Carol Platt Liebau: Big Government Health Care

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Big Government Health Care

This report from the UK is a perfect example of what happens when the government takes over health care:

Seriously ill patients are being kept in ambulances outside hospitals for hours so NHS trusts do not miss Government targets.

Thousands of people a year are having to wait outside accident and emergency departments because trusts will not let them in until they can treat them within four hours, in line with a Labour pledge.

The hold-ups mean ambulances are not available to answer fresh 999 calls.


You can see what happened. The Labour government obviously campaigned on the idea that no one should have to wait in an emergency room for longer than four hours. Sounded great, of course.

This is the type of outcome that's worth remembering when presidential candidates start touting health care plans that include more and bigger government mandates, and an enhanced role for the government in overseeing health care. As in the UK, the chances increase that it all becomes about looking good on paper -- and there's not an overwhelming amount of concern for the real world impact on those the system is supposed to "help."

This is what happens when the government runs health care. Keep that in mind when you think about the fact that Barack's first choice would have been single payer health care -- in other words, government run.

3 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Good thing edwards wont be president. He would have made it MANDATORY for each and every one of us to get a medical checkup whether we wanted it or not! Talk about big government!

11:57 PM  
Blogger Bob said...

Carol,

My friend in Los Angeles, after falling from a porch, spent five and a half hours in an emergency waiting room before a physician could see her. I've heard other horror stories as well. We're not doing much better than Britain.

9:40 AM  
Blogger LadybugUSA said...

Dear VSWWPOO:

With respect, I think we are. One big difference? First, if, once the physician saw her, he found that she needed heart surgery, she wouldn't have to wait for months to have it.

Second, as a fellow Angeleno, I can testify that one of the big reasons that it takes so long to get emergency room treatment here is because there are so many illegal aliens accessing free healthcare. Those on the left would say that it's a reason to make sure illegals have access to health insurance. I would say it's a good reason to secure the border.

9:58 AM  

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