Picture this: Your grandmother being auctioned off on an ebay-like web site for operators of care homes, the contract for her care being awarded to the lowest bidder.
That’s exactly what’s going on in England these days. You know, England, one of the countries elite Americans want our nation to emulate. Yes, that England – home of the fabulous national healthcare system that we keep hearing about.
Trouble is, our American news media have never bothered to look into how it’s really working out in the UK. To find out, we have to turn to British newspapers like the Daily Mail.
The truth? It seems that they’re having trouble paying for all that “free” healthcare, which is what happens when you ignore the laws of supply and demand. The result is a new kind of rationing, based not on ability to pay but ability to wait and ability to continue contributing to the system via taxes – the latter being the kiss of death for the elderly.
I don’t know what the solution is, short of individuals saving their money and/or investing in long-term-care insurance rather than granite countertops and exotic vacations. But as long as we’re trusting the government to take care of us when we can no longer take care of ourselves, we’re not going to do either one.
Which means we may well find ourselves on such a web site one day, being auctioned off to the lowest bidder.
That’s exactly what’s going on in England these days. You know, England, one of the countries elite Americans want our nation to emulate. Yes, that England – home of the fabulous national healthcare system that we keep hearing about.
Trouble is, our American news media have never bothered to look into how it’s really working out in the UK. To find out, we have to turn to British newspapers like the Daily Mail.
The truth? It seems that they’re having trouble paying for all that “free” healthcare, which is what happens when you ignore the laws of supply and demand. The result is a new kind of rationing, based not on ability to pay but ability to wait and ability to continue contributing to the system via taxes – the latter being the kiss of death for the elderly.
I don’t know what the solution is, short of individuals saving their money and/or investing in long-term-care insurance rather than granite countertops and exotic vacations. But as long as we’re trusting the government to take care of us when we can no longer take care of ourselves, we’re not going to do either one.
Which means we may well find ourselves on such a web site one day, being auctioned off to the lowest bidder.
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