The Inevitability of Hillary and Socialized Medicine 
By Robert Skinner

Over the past couple of decades, doctors and hospitals have done extremely well in our free market economy where privately owned and managed business does the economy and its citizens well. Also, in the past couple of decades, doctors have been doggedly determined, it seems, to allow their cost rates to remain 4 to 5 times higher than the inflation rate. It seems there is no end in sight to this trend. The result – regular middle and lower income families, state and federal governments are in great financial stress. Business Week's contributing economics' editor Chris Farrell wrote, "The average premium for a family of four enrolled in a preferred provider organization has doubled over the past 10 years, to $10,000, according to McKinley & Co. Employees, who are paying about a third of that cost are none too happy either . . [and] Medicaid and Medicare are straining government budgets."

President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (progressive Republican - 1901-09)) was the first prominent, and very popular politician/statesman to actively pursue national health insurance. He did so in 1912 when he ran, to the great ire of the Republican Party, for President as a third party progressive candidate in his own Bull Moose Party. Roosevelt felt compelled to challenge the then status quo of politicians working more diligently, he believed, for special interest groups rather than the people. Sound familiar? Some modest national health care was a plank on his political platform. Teddy believed too many poor could not afford adequate care. Sound familar? Most in his day believed this progressive proposal was a prime reason he failed to regain the Presidency. Teddy - the "walk softly but carry a big stick" President - was surely a man ahead of his time. To him a government of and for the people was not being realized as envisioned by the founding fathers. 

Likewise, after WW II President Harry Truman unsuccessfully tried to initiate national health insurance but special interest repelled that. Chris Farrell believes the American Medical Association (AMA) was Truman's prime critic and nemesis. Farrell wrote " . . the AMA was determined to defend doctors' incomes against the threat of "socialized" medicine." Surely the AMA still fights to keep doctors from being subservient to a high-handed government controlled health system that sets price and price increases, and all medical protocols - or known better as socialized medicine. 

The United States is the lone western democracy not to embrace socialized medicine and surely energetic cadres of health care of AMA lobbyist, and others, are the reason. But the economic pain is simply too much to stave of change. I believe government is about to descend upon the health care industry. Socialized medicine American style is not far away and if a Democrat is elected president of the United States, especially the so-called "inevitable" Hillary Clinton, there is nothing AMA lobbyist, and other groups linked to them, will be able to do about it. The people are becoming increasingly distraught and angry. Their gathering will or ire, their call for relief and for justice, and for big government intervention, will break the bond (perhaps a corrupt one) between politician and special interest of the health care industry. If Teddy Roosevelt were President he would surely lead the charge in trust-busting fashion. 

But in a free society - is it not a shame that government takes charge of a private business that for so long served the people well and which the people respected their doctors and hospitals feeling they certainly worked in their best interest? And which player in this evolving drama is the real culprit? 
In 1993 President Bill Clinton and the First Lady, Hillary Clinton, had a very contentious go at trying to reform the health care industry - and the word "industry" seems appropriate as profiteering seems - seems - to be a prime incentive for doctors. What emerged from the Clinton Administration was The Clinton Health Care Plan, also known as Hillarycare by critics. Hillary seemed posed and very confident in the beginning of the Administration's efforts to reign in the rising cost of health care. Hillary was appointed chair of the task force on health care reform. She addressed the US Congress, and the nation, and said " . . our medical bills are growing at over twice the rate of inflation, and the United States spend over a third more of its income on health care than any other nation on Earth."

In retrospect, those were the good old cheap days, relatively speaking, for medical care. Imagine only contending with medical health bills rising approximately two and a half times that of inflation. Being the case today, socialized medicine might be a decade or so away. But it’s coming sooner and it didn't have to be this way. But once our often shortsighted politicians began to interfere with the free market forces for essentially political gain, it stirs great anxiety, and even fear and panic, into the hearts and minds of free people. It sends chills into business men and women - and doctors - who understand big government oversight and control is bad, even detrimental, for business. 

The Clintons attempted, to their credit, or perhaps not, to lean forward into the future and try to curb the growing appetite of the medical care industry to avoid what is unfolding before us now – state, federal, business and private budgets crumbling putting great pressure on the US economy. In fact, the Medicare Board of Trustees weighed in on this and said that consistent high rate of medical bills is one of two reasons that its trust fund will run out of money by 2018. The other reason is something we can do nothing about – the millions of retiring "baby-boomers"leaving many fewer contributing to the Medicare fund. When the fund runs out – then what? 

What will very likely happen is that socialized medicine will descend upon this country several years before the Medicare and Medicaid funds deplete (Medicaid is for low income families - Medicare for retired people over 65) The political stage for the ensuing drama is not quite set as yet. There will be a time, for some time, of rising taxes and government attempting to influence our doctors and hospitals to significantly decrease their costs. But rising political pressure, with the support of the American people, to lower costs will likely fail. Taxes will continue to rise. The financial pain increases to the breaking point. The insurance companies will no longer be the political "fall guy" for the great economic sufferings. Doctors and hospitals will take center stage. 

The nightmare for them will be realized that Big Brother Government will run, will micromanage their professional lives at every level. How would any business person or individual like that? Perhaps doctors have kept their costs rising knowing that once socialized medicine befalls them they will suffer conditions as doctors do in countries with socialized medicine - countries like France, New Zealand, England, Nigeria etc. . . Read this from the Ayn Rand Institute: 

"Doctors strikes have become a commonplace occurrence outside the United States. A few weeks ago, French doctors briefly went on strike to protest the low price fixed by the government for consultations, as well as limits on the working hours (and therefore the wages) of hospital personnel. In Croatia, doctors have just ended a month-long strike to protest low salaries offered by that country's nationalized medical service. At a major hospital in New Zealand, senior doctors have struck one day a week for the past three weeks and plan to keep doing so for another three weeks, also in protest against low government salaries. In Nigeria, junior doctors have gone on strike to protest the government's failure to pay a promised wage increase, while doctors in Ghana are striking for better working conditions at state-run hospitals. (go here to read the entire article). 

Can one blame our doctors and their advocates for seeking to hold back the tide of socialized medicine? Such intrusion, such big government management is burdensome and minimizes one’s sense of freedom. It hinders one’s confidence in one’s talents, and one’s good name in conducting one’s affairs. Perhaps our doctors, being quick learners, have for some decades understood that Franklin Roosevelt’s expansion of government control over the economy (The New Deal) would inevitably find a path into their profession and leave a footprint of oppression which is the fundamental way of socialized medicine, and of socialism. The New Deal was good for America but too much of a good think is certainly not. The New Deal principles have been carried forth with a vengeance by liberal thinkers exploiting it for political and personal gain. 

Government run and micro-managed health care, socialized medicine, need never have been an outcome of America's experiment in democracy that inherently trusts the good nature of a free people represented by morally minded elected officials. Officials who should always keep the interest of a free people in their hearts and minds - not covet more the interest of special groups with their slick lobbyist with seemingly endless campaign donations. That's a corrupt condition. Once liberal minded, unprincipled politicians with a vision and mission of implementing "cradle to grave" social entitlements, find an opening to expand their power, they will ultimately upset the very core that makes a democracy function as it should - a people with accessible, affordable education; confidence in their noble character; and faith in their competency to beome self reliant. This would be a people not simply working for their own good, but for the good of their fellow citizens - for the common good. 

If the Democrats succeed in capturing the White House in 2008 and a significant majority in the US Congress, then be prepared for some more aggressive version of the Clinton Health Care Plan - Hillarycare with an attitude - the inevitable socialized medicine. 

Nearly 100 years ago the Republican Theodore Roosevelt nearly shocked the nation as he nearly became a US President for a third term. He lead a near successful charge against what he thought were all too corrupt political parties that pandered to special interest groups - not to the people at large. Roosevelt said to the nation that "To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day." 

Perhaps part of the legacy of a vibrant democracy lead by corrupt politicians is the inevitable suffocation by big government of the free market system and a free people. If we are coming to a point that we are persuaded that our doctors care less for the people than do pandering, corrupt politicians then perhaps democracy was simply a long ago too extravagant dream of the Greeks. Socialized medicine is far and away a pillar of democracy, nor is it a sign that it is on the march and can survive as an effective tool to serve a free people's will. 

It short time, I believe, that the two party American system needs to be transformed in spirit because it is truly broken. It’s leaders, and particularly I believe those in the Democratic Party, are all too self serving - not servants to the people suffering because of it. We need a leader that can truly serve the people and risk it all to do so. Such was the man Teddy Roosevelt who understood as did Abraham Lincoln that a government founded on democracy must be "of the people, by the people, for the people," so that it "shall not perish from the earth." If it fails to serve the people - it shall perish. 

Socialized medicine is being hailed by liberal politicians as a great progressive movement for democracy, but it’s more far likely a symptom of a democracy in great suffering and in decay. Teddy Roosevelt ! . . Where have you gone ? 

Finally, nothing in human affairs need be inevitable once the people understand the extent and the nature of those who exploit them - especially in a free society. If your quality of life has been so diminished by over taxation because politicians of a particular ideology believe they, not you, should be in control of the important decisions in your life, take action. Nothing is inevitable in a democracy of free people being systematically oppressed and minimized - and the people know it. Exercise your right to vote. Vote for those who believe in your good nature to fend for yourself and allow you the financial resources to do so. 
 

Robert Skinner is a former editor of the True North website