10 Socialist Arguments Destroyed
5. Socialized medicine takes better care of people
The socialized healthcare system may “guarantee” access to care — but that doesn’t mean patients actually receive it. A report released by Britain’s health regulator found that a stunning 20 percent of hospitals were failing to provide the minimum standard of care legally required for elderly patients. As part of the study, inspectors dropped by dozens of hospitals unannounced. They found patients shouting or banging on bedrails desperately trying to get the attention of a nurse. At one hospital, inspectors identified bed-ridden patients that hadn’t been given water for over 10 hours.
The socialized medicine is broken — and not in some superficial way that a simple tweak would fix. The incentives are wrong. The government’s main priority is keeping costs low — not providing quality care. Patients can’t choose how they receive their care — it’s one-size-fits-all medicine. And the entrenched healthcare bureaucracy has no reason to improve efficiency.
People do better if they are charged with personal responsibility for their welfare. That’s why many Canadians travel to the United States and pay out of pocket for treatments and procedures, as they feel the wait in Canada is too long and harmful to their health.
The American health system is far from perfect. But it’s wrong to think that government can fix it. The socialized systems found up North or in Europe are proof. We need more market forces in our medical sector — not more government controls.
