Sunday, February 11, 2007

Universal HealthCare

I had promised a post on this subject last week, unfortunately I am not able to post throughout the week. Therefore I apologize that I will only be able to post on Sundays.

Universal HealthCare is defined as every citizen to have healthcare. For a government to uphold this claim, they must supply healthcare to those who are unable to afford it. Sounds caring; health care for the poor. Who would not want to support those in need?

When said that the government shall provide health care for those without it, we enter a realm of assumptions. Most people assume that the government has infinite supply of money therefore has the ability to provide the healthcare to all in need. The amount of citizens without healthcare is also assumed since it is assumed that others would spend their money on their own healthcare. These two assumptions are completely false and have no data to support their claims. Governments do not have an infinite supply of money. In fact, if the government continues to print money they cause inflation with the large increase of money in circulation. This means the dollar loses its value. Therefore government, just as any entity, only has a limited amount of money to spend on anything. Will it have enough money to give healthcare to all in need? Seeing how our National Debt is continuously increasing I see no funds for a universal healthcare plan.
Now the governement is not outlawing private healthcare. Therefore those who wish to pay for their own healthcare are more than welcome. Problem does not lie with the private healthcare but with the government's policy itself. Most college students do not have healthcare since they cannot afford it or do not wish to borrow more money in order to have it. Students see themselves as young and able to take the risk. Therefore students who are not under their parents' health plans will now receive the universal healthcare. Those who do not receive a high wage as in employees of low paying employers, i.e. McDonalds, Wendy's, Walmart, Etc. will also wish to receive this universal healthcare. They will want to keep as much of their wage as possible therefore would love to receive the free government provided healthcare. Let us not forget that some companies who do not wish to pay for the employees to have healthcare will use the universal healthcare as well.

The amount of people who will want this government provided healthcare has drastically increased. The amount of money the government has continuously decreases. The government will need money. As the government only has a limited amount of ways to receive money, they will do the one that enables them to have the largest increase. Raise Taxes. Everyone has to pay for others to have healthcare. Those who wished to have the free government provided healthcare do not realize that they are paying for it through taxes. Furthermore, those who chose to have private healthcare which they pay for out of their pocket will have to pay a higher tax in order to provide others with healthcare.

Universal Healthcare is not free. The money has to come from somewhere. The amount of people who might be able to afford their own healthcare will choose to receive the universal healthcare since they are paying for it in taxes already. If private healthcare is worth a certain market price, paying the market price and higher taxes decreases your want of the private healthcare. Is universal healthcare the answer to this nations problem? No. The next question to be asked will be who will then provide cheap healthcare? If there is a profit, there will always be someone willing to provide such a service. If the government intervenes causing the cost for cheap healthcare to increase, there will be less of companies to provide such services.

Just to note, I did not include the lists of abuses people, doctors do since they are not paying for it. I.E. Doctors in Florida who paid taxi drivers to pick up retirees in retirement homes. The retirees only want their medication to be refilled. The doctors give them prescriptions for refills but also add tests they never performed to the bill, thus increasing the amount they are paid for services never provided.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Politicians and the things they say

It is said "Economists do not vote". The reasons why are numerous. You can ask many on how do you vote and they may answer that they choose the lesser of the two evils. If it is evil why should we vote on it? Evil is evil no matter how much.

I think I am officially tired of politics. Those who are part of the party in power will always say "Stay the course". If they say we need change, then they are dividing their party which will harm their political career. Those who are not in the party in power will run with the slogan of change. What else is new? We expect it, but how much can we be lied to?

I was at a rally and heard that we need to discontinue the politicians supporting special interest groups. Furthermore, we need to end the politicians supporting their own agendas. I have heard it dozens of times before. Yet, here was the rally for change. A movement that was meant to be a beginning, and yet the politician spoke to a special interest group. The topics he touched related to this special interest group.

The politician was Senator Barrack Obama, whose heart is in the right place, but so caught up in caring he may in reality hurt those he wishes to help. How? Why? I will briefly discuss the items that were discussed yesterday which were universal health care and education, but we shall save that for my next posts as they deserve to be the topic of their own posts.