Opposition to universal health care baffling

Hank Schmidt, Las Vegas

Saturday, April 4, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

I am constantly amazed by objections to proposals for universal health care. They include sentiments such as, ‘We can’t have the government deciding what medical treatment we get — that’s up to me and my doctor.’

I hate to burst these opponents’ bubble, but under our current system, it isn’t up to you and your doctor and never was. It’s up to your insurance company, if you are lucky enough to have one. The real question is: Whom do you trust more? An insurance company that is profit-motivated and seeking to minimize its costs by denying coverage, denying claims and/or restricting coverage, or a government insurance program that may be inefficient but is well-intentioned and inclusive?

I am a Medicare recipient and find, in terms of the quality of health care delivery, it works just fine. If this is the dreaded socialism, I’m all for it. I will concede that, financially, Medicare needs repair and if that means higher premiums, I would gladly pay them.

And, as I recall President Barack Obama’s plan, if you have health insurance with which you’re happy, you will not be forced into a government-run plan, so what’s the problem?

If the real objection is paying for universal care, the answer is you’re already paying for it. Have you visited an emergency room lately? Many of the folks there don’t have insurance, so you’re paying for these folks in the form of higher insurance premiums.