Want an Example of Failed Socialist Healthcare? The VA.
In the early 2000s, Ezra Klein from the Washington Post once said, “if you ordered America’s different health systems (from) worst-functioning to best, it would look like this: individual insurance market, employer-based insurance market, Medicare, Veterans Health Administration.”
But if you’re from a military family like myself, you know one thing is for sure: the VA has not only failed our veterans, it’s also killed many of them. If you’re looking for a clear example of socialism failures, particularly socialist healthcare, look no further than the VA.
In what is one of my most favorite quotes about the failure of socialism and bureaucracy, USA TODAY’s Glenn Harlan Reynolds wrote about the VA, “There’s a good chance that no matter who is in charge, the clean up will be, basically, impossible. That’s because the VA is government healthcare.” Later in 2011, he even said the VA is an example of “when socialism works in America.”
The key distinction of the VA healthcare system is that it’s socialized, not just a single-payer. That means the government owns the hospitals and the nurses and doctors are government employees.
The lefties can claim the VA is a socialist paradise all they want. The facts say otherwise: fake waitlists, veterans dying while waiting on ridiculous waitlists when they require immediate treatment, and clear bureaucratic malpractice, including lying to patients and their bosses about wait times to hide the horrendous practices occurring.
And here’s an important point: it was discovered that these performance lies were made because employees wanted to make sure they got their performance bonuses.
Greed. It was greed that caused them to behave unethically, even though they weren’t working for a for-profit company in the healthcare industry. Leftists claim it’s profit that drives unethical behavior when, in reality, humans can easily be corrupted in any setting.
That’s why it’s essential to have a balance of power across government and economy, and this balance is best provided by a classically liberal, representative government and capitalist economy.
Do you have any personal or family experiences dealing with the terrible VA healthcare system? Share them below!
