Can anyone see a day where big auto or some other big industry says they want the govt. to take over healthcare to “level the playing field”?
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Yes, and they’d be correct to do so.
Everyone needs to realize that taxpayers (and insured patients) **already pay** for the most expensive patients: children, seniors, and emergency room patients.
Not only would socialized medicine “level the playing field” for employers, but it would also enable employees to use their talents in the most productive way. Right now, many people are trapped in their jobs because they are afraid of losing their health benefits. They might have some excellent ideas and could start their own businesses or work for smaller start-ups, etc., but can’t do it if they are reliant upon their employers’ benefits.
What’s often overlooked, too, is that the government funds most medical research and development through grants to universities and research labs, and through the NIH, among other things. Private industries only pick up the technology once the initial development is done, and they feel they can turn a profit from it. Private industry is most involved in the middle and final stages of development and in mass producing the technology/medicine.
For a look at socialized medicine vs. privatized medicine, look here (try out different measures of health and well-being, and see what you come up with…we are nowhere near the top, and socialized countries outperform us in most areas):
