Universal Health Care?

The lonely libertarian noticed this post on universal health care a while back on Democratic Underground.

It’s notable for the sheer number of posters who weighed in on the subject. And for all the postings, despite the supposed intellectual superiority of the left, not one person manages to weigh in with any sort of real constructive comment.

Any debate over universal health care should be about comparing a national system of universal healthcare with our current system. The issue is not, “Is it desirable to have all Americans have adequate healthcare?” because just about everyone wants adequate healthcare for everyone. The question should be, “What system is best geared toward delivering the most efficient healthcare to the most Americans?”

Of course, not one of the liberal posters brings that up, nor does anyone post about how mandatory national healthcare would be more efficient than a private system. Just think of universal health care in relation to food. Nobody wants people starving on the street, and everyone wants all Americans to have enough food to eat. But that doesn’t mean the government should be in charge of all food distribution. We recognize that the free market is the most efficient way to ensure food distribution, and therefore that’s the system we utilize to ensure people get enough to eat. What makes healthcare different than food and basic nutrition needs? Government food distribution brings to mind Soviet bread lines. But again, these sorts of issues are never discussed, never debated.