If you want an example of a single payer health care system there is no need to look to England or Canada. America already has a single payer system. It is called the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). To get an idea how it works Google “Veterans Affairs Scandal.” As of today you will get over 700,000 hits.
This is the type of system the so called “progressives” want to force on all Americans. Because of courageous whistle blowers the whole ugly system has been exposed but nothing of consequence has been done. It is estimated that at most three employees have been fired in a scandal that has badly affected hundreds of thousands of our nation’s heroes.
One of the tricks used by the VA bureaucrats to make themselves look superior while veterans received inferior care was to log their appointment time as the time he or she desired when in fact the veterans had in reality waited an average of 115 days. By this trickery they were able to report to Washington, D.C. an average wait time of 24 days. Thereby enabling the VA employees to receive performance bonuses while veterans in some cases died.
The manipulating of wait times was quasi-official policy. The Inspector General found emails instructing employees to manipulate the data in this way to make themselves look good.
Years ago, during the debate over Hillary Care, opponents had two slogans that the VA system and Obamacare have proven to be true. One was, “socialized medicine will have the compassion of the IRS and the efficiency of the Post Office.” There is no better description of the VA single payer system.
The other talking point was, “If you think medical care is expensive now, wait until it is free.” Sky rocketing costs under Obamacare validate this point.
The manipulation of data is one art in which the bureaucrats excel. Witness the last six years of the government telling us the economy is wonderful when everyone knows it is not.
One of the problems with the illusion of “free medical care,” is that by the time you find out it is an illusion it is too late. Terminally ill people tend not to be politically active. They die alone while the government tells us everything is going fine. Nothing to see here!
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Don Todd is Director of Research at Americans for Limited Government
