Colorado tried its hand at a mile-high version of single-payer via ballot referendum in 2016. Voters noted the cost, doubling the state budget, and the taxes needed to fund the plan and rejected ColoradoCare by a four to one margin, despite Hillary Clinton winning the state on Election Day.
Vermont passed a single-payer plan only to have the governor decline to implement it since it would cost more than the entire state budget and would drive businesses to neighboring states due to the new taxes necessary to fund the monstrosity.
Starting with cost, BernieCare will bust the federal budget. According to the Mercatus Center, a George Mason University research institute, this scheme will cost $32.6 trillion over the first ten years. Or about $3.3 trillion per year. The entire federal budget is $4.1 trillion per year, meaning that this plan will consume over three quarters of the federal budget, leaving little money for anything else.[i]
This also assumes that these projections will stand the test of time. Medicare, when created in 1965, was projected to cost $12 billion per year by 1990, but in actuality cost $90 billion that year. No doubt the projections about BernieCare similarly far underestimate the actual costs[ii]
In healthcare, rationing translates to wait lists for elective surgery, imaging tests, and specialist appointments, just as is commonplace in countries with single-payer schemes such as Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
This is only the beginning. The taxes needed to fund this progressive “dream” would be at least doubled and probably quadrupled. As a result, the businesses that employ millions would shut down because it would be across all of the country and there would be no place to escape to. Senious would not be able to afford medical care. Drugs would skyrocket since there would be no coppetition. Also –
- Physicians would be in short supply since their workload would increase by 20 million illegals who are not on medicare today.
- Physicians would be paid 40% less with an increased workload forcing them to make a decision whether they want to continue being physicians. Many would leave for Latin America where they could live better even if it were a socialized economy.
- Canada is used as a comparison. However, in Canada today, the average wait time to see a physician is 21 weeks or 5 months. It would be that or greater.
- Specialty tests such as MRI, Cat Scan, EKGs would be translated into wait times for the patients such as it is in NZ, Canada and UK.
- I lived in Scottsdale, Az for 27 years and saw Canadians by the droves and some from the UK. They came to Scottsdale for two reasons – The weather and the medical care. After many discussions, I learned it was really the medical care. The weather was a plus. They got their problems addressed in Scottsdale and received mediocre medical care in Canada and the UK.
- Medical innovation would grind to a halt
- The latest medical drugs would not be provided.
- The democrat / socialists will be pushing “Granny off a clif” rather than Donald Trump as the socialists depict in their ads.
In short – – – -THINK! – – – there is never something for nothing. The government is us. If the government do the things that the democrats want, then the costs must still be paid. There is only two ways to do so – – – (1) Less services somewhere (social security reducec) (2) Increase in taxes. The general public will only allowa certain amount of tax increase until they get to the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
I saw a documentary one time showing a camel being loaded with mervchandise that he would be expected to carry. The camel only allows a certain amount. After that limit is reached, the camel started loudly braying as if his back was being broken. It was very drdamatic and clearly illustrated the Arabic adage.
What I find strange is thast the Euroean lesson has been forgotten. They went socvialist after the War but every country failed with their socialst dream. Theyt kept adding to their sovereign nations debts to pay for their socialist dreams. The ned result are debts no one can pay and will be defaulted upon. The defaults will happen because the citizens are taxed out and will not handle anymore. Also the amount of service on their debts are becoming larger than the nation’s tax incvome. Most of these European nations are not funding large defense budgets since they expect NATO (US) to defend them. They do not want to pay the 2% ;;;to NATO that was committed since they feel that they do not have it to spend. On the other hand, they will not give up their full employment jobs nor thei medical care. They have become dependent on the government for all essentials. I wrote a book available on my site “What Are the Differences Between Socialism and Capitalism?” I leaned a lot while researching the book. For instance, West Germany a capitalist nation wanted to reunite with East Germany so much that they paid the Soviet Unon Billions of dollars to do so. When East Germany became free after the ransom payment, the people were allowed to participate in a free society for the first time since WWII… The most disturbing thing that the West Germans found was that the East Germans did not know how to find a job. They expected the government to find and assign them a job. These were tradesmen such as electricians, plumbers, mechanics and painters. This was the biggest hurdle for the West to get the East Germans integrated. Teach them independence and to fend for themselves. They were free to do so but they had been acclimated to having the government do these things for them.
The freedom in the West was not easily transportable to the people of the East who had become accumtomed to government intervention from cradle to grave. Freedom of action had to become a learned trait. Nonetheless, it happened and the familiies became united once more.
[i] Brian C. Joondeph, MD., American Thinker, “Bernie Care For All Means Medicate for None.” 10/26/18
[ii] Ibid