Clearing The Air

Saturday, August 08, 2009

How's that Obama-style socialized healthcare system working in France?

Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are leading the race to socialism as fast as they can......hoping to enact sweeping change before the American people have an opportunity to understand the massive negative implications. This article about the socialized healthcare system in France provides an all but guaranteed preview of attractions to come:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124958049241511735.html

"...(France's socialized healthcare system) has been in the red since 1989. This year the annual shortfall is expected to reach €9.4 billion ($13.5 billion), and €15 billion in 2010, or roughly 10% of its budget.

France's woes provide grist to critics of Mr. Obama and the Democrats' vision of a new public health plan to compete with private health insurers. Republicans argue that tens of millions of Americans would leave their employer-provided coverage for the cheaper, public option, bankrupting the federal government...."

As proof of that claim, my employer has already promised that all employees' private health insurance coverage will be cancelled if Obamacare is enacted into law. It's simple economics the boss explained, healthcare insurance is 15% of the company's operating expense, they can eliminate that 15% expense telling all employees to get their "free health insurance" from the government. Even after paying the proposed government fine for employers who don't provide health insurance to their employees....our company expects to save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Thus the great lie by Obama is exposed, "...government healthcare won't eliminate private insurance...." .......yeah right.

WSJ article continues:

"..Despite the structural differences between the U.S. and French systems, both face similar root problems: rising drug costs, aging populations and growing unemployment..."

It's no secret to regular CTA readers of our disdain for one of the largest drug companies on the planet, Johnson & Johnson Company and their partner the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) (to understand our disdain click here)....so if I might offer a suggestion to Obama, Pelosi & Reid, in order to cut those drug costs you should consider the 1974 Department of Justice action which forced break-up of communications giant AT&T.....and initiate the break-up of Johnson & Johnson/RWJF.

As for socialized healthcare I offer the following concession, when prostate cancer victim Sen. Chris Dodd and brain tumor victim Sen. Ted Kennedy opt out of U.S. private healthcare in favor of being treated as regular citizens in Canada, the UK., or France's government healthcare system then we can talk......until then you're all hypocrites simply looking for more government control.