I haven't seen this, and it didn't turn up in a search, so here I go with my very first diary... No breaking news or new conspiracy theories here, but people should be informed.
Last night, in rebuttal to the question about Kerry's health care plan, Bush took the opportunity to deliver one of his campaign's carefully crafted scare lines, that it would lead to "rationing". I've heard this same line several times already from his surrogates. This is on their hit parade and needs to be slapped down.
Here's what Dim Son said:
Bush: We have a fundamental difference of opinion. I think government-run health will lead to poor-quality health, will lead to rationing, will lead to less choice.
...
And just look at other countries that have tried to have federally controlled health care. They have poor-quality health care.
I don't doubt that's what most Americans believe, but what a CROCK! I spent several years living in Vienna, Austria, during a foreign service stint. They have a national, government-run health care system; I'm sure many over here would call it socialized medicine, and I think that's an accurate description. All citizens are covered; it's a national right. They are intensely proud of their system; it is one of their national treasures. I got to know very many Austrians in 3 years and I can assure you that not one of them would be willing to trade their health care system for ours.
We started our family on that tour, and our first child was born there in Vienna. What a great privilege it was! Here's just one small example of how off base Bush is: In Austria, when giving birth, a patient is entitled to a week stay in hospital; 2 weeks in case of a C-section (such as ours). We decided to check out after only 9 days, even though we were being treated really well. What do you get here in America, 3 days, maybe 4 or 5 for a C-section? What I'm talking about here is not (Austrian) government waste, it's a system that's very geared towards caution and preventive medicine, and obviously has a lower cost structure than ours. Throughout the pregnancy, we had sonograms at every checkup, every week in the latter stages. In this country, I think you're entitled to have a total of 2. Rationing, my ass!
Here's the difference: In this country, there are too many greedy hands in the cookie jar. We will never be able to afford a health care system in this country as beneficial to patients as what Austria has, as long as the current profit incentives are in place. Costs have skyrocketed in my lifetime for many reasons, a key one being that executives and shareholders need to see rising profits in a business that is increasingly "corporatized". This is why the Repugs are so afraid of health systems like Austria's. It's not because care would suffer -- quite the contrary, as people who have travelled widely can attest. It's because the profit potential for investors would be drained out of one of the most lucrative and growing industries, and health care companies and insurance companies won't be able to reward their shareholders as richly, if at all.
Look, I'm not inherently a socialist. But on this issue, Americans' abiding fear of socialism is keeping average people from thinking about health care in more constructive terms. We should keep in mind that this administration's top priority is maximizing the transfer of money from consumers' pockets and government tax receipts to the bottom lines of major corporations. This basic fact guides their position on health care, as it does every other issue. From the standpoint of a consumer and a taxpayer, however, there is only so much money out there that can go towards health care needs, whether it's from premiums or the federal budget. The more of that money that has to be channeled into profits, to keep shareholders happy, the less will be available to pay the actual costs of providing health care and the poorer will be the care we receive.
Socialism, as a form of government, was discredited when the Soviet Union fell and China began to turn to capitalism. Socialized medicine, on the other hand, can work beautifully if properly implemented, not that John Kerry has actually proposed any such thing. I just wanted everyone to know that Austria, a free and very democratic country (which, by the way, we bombed almost into the third world 60 years ago) currently has a health care system that embodies Bush's worst nightmare and is one of the best in the world, far superior to our own.
Liars, clueless, or both?