Free Health Care and Never Never Land

Free health care for everyone! Now doesn’t that sound nice? Free health care would put everyone on an even playing field. Each person would possess the freedom to receive care. Unfortunately, as is with freedom, health care is not free.
“So what’s the hitch?” you might ask. Health care, like the abominable snowman, might sound plausible until you become a lonely, bearded straggler who freezes to death in his search for the Yeti. The unfortunate truth is that the government pays for the health care by taxing its citizens. The system usually works by taxing the rich greater amounts and the poor (excuse me...less fortunate) lower amounts. As stated above, the central idea of free health care seems to be fairness for all. Unfortunately, the system automatically trumps its self. The rich are left to pay for everyone else’s ‘free’ health care. In a perfect world where fairy tales do come true, doctors would work for free, people would pay them whatever they could afford, and Robin Hood would be out of business. Unfortunately for us, this perfect system will never, ever happen. Canada is a perfect example of a ‘free’ healthcare system. According to Canada’s Dr. Anne Doig the succeeding president of the Canadian Medical Association, “We all agree the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize.” She went on to say that, “(We) have to understand that the system that we have right now — if it keeps on going without change — is not sustainable.” Of course, not all of Canada’s health care is ‘free’. Veterinary clinics are still operating with good old fashioned capitalism. The injured cats and dogs of Canada are attended to immediately. Why? The answer is simple, business and inventions thrive in a free economy. Capitalism allows for competition between entities. Who ever has the best surgeries, drugs, and equipment will receive the most customers. So while Canada’s people are suffering due to the inefficiency of ‘free’ health care, Canada’s pets are thriving. As the soon to be outgoing president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Robert Ouellet stated, “Competition should be welcomed, not feared.” Unfortunately, many in the United States seem tempted to open this Pandora’s Box of death, hardship, and disease. Americans need to stop attempting to make the government into Santa Clause. There is a fine line between necessary government control and socialist oppression. The United States must wake up; Santa doesn’t exist and nether does free health care.