Healthcare: What Would Reagan Say?

Again, I feel compelled to post some audio of Ronald Reagan speaking out against socialized medicine. Now you can call me an extremest or naive, and say that the Democrats and President Obama are not advocating socialized medicine akin to Canadian or British systems. But listen to this clip that was put together and aird on the Glenn Beck Radio Program. Please know that this is only being used to give some perspective, not because its from Glenn Beck. I have been accused in the past of idolizing Glenn Beck, like Democrats idolize Obama. While I listen to his program, he and I are not always in agreement so take this audio for what its truly worth.

I want to point out some key quotes from this audio piece (which has been awesomely remixed with some music). Reagan talks about the proposals (much like today’s) under the Truman Administration that would advocate for a “public option” health insurance, but would make it much more compulsory then than perhaps current legislation suggests. So we will begin after the jump:

1. “Back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, 6 times candidate for President the Socialist Party ticket. He said that, ”The American people will never vote for socialism.” But he said, “Under the name of liberalism the American people would adopt every fragment of the socialist program.” There are many ways in which our government has invaded our precincts of private citizens, the method of earning a living, but at the moment, I would like to talk about another. Mainly because this threat is with us and at the moment is more immanent. One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people is very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it.“
   1. This is still true to this day. Those of who speak out against the type of healthcare reform, quantifying it as a stepping stone toward socialized medicine (see quote 2) are called inhumane, and ostracised for being against the health of those who are low income. When in fact its not true. We are for providing more access to care but doing it in a way that is responsible and not rationing of healthcare.
   2. What I would advocate for, and many of my friends and colleagues advocate for is market solutions. This isn’t about additional regulations. Medicare and Medicaid coverage is consistantly rationed and there are frequent cost over-runs and budget cuts. Clearly the government is not the best health insurance provider. Conservatives want to see the ability for insurance companies to compete across state lines (currently they can’t…thats why there is a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and a Blue Cross Blue Shield of California and etc.), this would help likely bring overall cost of coverage down because there would be incentive to have lower prices across the board. We want to see responsible tort reform, to help lower the costs of malpractice insurance. Responsible tort reform would benefit not only doctors, but in the end patients. If doctors pay lower malpractice premiums…they would be able to continue to practice medicine. Congress is well in it authority to do this because it is some of their current regulatory structure that prevents this and they have the authority to regulate interstate commerce.  Why get the government out of the way and help let the free market and capitalism solve the problem? If healthcare was such a right as some on the left claim it is…then why would they be willing to put the government in control of it? We don’t give the government control over our right to free speech or right to free expression of religion.
2. “We have an example of this. Under the Truman Administration, it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States. Of course the American people unhesitantly rejected this. With the American people on record as not wanting socialized medicine, Congressman Foran said, “If we can only break through and get our foot inside the door. Then we can expand the program after that.” Well let’s see the socialist themselves say about it, “They say, once the Foran bill is passed, this nation will be provided with a mechanism of socialized medicine. Capable of indefinite expansion in every direction until it includes the entire population.”
   1. We now know the Foran Bill (as it was introduced) and the Kerr-Mills Bill or Medicare which was attached to Social Security. Now we are seeing an expansion into covering the remaining populace, just as the socialists of Truman’s day foretold. But we have a reason to be skeptical of this new expanision of healthcare programs.
   2. Medicare and Medicaid as I have said experiences cost over-runs, budget cuts, trouble with repayments to providers, etc. What happens if the government experiences another budget crisis…will the public option be forced to be rationed or have cost cuts? Will some surgeries or other procedures of some of those under the public option have to be cancelled because of those budget cuts? This is the worry we have. And what future expansion will we see after this. Several members of Congress have said that they believe in a single payer type system … but they just don’t have the votes to do it now. That means that they would seek to do it in the future if it ever became possible.
3. James Madison in 1788 said “since the general civilization of mankind I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpation.”
   1. We should take these words to heart and fight against the encroachment of the federal government into our daily lives. Like I said, if healthcare is believed to be such a “right,” why would you wnat to give the federal government control of that “right.”