A popular topic often debated in political careers and among healthcare providers is the need for nationalized health coverage (socialized medicine). Several other countries like Canada, England and Australia use these services. A popular argument in favor of nationalized health care regardless of the availability of insurance for all citizens of their financial situation. On the surface, the idea sounds reasonable, but in a nation run by private companies it can cause more trouble than it’s worth.
Insurance coverage provided by the state and federal government has proven to be inadequate and bad for business. In its current form, government-funded health insurance reimburses pennies on the dollar for emergency and non-emergency medical care. Many hospitals, private doctor’s offices, and medical facilities are turning these patients away due to a significant lack of compensation.
EMS providers are in a bad position, as they do not have the option to reject non-payers or government-funded payers. This makes ambulance services and emergency departments dependent on private insurance companies to offset the significant losses caused by government-funded insurance. Switching to a nationalized health care plan would surely put most private providers out of work.
The loss of private EMS services would require state and local governments to take over and provide the service at the expense of taxpayers. Of course, this would significantly increase income and property taxes to pay for insurance and services provided in lieu of private medical operations.
Sure, having more government jobs could result in retirement plans and good benefits, but the number of available jobs could quickly dwindle. Budget cuts and the increased cost of doing business would result in increased taxes or reduced jobs. Once the government bureaucracy comes into play, you can be sure that the number of ambulances on the streets will decrease. Local police agencies are a good example. It is difficult to find a police department that claims to be adequately staffed. Socialized medicine would leave EMS agencies in exactly the same situation.
Our health care system in the United States is far from perfect. System abuse, lawsuits, and uninsured patients constantly increase the cost of providing health care. Work is needed to solve this problem, but not at the expense of taxpayers.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
