LETTER: If you like ‘Medicare for All,’ you’ll love the VA
Your Wednesday editorial on “Medicare for All” is prescient with respect to the fairy tale Democrats are selling Americans on the notion of health care and taxes. That said, you have to also consider this: Even if all the “gnomes and leprechauns” were able to make it all work, even if the “evil rich” could pay for it all, I implore your readers to ask a veteran how well government-run health care works.
The VA is a fine example of just how well the government runs a health care system. If you like the idea of your care, diagnoses and health management to be based on the cold measure of cost/benefit analysis, then Medicare for All is for you.
Consider this scenario: You and your doctor know something as simple as an MRI will assist your diagnosis — maybe even save your life. But your doc cannot order the test without the approval of some functionary who does not know you and rejects the MRI because your case doesn’t fit his cookie-cutter cost/benefit model. If that’s OK with you, then you want what the Dems are selling.
I say, just look at the VA. If you like what you see, then vote for Bernie Sanders. But ask veterans, and they will tell you to avoid the government health plan if your life depends on it.