A Stitch in Time

John Steele Gordon has a wonderful suggestion concerning the healthcare debate. He writes:

I have an idea. Why not have the federal government demonstrate that it can provide adequate health care to American Indians, a promise it hasn’t kept for 222 years? Then demonstrate it can provide adequate health care to veterans, a promise it hasn’t kept for 79 years. Then demonstrate that it can reform and efficiently run the health insurance system called Medicare, which it has been been making a dog’s breakfast of for the last 44 years. And then, and only then, take over all of American health care.

Or even better, why not have the mainstream media do its job for once and vigorously investigate the federal government’s actual track record in regard to health care? It’s not an impressive résumé for someone applying to run the whole show. Indeed, it’s a more-than-two-hundred-year record of failure, inadequate funding, bureaucratic indifference, and broken promises.

I think the healthcare system in this country started inching its way towards insanity when medical insurance started paying for office visits. In the past, insurance was for surgery and the big things that people needed, but simply couldn't afford.

And when I was a boy, the poor didn't go to the emergency room when they got sick. They went to Dr Denton who knew it was part of his job to help people who coulndn't afford to pay him. It was just part of his job!

And then the government stepped in to help the poor.

And now they want to control my healthcare?

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