This article is part of a PRO/CON opinion piece on nationalized healthcare. To view the opposing side, see here.
Friday, April 9, 2010
By John Burke
Opinion Editor
After months of political struggle, campaign efforts and partisanship, the American people have received what they voted for. Congress recently passed an unpopular overhaul of the American health care system. Led by President Obama, the Democrats proved that they are willing to sacrifice the people’s freedom for politics.
The bill’s notorious “public” option, which creates a government healthcare provider, is nothing short of a foundation for socialism. The creation of a state-owned provider would allow the government to compete with firms and offer lower prices without revenue loss due to tax increases.
Eventually the Democrats withdrew many unpopular aspects of the “public” option, but left a skeletal version of it in the bill. This gives the Democrats an avenue to enlarge this program and undermine the compromises used to pass the bill. Considering the shady conduct used to pass the bill with back-room meetings kickbacks to Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, this would be likely.
This would drive health care firms out of business and result in an eventual government monopoly over health care services, ultimately undermining American freedoms to a frightening extent.
In the chaos of the fear politics invoked by the Obama administration toward the perceived evils of corporations, Americans would be blind to the dangers of a government with the power to charge health care costs at any rate.
The health care bill is also questionable on a Constitutional level. This is the first piece of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that requires Americans to buy a product from private companies.
The Democrats tread down a highly-suspicious road when they set the precedent of forcing Americans to buy things from private corporations, even if those things are insurance plans.
It is hard to argue that the health care provided by private organizations is not flawed. But while the private sector may have deficiencies, it serves a purpose by checking government economic influence.
If Americans concede the control of private services to the government, they begin a dangerous trend of expanding the government’s power. Blurring the line between the public and private sector in healthcare will ruin a profitable domestic industry and weaken America’s tradition of free enterprise.
America voted for change in 2008 and it got change in 2010. But recent Rasmussen polls show that only 35 percent support the recently passed health care bill. This is not the change Americans believed in.
Fortunately, this bill has not done any political favors for the Democrats in power. Most polls show that losses are expected for Democrats in the upcoming mid-term elections. Hopefully, this will allow Republicans to curb any attempts made by the Democrats to increase government ownership of American enterprises.
Leave a Reply