Response to a Health Care Email

(From an email I got that's been around the Net a few times...)
18 REASONS TO OPPOSE HEALTH-CARE REFORM
1. Although efforts have been made to reform the healthcare industry since 1912, we should not be hasty in doing it.
2. The federal government has no business interfering in people's healthcare decisions, unless a woman is trying to terminate a pregnancy, or the patient’s last name is Schiavo.
3. The government is incapable of running anything efficiently -- but if allowed to offer a healthcare option, will run it so efficiently that it will put private insurers out of business.
4. We already have universal health care: it’s called the Emergency Room. Uninsured people, including illegal aliens, can go there for their health needs, and it only costs the rest of us a few thousand dollars per visi t.
5. The current system, with 47,000,000 uninsured, a million medical bankruptcies annually, 18,000 deaths annually due to lack of insurance, and the highest costs per capita of any first-world country, is working just fine. In fact, we have the best health care system in the world!
6. Many older couples are forced to divorce in order to avoid catastrophic financial losses due to medical expenses -- but it’s the homosexuals who are destroying families.
7. A conversation with your doctor about end-of-life issues (such as how to make out a living will) is an opportunity for your doctor to convince you to kill yourself.
8. We can afford to spend more on our military than all other nations combined, but we can’t afford universal health care.
9. Single-payer, government-run healthcare is good enough for our men and women in uniform, but to offer the same to the general public would be socialism.
10. Pooling our resources to provide roads, schools, clean water, military, police, and fire protection for each other is not socialism. Pooling our resources to provide each other health care is socialism.
11. Socialism is when the government makes any effort to assist needy citizens.
12. Health care is e best handled by individual states; like slavery and racial segregation.
13. We can afford to s ubsidize Iraq and Afghanistan , both of whom have universal healthcare, but we can’t afford it ourselves.
14. Money and corporate profits are more important than people's health. Sure, reforming the companies would save thousands of lives, but shareholders’ portfolios might be damaged.
15. Freeing people from holding on to their dead-end jobs for the insurance and allowing them to become entrepreneurs would bankrupt our country.
16. Someone like physicist Stephen Hawking would have been allowed to die under the wretched British healthcare system. Oh, he’s British? And alive? Never mind
17. We are a “Christian’ nation, but we don’t believe in helping the least among us. Some people just don’t deserve healthcare. Getting sick is God's punishment for doing something wrong.
18. The Obama healthcare initiative is part of the liberal-communist-Nazi-socialist-Islamofascist-gay-atheist-zombie-transsexual-cannibal- sociopath-evolutionist indoctrinating school children agenda to take away your freedom!

My Response:

Point by point thoughts on the email below. I will warn you that God, the Constitution and liberty are discussed in my points.

1. Health care is not a universal human right, and we need to establish this at the forefront of the conversation; I can never be innately entitled to the benefit of someone else’s labor. I am not entitled to the care that a medical professional, or any other caring person, gives me. I see a call as a Christian to care for the needy and the poor as an individual. A government taking from some to pay for the care of others is not compassion, its totalitarianism (or socialism, as we will discuss later). Who then decides how much should be taken, from whom, and to whom should it be given? The poorest of Americans is still roughly 25 times richer than those in most of the world, per capita. Who determines what poor is, or what needy is? Once you have turned from the call of God – because we don’t believe in Him, or because we don’t believe He cares – we are left with civil government. 51% of the vote deciding right and wrong is just as much ‘might makes right’ as a dictatorship; it is the tyranny of the majority.
2. The reference here is to abortion, ruled by the Supreme Court in 1973 to be part of a citizen’s right to privacy, as put forth in the 14th amendment. But this interpretation of the 14th amendment is flawed, in that the 14th amendment’s goal was to make black and white citizens equal before the law. Abortion was never part of the picture when the 14th amendment was passed. In fact, 35 different states had various abortion laws at the time the 14th amendment was ratified, and these remained unchallenged from 1867 until 1973, when a liberal court reinterpreted the Constitution to allow the murder of unborn citizens. In the Schiavo case, we see the natural move from disdain for unborn children moving into disdain for the old and the sick; Schiavo was allowed to die because she was deemed a burden on society.
3. The government has never run a single program efficiently, including its own day-to-day operations. The reason private insurers will go out of business competing against the government is because when private insurers lose enough money, they are forced into bankruptcy and out of business. The government just continues to lose money and literally can print more (the money supply has doubled during 2009). It’s not that the government will suddenly learn efficiency, but that they don’t have to play by the same rules as private industry.
4. The cost to the rest of us is hard to quantify, and there is tremendous abuse of the system. Much of this comes from the fact that we never see exactly how much we spend for medical care. I pay cash for medical needs, despite having the income and ability to afford insurance; among a group of likeminded Christians, we then pay for each other’s medical needs according to a Biblical model (if you have more interest, go to www.samaritanministries.org). Seeing every dollar that is spent makes me more responsible about how I spend my money for medical care. I also don’t run to the doctor for every sniffle because I have an inexpensive co-pay, and I only use a prescription drug when absolutely necessary. The waste in our system comes for the overuse of doctor’s visits and medications by so many people, which will only be further encouraged by a government expansion of the system. The key here is personal responsibility leading to fiscal responsibility, and this problem is not something the government can fix; government involvement assures further waste (see number 3, research this for yourself).
5. Using those same numbers, how is it that we think adding 47 million new patients into the medical system (a number I dispute, but I’ll use it here) will solve the problem without hurting the quality of care, increasing patient wait times, or increasing the cost that we pay in taxes for the program? Simple math would tell us that insuring all these people will cost money, and that money has to come from somewhere. To the second point, people are always going to die, in any system. People die from accidents in hospitals, but do we then say that hospitals kill people, so shut them all down? The problem here is philosophical as much as medical, in that most people no longer believe in anything beyond the current, material world. So our focus has become making this earthly experience everything it can be, since this is all we have. The problem with this worldview is that it is untenable within society; at what point, when my happiness and your happiness conflict, do I have any incentive to put your needs before my own? Again, the truly Biblical worldview answers this tough question with the command to love my neighbor as myself, and do what I can help. Not through government coercion, but through my own actions and giving.
6. I have not seen any statistics that support the first part of this statement, and I fail to see how divorce would help financially. As to the 2nd part, homosexuality is not the core of the problem, sin is. Homosexual behavior is a sin, and it has consequences for societies that accept sinful behavior as the norm. This is not so much a dire warning on my part of some coming judgment, but historical fact. Cultures that have gained the riches leading to lives of vice have generally toppled soon after, having no deeper set of values to pursue as a society than personal pleasure. This is not to say that homosexuals are any worse than any other person; before God we have all sinned, and we all need Jesus Christ equally. Lying, for example, is as much a sin as homosexuality, and just as damaging to culture and society.
7. The language about end of life care has been a hot topic of debate. I think that a society that shows contempt for the unborn and has already begun allowing assisted suicide in some states is not far from wanting to eliminate the biggest ‘burden’ on the system; namely, the elderly. My worldview is that the elderly are to be respected for their wisdom, and cared for by their families – not put into homes and such to die, something I see all too often. Does a conversation with your doctor equate to death camps forming? No, I don’t think so, but I would take into account both the current worldview of your doctor, and how that worldview will change as this system (universal health care) changes over time. At some point, as in Great Britain, someone will put a dollar figure on a human life. Insurance companies do this right now – but this is a system we participate in voluntarily, not a system we are subject to, which is the crucial difference.
8. We don’t spend more on our military than all other nations combined, but I think it amounts to about the next 46 on the list, which is a big number. Could we spend our military dollars in a wiser fashion? I am sure there are ways. It’s not a matter of whether or not the dollars are there for universal health care, but whether the best use of our health care dollars is spent on a government program. The Post Office, the annual operating budget, the Congressional cafeteria, Social Security, Medicare… just show me one program, please, that isn’t losing money and is being run effectively by government officials. The problem is accountability. If we create a government insurance company, the people that oversee it are appointed by elected officials, not stockholders. And how can a President or a Senator serving a limited term be held accountable for what is spent on health care? And when the costs overrun, as they are sure to do (look at Hawaii’s health care system as a state, or Canada, or Great Britain), whose benefits are going to be cut? ‘Well, my kid deserves to be treated’ or ‘my family deserves this.’ It’s the biggest expansion of an entitlement mentality our country has ever seen.
9. Please research the problems with health care for veterans; the system is sadly lacking. Perhaps if it was fixed and running smoothly, this particular argument would show some merit.
10. Socialism by definition is: when a governing body (a small group of citizens) takes from all according to their ability to produce, and redistributes according to need. It is correct to say that we have programs already in place that are socialistic in nature. We have already begun down the path of government care from the cradle to the grave, which is why the health care debate is so crucial; this step, the current one, is the only one we can prevent. We have done nothing for far too long. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid were and are terrible ideas, stealing individual savings and liberty with the promise that government shall provide. And interestingly, abortion is a contributing factor here, as the average age of a citizen rises due to falling birth rates. This is not to criticize those who participate in the Social Security system, since you have no choice, but rather those who put the system in place. Misguided compassion is very, very dangerous because it has contributed widely to the entitlement mentality in our culture, and eroded any sense of personal responsibility. If you would see someone else’s medical needs paid for, could you not pay for them, yourself? This would be true sacrifice and compassion. Compassion is not forcing government to collect from everyone to help the needy; that is indeed socialism.
11. Charity and meeting the needs of the poor is not the responsibility of the federal government, please read the Constitution for an overview of the limited powers inherent to our central government. I am aware, by invoking the Constitution as it was written, that I have labeled myself as a domestic terrorist. For the record, I am also pro-life. And I read the Declaration of Independence occasionally, also.
12. Again, please read the 10th amendment, perhaps the most crucial among the Bill of Rights. Race relations in America are not helped by turning suffering people into statistics to be wielded in the fight for universal health care. Some states had laws that encouraged racism, but the South did not have a corner on that market. Please look at the riots in New York during the Civil War, due to the fear of whites that free blacks would be stealing their jobs. We spend so much time running around calling everyone racist. God sees the heart, man cannot. I do my best to live at peace with my fellow men and women of any nationality. I don’t know if a person is racist or having a bad day, and perhaps a person of a different ethnic group cut them off in traffic. We are quick to judge, and slow to extend a hand in true compassion. Instead of government programs and mandates, perhaps race relations are best dealt with by individual citizens? Change all the laws you want, you cannot legislate hate out of the hearts of some men. I tend to focus on the fact that I am far from perfect, and that my value (along with every other person’s value) comes from being created in the image of God. Then I can extend the grace and mercy that God has shown me to my fellow man.
13. In short, we should not be ‘subsidizing’ either one. But two wrongs do not make a right. Pointing this fact out does not then mean we should have universal health care in America.
14. This is a slippery slope to head down. Who has the authority to decide who should make money, and who shouldn’t? This is not the role of government. The flaw here comes from the basic assumption that we have a right to something, and rich people from Wall Street are holding us back from it. But it’s too easy to throw around labels like ‘racist’ and ‘corporate greed.’ Are there rich and evil men? Yes! Are there poor and evil men? Yes! To say that reforming these companies would “save thousands of lives” is a careless and irresponsible statement. Which companies? No two are exactly alike. Each are made up of people struggling to provide for their families, pay mortgages, and pay for their own health care. Are there some at the top who make a lot of money? Sure there are. If you worked hard, studied hard, and spent long hours to get to the top, would you not then want the big salary? It is very easy to spend other people’s money. People are people, and not fundamentally different from each other – we all struggle with the same things. This particular comment seems to indicate that those with more money than me are somehow different, and I am entitled to what they have worked for. How would I like that standard applied to me by someone in, say, India, who makes about $2/day?
15. How exactly does government run health care promote the growth of small business? The assumption here is that people will run out and start companies as soon as they ‘leave their dead-end jobs.’ But the bill also penalizes businesses if they don’t offer insurance to their employees, once they have them, in the form of more taxes. I would also challenge the assumption that people will immediately start new businesses. Especially if the cap and trade bill becomes law anytime soon, but that is a whole separate email.
16. Pulling one wealthy man out of the British health care system and stating that he is ‘still alive’ hardly argues that their system is worth emulating. I would encourage you to research how and where wealthy British subjects receive their medical care; many of them come here.
17. We have discussed this already several times. Government insurance for all is not Christian charity, it is in fact a major element of socialism. Christians should be better about helping our fellow men in need, and I agree that we have failed to do a good job in many ways. Please take this as our human failing, and no failing on the part of Christ. But stating that Christians are doing a bad job doesn’t mean that government is going to do a better job. And by the way, Jesus himself spoke against the idea that sickness is always direct result of sin (John 9). We can sin, damage our bodies, and illness is a natural consequence of our foolish behavior; but this is not always the case.
18. Adding numerous mocking adjectives just sounds petty and sarcastic, it doesn’t strengthen the argument. Is universal health care part of an agenda to take away freedoms? I doubt that President Obama would put it that way, but if this passes certain freedoms will be lost. I would no longer be able to share medical needs with other people as I currently do, because by law I would have to either have insurance that I don’t agree with, or pay a big penalty in taxes. I don’t owe a dime to any doctor or hospital, and yet I would lose freedom from this bill. Will some security be gained, by some people? Absolutely. But trading security for liberty is a dangerous game, and throughout human history it has only had one outcome. Freedom in this world, short of revolution such as we saw here in America from 1775-1783, is very tough to come by. When you have it, I would think long and hard about giving it up, even for seemingly good reasons.

My final thought is that health care is a tough topic, and worthy of long discussion. Ultimately I don’t see civil government as the solution to this problem. The major thing that troubles me is how quick we are to run to government for a new law about this, or a new solution to that. Many of our health problems in America stem from our own personal behavior. I am overweight because I don’t eat properly, and I don’t exercise enough (too much time spent writing long-winded emails). Is that society’s responsibility? No, it’s my own. I need to lose weight, and eat more nutritional food. I don’t have a disorder or need weight-loss medication. I need some discipline and hard work. Our lifestyles in this modern age have done much to contribute to our various health problems. Changing how we live, and changing how we think about the health care dollars we spend – our own or the insurance company’s – is the solution to the short term problem, and then perhaps we can look at a long term solution as well. But telling people ‘you need to change’ is much more difficult than telling people ‘we have a program to fix it,’ and so I believe that we will end up with some version of universal health care. But I think it will end up costing us more than we are willing to pay.