required to absolve the pharmacist and retail establishment from any and all legal liability for the opportunity to receive antibiotics in this manner.
3. Allow health insurance companies to provide insurance across state lines and be treated in the same way as car insurance companies. Subject to the rules and regulations of each state.
4. (A tad controversial) Place a 1% Federal Healthcare fee on all retail sales (including online retail sales) except food, clothing and anything related to Healthcare necessities such as prescriptions, vitamins, medical devices, etc. The proceeds of which will be strictly regulated to be used for only 2 purposes.
Purpose 1. For the building, running and maintaining of additional Free clinics in the U.S. in the way of grants based on per capita. This will be IN ADDITION to existing grants Federal, State and local governments are giving through programs which are already in affect. NOT IN LIEU OF.
Purpose 2. Strictly regulated grants to insurance companies for the sole purpose to offset only monies spent on the insured’s behalf who has catastrophic coverage. The monies they would receive would be based on how many people they insure for catastrophic coverage. Not to be used under any circumstances for the insurers benefit. This will be IN ADDITION to already existing grants Federal, State and local governments are giving through programs which are already in affect. NOT IN LIEU OF.
I fully understand that taxes are high enough as it is but I doubt 1% would kill anyone and as long as the money is spent responsibly (quit laughing) it would be at the least an improvement. I’ve also come to realize that my fortunate health experience throughout my life could possibly be the exception and not quite the rule. Then again, it could also be that hunk of wood I make a point to keep near if the topic of health comes up in the course of conversation.
Are the other solutions? I’m sure there are which I had intended to write further about in the fourth installment that has yet to be written. And perhaps for now it’s enough seeing as Healthcare for All is no longer a top priority in the United States.
Thank God.
