Many wise observers years ago knew that the Medicare and Medicaid programs at the federal level would lead to the federal government’s control over the way that health care is delivered in the United States. As such, adopting these programs was a huge mistake.
Here is one example (among many). “Health equity” has become an enormous administrative bandwagon within the health care industry and also within governmental agencies and academia. It demands special treatment and consideration– and extra effort expended– for minorities in the delivery of health care. As such, it is a blatant form of discrimination. But when government demands or pushes it, health equity also becomes unequal treatment under the law— which is unconstitutional.
Among the entities pushing “health equity” are the hospital systems, including the leftist Cone Health System here in the eastern Triad.
All hospitals that participate with Medicare must be certified by the Joint Commission. This is a non-governmental entity. The federal government grants the Joint Commission enormous power and control over the hospital industry, and in practical terms, the power to regulate it.
It turns out the Joint Commission has established “leadership standards” and “patient safety goals” in the field of health equity. Hospital systems must jump at the command of the Joint Commission on matters related to health equity, or risk being barred from receiving Medicare payments.
This is a process and a framework that is deeply corrupt— because it corrupts all the participants.
Back in 1961 Ronald Reagan warned about socialized medicine . He said that in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for President on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. Thomas said but under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.
Reagan also reminded us of what James Madison said in 1788, speaking to the Virginia Convention :
” Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachment[s] of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
Reagan concluded his speech by urging listeners to write their representatives in opposition to Medicare:
“You and I can do this. The only way we can do it is by writing to our congressmen even if we believe that he is on our side to begin with. Write to strengthen his hand. Give him the ability to stand before his colleagues in Congress and say: “I have heard from my constituents and this is what they want.” Write those letters now. Call your friends and tell them to write them.
If you don’t, this program, I promise you, will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow; and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country. Until, one day, as Norman Thomas said, we will awake to find that we have socialism.
And if you don’t do this and if I don’t do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children’s children, what it once was like in America when men were free. ”
Well we see how that worked out.
Both Madison and Reagan were prophetic, Fred.