Conservative Response

This Month's Topic: Is there a responsibility for the United States government to either provide or ensure Universal Health Care for everyone in America?

Is it socialism to provide or ensure universal health care for all Americans? Is it a moral issue? Is it an issue of national security? Is it too expensive or can it actually save money for the American tax payer? The debate between liberals and conservatives has been extensive, divisive and has lasted for years. In the mean time, more and more Americans go uninsured including millions of children that live at or below the poverty level. How can we bailout Wall Street with $700B (including an additional $140B in pork barrel spending) and not find a small fraction of this cost to extend funding SCHIP and provide for the health of our most vulnerable citizens?

Conservative Response:

Conservatives are not going to deny the basic goal: affordable health care for all. But we see the failure of the welfare state to provide it. In communist and socialist nations, everyone is extended the right to health care - to inefficient, low tech, backward, inconvenient health care. And the right to wait and wait and wait. In Ohio today, there are more MRI machines than in all of England. In Cuba there aren't any.

First we note that today, no one is denied health care. They may not have their first choice, but ERs don't turn people down for money. The care is subsidized. This MAY, in fact, be the most efficient way to provide care to the poor. It may even be preferable for some - illegal immigrants who would not have access under any system because of status. These folks are not turned down at the ER.

But we should aim higher. What is needed is to de-shackle health care from restrictions. The government has a role, just not as intrusive a role as the new House bill dictates. The government should facilitate a nationwide infrastructure for patient information, and provide information that gives the health care system transparency. We want to see what kind of track record this doctor or that hospital has. (Remember that a conservative hero, Adam Smith, said that the free market operates justly ONLY if there is "perfect information" - that is, transparency and the rule of law.)

An unfettered market will drive prices toward affordable, once we get rid of the impediments to innovation - government interference (Medicaid/Medicare), government mandates (on businesses to provide this or that service), and insane settlements in malpractice law.

— Editor

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