The rules for health care 'reform' 

The problem with health care “reform” is that liberals see a broken national system badly needing fixing, and conservatives neither see nor desire such a system in the first place. If it isn’t there, don’t fix it.

The reason our health care system seems broken to reformers is that it is not a system at all. Nor is it supposed to be a system. We are a nation of 50 states and we share in national defense, we share a common currency, we have interstate roadways, and we have a postal service. These are systems that should work uniformly for us. Of course we have others, but these are enough for this discussion.

But since our founding we have not had a uniform system of health care, and that has been purposeful not an oversight. Contrary to President Obama’s belief that health care is magically, today, an “entitlement,” this Nation’s strength remains in the rugged individualism of its people and the competitiveness of states to lure and promote business, population, and enterprise.

States do this with taxation policies and laws establishing good or poor climates for business, living, family making, etc. If any governmental entity has a vested interest in providing common health care it would be the states. That one competitive edge of providing or not – balanced with the state’s corresponding tax system could redefine peoples’ choices of living locations.

That said, the Congress will likely pass a nationalized health care program of some type, if not this year then the next, or the one after. It is how liberals always win, and always will win.

My hope is that our coming health care system takes care of those who really need it and puts the payment where it belongs for those who cannot or will not pay. To that end I offer the following rules for national health care:

1. No child shall want for doctor prescribed glasses, dental work, medication, nutrition, or other medical need.
2. Smokers will have an amount equal to their monthly tobacco expenditures garnished from their wages, deducted from their welfare or social security payments, or collected at the point of sale – monies to be paid directly into the system.
3. Ditto for those with the means to provide for their own health care but who do not. “Means” will be identified as those who can afford cell phones, cable television, video game players, snow machines, ATV’s, RV’s, boats, belong to country clubs, buy watches costing over $200, automobiles costing over $30,000, etc., etc. Every such purchase will be taxed an equal amount to pay into the system.
4. A non-paying patient’s care will first be billed to his or her church of membership for payment. It is high time religion ended its activities of government lobbying and influence and recentered on activities of charity and care for its flock.
5. Hospitals and clinics spending many millions of dollars treating illegal immigrants would be reimbursed by the system, and the federal government would either bill the countries of origin, or withhold like amounts from any and all aid sent to those countries.

I have many more rules. Good rules. Rules that would work perfectly. Rules that are right. But the best rule for health care “reform” of course is simply “just don’t do it.” Don’t take my responsibility to clean my teeth and live a healthy life and make it your financial burden to bear.  

As a compassionate people we should care for and help the indigent and infirm, but beyond that let’s allow our non-system of world class health care continue to work imperfectly but in a manner consistent with being a free country of choices and consequences.

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