Healthcare and Freedom

The American Revolution was started under the slogan "give me liberty or give me death."  So we can safely conclude that our country was founded on the idea that freedom is more important than survival itself.  But freedom inherently entails a certain level of responsibility for one's self, and one's decisions freely made.

Enter modern healthcare, which has become increasingly expensive, as newer treatments and drugs are developed.  Higher prices have made healthcare prohibitively expensive without insurance.  Inflated prices allow companies to overcharge each other for "out of network" services.  Individual consumers are always "out-of network" and therefore always overcharged.  On top of this, insurance costs have gone through the roof, both for patients, and doctors who fear massive lawsuits if they make a mistake.

So what is to be done about the problem?  One approach is to look to the government to solve the problem.  Now this is necessary to an extent, since they are part of the existing problem, but that doesn't make them the solution.  We do need some changes in regulation that will bring down the cost of healthcare, not just health insurance.  I wouldn't be opposed to banning health insurance for regular preventative care. (Only covering injury and catastrophic illness)  Limiting the costs of liability litigation would be helpful as well.

Instead we see a solution being brought about where the government is being looked to to pay for the costs of healthcare.  This idea is kind of ludicrous since the US government is already the most indebted entity in the history of the world.  So what is the rest of the world doing to solve this problem?  Many have implemented a socialized medicine solution, where the government manages and pays for the entire healthcare system.  So why not do that here?

Because none of those are free countries, not a single one.  How do I know this?  It is impossible for a country to be free if the government runs the health care system.  If the government is paying for your healthcare, they control your healthcare.  If they control your healthcare, they control you.  And therefore, you are no longer free.  Being a free citizen will inherently require that you take responsibility for your own health and healthcare.  And this is why we see such fierce debate about Obamacare and the ACA.  Something much more important than healthcare is at stake here.  Because so many Americans have been willing to die for freedom, we see that freedom is more valuable than health, and it would dishonor their sacrifice to give up our freedom to improve our healthcare.   It's really very simple.