Thursday, March 03, 2005
Europeans fed up with socialized medicine
[Rebecca Goldsmith, "Europe: Shopping for health care," The Seattle Times, 10 February 2005.]
There is an old joke about Marxists that says they all left the Soviet Union and are now working in American universities. The idea that Americans have a fondness for the failed experiments of Europe seems to have renewed relevance in light of calls for universal health coverage:
Europeans once lived and died by their national health plans.
In exchange for steep taxes, they received a lifetime of free or low-cost medical care. They expected doctors to diagnose their ailments, drugs to make them feel better and hospitals to perform necessary procedures.
But this once-sacred social pact is starting to break down. Fed up with long waits and worried about the quality of medical care, more European patients are losing faith in government-run health systems. Informed by the Internet and motivated by cheaper travel, many now seek medical care abroad and buy private health insurance.
After scouring the world for answers, some of Europe's top health officials believe they have found salvation for socialized medicine in an unusual place: the United States and other countries where capitalism guides health care.
The experiments promise to release patients from a government monopoly and improve care through competition. The outcome could make or break national budgets — and ultimately determine whether socialized medicine survives.
The changes in Europe contrast with what is happening in the United States, where people are looking to government to address soaring medical costs and the 43 million people who have no health insurance.
"The government can guarantee you universal coverage. What the government can't guarantee you is the care that you want when you want it," said Robert Moffit, director of the Center for Health Policy Studies, part of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
[Charles W. Van Way, III, M.D., "The Strength of a Really Bad Idea," The Flint Hills Center, 8 May 2004.]
[Rebecca Goldsmith, "Europe: Shopping for health care," The Seattle Times, 10 February 2005.]
There is an old joke about Marxists that says they all left the Soviet Union and are now working in American universities. The idea that Americans have a fondness for the failed experiments of Europe seems to have renewed relevance in light of calls for universal health coverage:
Europeans once lived and died by their national health plans.
In exchange for steep taxes, they received a lifetime of free or low-cost medical care. They expected doctors to diagnose their ailments, drugs to make them feel better and hospitals to perform necessary procedures.
But this once-sacred social pact is starting to break down. Fed up with long waits and worried about the quality of medical care, more European patients are losing faith in government-run health systems. Informed by the Internet and motivated by cheaper travel, many now seek medical care abroad and buy private health insurance.
After scouring the world for answers, some of Europe's top health officials believe they have found salvation for socialized medicine in an unusual place: the United States and other countries where capitalism guides health care.
The experiments promise to release patients from a government monopoly and improve care through competition. The outcome could make or break national budgets — and ultimately determine whether socialized medicine survives.
The changes in Europe contrast with what is happening in the United States, where people are looking to government to address soaring medical costs and the 43 million people who have no health insurance.
"The government can guarantee you universal coverage. What the government can't guarantee you is the care that you want when you want it," said Robert Moffit, director of the Center for Health Policy Studies, part of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
[Charles W. Van Way, III, M.D., "The Strength of a Really Bad Idea," The Flint Hills Center, 8 May 2004.]
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