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Rats and Socialized Medicine

By Selwyn Duke

Out of Britain comes a story about a teenager who decided against having an operation because he was told that there might be a dead rat in the operating room.  Ah, another one of the beauties of socialized medicine. 

This is what happens when you remove the profit motive from a system — service and quality decline.  It’s simply economics 101; thus, I don’t feel inclined to elaborate, at least not right now.  I tire of explaining the obvious to people too childish to understand that you can’t have your cake and eat it too.  Some things just don’t come cheap, like it or not.  Nevertheless, I fully expect us to jump from the frying pan into the fire and march headlong into Hillarycare or Obamedicine. 

The socialized medicine, dirty rat story is here.

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5 responses to “Rats and Socialized Medicine”

  1. Denny Zantzinger Avatar
    Denny Zantzinger

    “Hillarycare…Obamamedicine?” Give us a break!
    There was no rat in the operating room and you know it. (I assume you read the article you linked to?)
    Cut it out. One Michael Moore is enough.

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  2. Ray Hicks Avatar
    Ray Hicks

    If the corporate crooks running the health care system in this country weren’t so greedy, there’s a good chance that the government wouldn’t have to step in and offer “Hillarycare” to those who can’t afford the eleven thousand dollar (plus) trip to the emergency room for chest pain.
    But, I guess if they don’t have the cash or the insurance to flip the bill, they aren’t worth saving anyway. The hospital has to make a profit! And oh yes, it is profit that drives our system. Yachts and vacation homes in France aren’t cheap.
    I’m not talking about the physicians, nurses and technicians running around the hospital twelve hours a day…They deserve the yacht. The profit goes to the hairball in the boardroom scheming a way to charge you even more. (People working in the E.R., thankfully aren’t motivated by the same urges that are present on a used car lot.)
    Okay, you think it is profit that makes a hospital good? Marketplace competition and all that? So, how about the army and the police and the fire services? Child welfare and the Church even? No profit motive there. Are they no good…Like the nasty rat infested National Health operating rooms in the U.K.? (Or more correctly, in the minds of those who can’t recognize that there is something more important than a buck.)
    In the end though, it will the corruption of the health care industry’s red hot grab for profit that will be bring universal health coverage to the United States. So, I guess you’re right. The profit motive will have done some good after all.

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  3. C. Boothe Avatar
    C. Boothe

    One of the major reasons for the sharp increases of the cost in health care is due less to the ‘evil corporations’ and more to the class action lawyers. When these HMOs are sued on a regular basis for ridiculous sums of money, they have to pass these costs on to the consumer. We don’t need free medicine as much as we need tort reform. While people are so fast to blame the businesses, nobody bats an eye at the scoundrels who file lawsuits at a rate that screws everyone else while they line their own pockets (ex: John Edwards).

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  4. Ray Hicks Avatar
    Ray Hicks

    The largest class action lawsuit against HMO’s was filed on behalf of physicians and other health care providers who claimed that the “evil corporations” used fraudulent marketing and financial incentives to restrict patient care.
    Their claim was filed under RICO laws, if that tells you anything.

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  5. Walt Holton Avatar
    Walt Holton

    Enough of the “evil” corporation crap. In a free market those “evil” amongst us must compete against every one else. Wholesome competition is impeded by the barristers and the insurance companies that fear them. I believe it is the Mennonites who have an agreement on health insurance, whereas they agree to never file a malpractice suit or any claim against a doctor or hospital. In turn they receive greatly reduced premiums and discounts on care. This is truly an example of the free market protecting itself against the parasites. Medicine is a practice and it is so called because it is performed by imperfect people with limited knowledge. On this side of eternity it will always remain as such. Socializing medicine will not improve the quality or eliminate those who wish to exploit it. Regardless of the logistics, weather socialistic or capitalistic there will always be an opportunity for those who wish to exploit or extort to do so. There will be no utopia by the hands or minds of men. I do not believe this should be a national issue. If it were handled on a state by state basis along with most other social issues our “Pursuit of Happiness” would be a much less convoluted journey.
    Walt Holton

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