Is Government Healthcare Socialism?

This has become a standard plank of the 21st century Republican Party.    So lets look at what the GOP think the Government SHOULD fund without being called socialism:  

• The Military.
• The Police.
• The Fire Department.

The last two are particularly telling.   People generally call 911 if they want the police, the fire department, or an ambulance.  Why are the cop car and the fire engine paid for, but not the ambulance?

All of these essential government services have three things in common.   

1. When crisis happens, it is often time sensitive.   When you need these emergency services, most of the time, waiting even an hour will be a big mistake.  You don't want to delay dealing with a military invasion, a crime, or a fire.
2. They are often life threatening.  Invasions, criminals, and fires kill people.
3. They spread.  If the <sarcasm> dreaded Canadian scourge</sarcasm>  invades my neighbor's property, chances are those polite invaders will take my house next.   If my neighbor gets mugged, I could be next.  If my neighbor's house is on fire, might could be next.

These traits are pretty obvious.   They also directly impact capitalism, which is why the government pays.  The key feature of capitalism is a Free Market.  Free Markets require someone to think about something, not make a decision in a panic.  Free Markets require a free choice, not one done with a gun to your head.  Capitalism also do not work when your purchases or lack of purchases affects your neighbor.  That's not really private property, another requirement of capitalism.

 

So capitalism is ill suited in any situation that is an immediate crisis, deadly, or spreadable.  For those situations, capitalism  REQUIRES government intervention.   

 

Most of you can see where this is going.  The far majority of Healthcare falls in at least one of those three categories, if not all three.   Trauma, such as car crashes and bullets, is immediate.   The majority of health issues are potentially deadly, and infections are practically the definition of spreadable.

 

But not all healthcare qualifies.  Clearly cosmetic surgeries do not qualify for any of those three.   In addition, things like anti-anxiety treatment, impotence treatment, fertility treatment,  and unproven treatments (this is research, not healthcare).   Part of the issue is that private healthcare has taken to covering a lot of things that the government should not cover.  But there is no reason a government funded healthcare has to do the same. 

Government healthcare is not socialism, as long as it is restricted to covering: Emergencies, Life threatening issues, and infectious diseases.   

 

So why do people decry it?   Because they are not capitalists.  They are Plutocrats - people that believe in rule by the rich.   They WANT to abuse the rules of capitalism - to trick people into buying without taking the time to research, to buy when you have a gun to your head.  Most of the time an infection will be controlled and in times of plague you can issue 'emergency' orders to have the government pay for treating just that plague, rather than having your taxes give good health care for all.

 

Real capitalism has the government pay for all 911 services, including most healthcare.   Plutocrats hate real capitalism, so they lie and say government healthcare is socialism rather than capitalism.