Americans are concerned about their future medical care.  Most are worried because it costs much more than it did in the past.

Why does medical care cost so much more than it did years ago?  It’s safe to say we spend more for advanced medical procedures and new drugs because they didn’t exist in the past.  Health care isn’t the only industry with this phenomenon.  Autos and homes are excellent examples as well.  Twenty years ago, cars were cheaper because they didn’t have air conditioning, air bags and anti-lock brakes.  Homes were cheaper too because they were smaller and lacked today’s modern conveniences.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have all these health care services and worldly possessions at 1989 prices?  Why do the current administration and so many Congressmen think this is easily obtainable?  Do they really believe they can deliver these benefits and ignore the costs?

I’ve read that the United States has four times as many Magnetic Resonance Imaging units (MRIs) per capita as does Great Britain or Canada.  We shouldn’t be surprised that these things cost money.  I’ve also read that it costs pharmaceutical companies a BILLION dollars to develop a new drug.  If new drugs could be developed for less, don’t you think the for-profit corporations would do so?  No matter how much the government wishes, it cannot make those costs disappear.

How do we lessen health care costs?  Buy less of it.  How many Americans are willing to do that?  That is the most likely outcome of a government run health care system.  That means we’ll wait longer to see our doctor, just as people do in countries with medical systems run by the government.  I’ve read that 27% of Canadians who have surgery wait at least four months.  In Great Britain, it’s 38% and in America, only 5% wait that long.  Let’s not forget that a lot of bad things can happen while people wait four months for surgery.

Our representatives in Washington talk and talk and talk about lowering the cost of medical care.  What they’re really talking about is paying less.  Don’t be surprised if we get less when we pay less.  Americans should think long and hard before blindly supporting the administration’s “health care reform” plans.

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