Universal health a bad plan

Socialized medicine unhealthy for California

By Derek Yee and Megan Sego
From the February 2008 Print Edition

            California’s health care system is clearly in a state of crisis. Hospitals are closing down, and fewer people have insurance plans and cannot afford health care. As presidential candidates discuss their health plans for the nation, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has his own plan for the state. Schwarzenegger teamed up with Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, to put together a proposed initiative to appear on the November ballot called the “Secure and Affordable Health Care Act of 2008” that would supposedly reform the health system. This plan already appears to be bad news when someone like Nunez supports it.

According to an article in the Vallejo Times-Herald, there are 6.6 million people uninsured statewide. Among these are about 800,000 children. Under Schwarzenegger’s plan, nearly everyone would have to be insured, meaning that people would have to buy into the program. It is ridiculous to force people who cannot afford basics like food and shelter to pay for a health program that may not be of urgent need for them. Schwarzenegger and the plan’s supporters are trying to enable the government to tell the citizens of California what to do with regard to a very private matter — personal health.

The program also includes a section where employers would be required to provide health insurance and those with low incomes would receive subsidized or free health care based on need. Small businesses will suffer because they will have to provide health care amounting to a certain percentage of wages. This sounds like just another entitlement program — after all, it is going to cost a whopping $14.4 billion to implement. Illegal aliens are not included in this program, yet they are at the root of the problem, as they enter emergency rooms without insurance.

Schwarzenegger, not surprisingly, is being irresponsible with the budget. The governor admitted in his recent State of the State address that California’s budget is a mess, despite his promises to be fiscally responsible. Spending $14.4 billion on a universal health care program will not solve any budget problems. The program is not only controversial with the Republican base but it is also problematic for some Democrats. State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has been reluctant to support this act because of the financial burden it would bring to the state and the fear that other programs might lose funding. If Schwarzenegger wants to be prudent with the state’s finances, he should be working to cut unnecessary programs, not create new ones.

This program is also supposed to emphasize “wellness,” which includes a doubling of the cigarette tax. Yet again, the government is interfering in the private affairs of its citizens. People should be able to make their own decisions about smoking cigarettes, and, for that matter, with regard to every aspect of their health. When the government dictates behavior for its citizens, freedom of choice is lost. We should not be told that we have to buy into a government program for health care; we should be able to choose, or not choose, our own private health plans.

Insurance companies will also suffer consequences under the governor’s program, such as having to cover a person regardless of pre-existing conditions. According to Blue Cross of California, one of the largest insurance companies in the state, this new policy will cause current policyholders’ premiums to rise. Again, the question is raised as to whether those who work hard at jobs that provide health benefits should suffer to benefit those who perhaps have done less to take care of their own health.

Why should the government be responsible for the health care of its citizens? If California switches over to a “universal” health program, which is basically socialized medicine, the quality of health care will decline. Right now in this country, many Americans enjoy some of the best health care in the world. It is no wonder that Canadians, who have a socialized system, come to the United States for surgical procedures. From south of the border, illegal aliens come to the States because they know that the health care system cannot turn them down when they are ill or are waiting to deliver a child. It is very unfortunate that everyone in the state does not have adequate health care. However, those who already have quality health care should not have to suffer the consequences of implementing a universal program.

The governor appeared to be a Republican when he ran in the recall election of 2003. Now, the “post-partisan” Schwarzenegger has fallen in line with Democrats like Nunez, promoting socialist health reforms. This health program is not going to solve California’s problems. There definitely needs to be some kind of reform, but a universal health program is definitely not the answer.

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