Health care in a free society

"Almost everyone agrees that the U.S. healthcare system is in dire need of reform. But there are differing opinions on what kind of reform would be best. Some on the political left would like to see us copy one of the government-run "single-payer" systems that exist in Western Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, among other places. Proponents of socialized medicine point to other countries as examples of health care systems that are superior to our own. They insist that government will make health care available on the basis of need rather than ability to pay. The rich and poor will have equal access to care. And more serious medical needs will be given priority over less serious needs.Unfortunately, those promises have not beenborne out by decades of studies and statistics from nations with single-payer health care. Reports from those governments contradict many of the common misperceptions held by supporters of national health insurance in the United States. Wherever national health insurance has been tried, rationing by waiting is pervasive,putting patients at risk and keeping themin pain. Single-payer systems tend to leave rationing choices up to local bureaucracies that, for exam