I came across a "guide" on how to argue against universal health care and thought I'd share. Below are some of the arguments the guide forwarded for conservatives to use to fight health care reform or any national health care plan. I thought I'd share and invite your comments and counter arguments to these talking points.
Recently, I was checking my email and received a message from a friend of mine who receives republican talking points and briefs. She sent me a copy of a new one on how to argue against the coming universal health care initiative. The short reference guide laid out how to label health care supporters as socialists, demonize universal health care policy, and downplay any benefits of a Universal Health Care plan. Included in the guide where such proposed talking points as:
Universal health care is merely welfare (anti-freeloading)
Many opposed to universal health care do so because they believe the uninsured do not work and merely expect a government handout for their laziness. By reinforcing their beliefs, conservatives can strengthen the resolve of like minded voters to sway their congressional representatives to oppose health care legislation at least until 2010 in hopes of a more favorable ideological standing in congress.
Just desserts
Related to the previous argument, the "just desserts" argument says that people deserve what they get. If people are uninsured, it is because they either chose to be, or because they made a series of poor choices that led them to not have insurance. By this argument, the outcome of a person’s life is caused by proximal factors (internal factors like character and judgment); less important to outcomes are distal factors (external factors like the structure of society and public policy). By laying the fact that they are uninsured on their own shoulders, conservatives can argue that " It's their own fault".
Individual responsibility - the "ownership society"
This argument revolves around the philosophical question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" For those who believe more strongly in individual responsibility than shared responsibility, the answer is no. Universal health care by nature involves a subsidization of the health care costs of the uninsured, an idea that conflicts with the individual responsibility frame.
American exceptionalism
American exceptionalism is a vaguely defined term, but in general, it refers to the idea that America holds a special place in the world. For some, it even means that America is superior to other countries, both morally and economically. For example, many Americans believe strongly that the American health care system is the best in the world, despite recent international comparative studies.
This frame can work against arguments for universal health care. A person who believes America has the best health care system in the world will be less likely to support the type of significant change involved with achieving universal health care.
Tax affliction
Universal health care may involve an increase in taxes on the higher income brackets, and even though many solutions (e.g. a single payer system) would offset these taxes by reduced premiums and out-of-pocket spending, people still bristle at the idea of being taxed. Even if net income
stays the same in a universal health care system, a tax may feel more oppressive than paying premiums or paying for health care out-of-pocket. By arguing that voters will be " taxed to death", conservatives can cloud the financial aspects of any proposed universal health care plan.
The piece went on at some length on how to oppose statistics, downplay recent World Health Organization findings by ridiculing the U.N., ect. One of the more prominent parts of the guide told conservatives " Never acknowledge the arguments of health care proponents, The moment you have acknowledged even the smallest detail of their policies, you open the door to allow your own opposing arguments to be laid aside.".
Try as I might, I fail to see why anyone would realistically oppose universal health care. Health care costs are skyrocketing out of control, placing all of us at risk for losing health insurance. In today’s economy, job loss and turnover is at an all-time high, which means that all of us are just one pink slip away from being uninsured and risking financial catastrophe. Two million Americans file bankruptcy each year over medical costs. These facts cannot be disputed. But it seems the conservatives would rather cling to their failed social theories, no matter the damage, than explore policies which have real merit and would help to provide care for the least of us.