IBD: Thanks For Exposing The True Cost Of Socialized Medicine, Bernie

11 May, 2016 by William Teach

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The Editorial Board of Investors Business Daily shows their gratitude to Bernie Sanders

Health Reform: For decades the left has been pushing “single payer” health care without ever coming clean about how much it would cost. Now, thanks to Bernie Sanders, we have our answer. And the price tag is mind-boggling.

Sanders’ plan would eliminate private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and ObamaCare in favor of a single, government-run program, which he calls “Medicare for all.” There’d be no out-of-pocket costs for health care and long-term care.

When he released his plan, Sanders claimed it would cost about $14 trillion over 10 years. But not to worry, he said, since it would be fully paid for by the rich, and the middle class, and the working class, who would all see their taxes go up.

However, a new study from the liberal Urban Institute says that Sanders’s plan would cost more than twice what he says.

Under Bernie’s plan, Los Federales would pay all costs for the consumers, state governments, and local governments. The real price tag? $32 trillion over 10 years. The direct costs would be shifted to the federal government, but, the money has to come from somewhere, so, taxes and fees will go up somewhere, and services will go down.

The idea that a central government can plan 1/6th of the economy better than the private sector, for example, is belied by every other attempt at socialism.

And anyone who thinks health care quality would improve just needs to look at the string of calamities in Canada, the U.K. or the single-payer Veterans Health Administration, which are each characterized by massive waste, chronic delays, doctor strikes, lack of innovation and worse outcomes for specific diseases.

Doctors strikes. Seems ridiculous, right? Doctors don’t strike. They wouldn’t walk off the job like auto or communications workers, leaving sick people in danger, right? Except, they did just that in England. And Nigeria.

Give Sanders credit for exposing the enormous cost of the left’s socialist dreams. And give him credit for making it clear how extreme the Democratic Party, which made Sanders a serious contender for the nomination, has become.

While Bernie is the one pushing this all right now the hardest, don’t think he is the only one who wants it. Certainly Hillary and the rest of the Democrats want single payer. They should all be careful what they wish for, because they might get it. Or, to put it another way, with my favorite Obamacare quote of all time

“I was laughing at Boehner — until the mail came today,” Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.

“I really don’t like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family’s pocket each year, that’s otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy.”

“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”

Perfectly encapsulates the Liberal position: they always want Someone Else to pay for their policies, and are upset when they are hoist on their own petard.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.