The Center for Freedom and Prosperity released a new video today illustrating the difference between European and American health care systems. Eline van den Broek of the European Independent Institute warns that European-style health care is the wrong approach and that problems in the U.S. health care system are the result of too much government intervention already.
Van den Broek points out:
- Universal coverage is not the same as universal health care. The “right to health care” often means the “right” to get into a long waiting line.
- Mandates mean government control. Politicians and bureaucrats will be deciding what is covered and what is not. This undermines consumers’ choice and prevents patients from getting specific kinds of care options that they want. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
- Price controls never work. They create enormous inefficiencies, encourage overutilization, and distort markets. Health care costs in Europe have not been kept in check!
Ironically, Europe is trying to integrate market reforms into their health care systems to keep them afloat – why, then, does the U.S. want to move towards a system that has proven to be insolvent?
The U.S. government is already heavily involved in health care – indeed, that is to blame for much of the distortions in the market as is! We should move away such government intervention and allow consumers more control over their health care dollars. If government is the problem, then even bigger government is certainly NOT the solution!