"Unionversal" Health Care For All?
September 1, 1999
At the same time that doctors are attempting to form
unions nationwide, the nation's largest physician groups
have banded together to push for universal health insurance
for all Americans. They have launched a public campaign
to make universal coverage the top priority in the 2000
presidential election.
However, the coverage they want to ensure could really
be a mandate on the American public. They want to force
Americans to buy (or government to pay for) health insurance
that covers "generally accepted standards of medical
practice, supported by outcomes-based evidence."
Who will define the standards? Who will define the
outcomes? The new unions? Will our treatment choices
be limited to only those approved by "peer-reviewed",
union-backed journals?
Imagine Universal Religion
Can you imagine what would happen if the nation's largest
religious groups banded together to declare that religion
is a "right," and that all Americans should be forced
to join a church that offers "generally accepted standards
of religion, supported by outcomes-based evidence?" We
would never tolerate such dominance over our religious
decisions. Do we really want to allow such control over
our health care choices?
Watch for Rhetoric
In the coming months, watch out for the buzzwords "universal"
and "right to health care." This rhetoric might sound
good. But mandatory universal coverage could strip Americans
of their freedom to buy the health services they prefer.
We might end up with "unionversal" health care for all.
You can view the statement "All Americans Must Have
Health Insurance" at the following Web site address:
http://www.aafp.org/news/990614nr.html.
This article was originally published in the July/August
1999 issue of Health
Freedom Watch, the bimonthly watchdog report
published by the Institute for Health Freedom.
|
|
|
In the coming months, watch out for the buzzwords
"universal" and "right to health care." This rhetoric
might sound good. But mandatory universal coverage
could strip Americans of their freedom to buy the
health services they prefer. |
|
