In the 1950s, most hospitals were owned by
churches and other charitable organizations. Medicine was a rescue and repair
industry. Preventive medicine was up to
the patient. Antibiotics had just become available in the 1940s.
Clean water and sanitation methods were
finally in place with water treatment and chlorination by 1890s. Before that,
the favorite way to maintain hydration was alcohol. Water was tainted with
bacteria. It’s amazing that we accomplished as much as we did in those days.
The circumstances driving the desirability of
medical care were in place. The 1800
were marked by cholera, small pox, scarlet fever and war. Amputation was the
treatment used for bone damage to prevent gangrene. The early 1900 were scarred by influenza,
polio, tuberculosis, heart disease, cancer and more war.
Medicine began to advance with the introduction
of internal medicine in 1900. Surgical techniques improved. Medicine began to
enjoy increased credibility.
Everybody paid for the cost of their medical
treatment in the 1950s. Doctors typically donated their time and paid for drugs
for the poor. My grandfather had a charity practice for poor farmers every
Saturday and was paid with chickens, fruit and vegetables.
Hospital costs were affordable and insurance
was available to cover hospital room and other costs.
Communist unions had long used illness as an
issue to indict owners for being heartless and greedy for not paying for
employee healthcare. The opposite was often true. I think these owners realized
that free medical care would be unsustainable.
During World War II, companies made the
mistake of offering medical care subsidies as a benefit. Government began
pouring tax dollars into medical research to subsidize medical care.
The stage was set for some predatory
practices and profiteering to occur. Doctor’s orders were obeyed. The pharmaceutical and medical device
industries were developing and pressed for tax subsidies. Nothing exceeds like
excess.
In the 1960s, churches sold their hospitals
to private companies. Medicare and Medicaid were passed and taxes replaced
charity medicine completely. Subsidies for medical research increased and new,
expensive medical devices had been developed and were deemed to be needed.
Costs begin to skyrocket. Medicaid replaced charity practices. Hospitals were
required to absorb charity costs.
Hypochondriacs had a field day and the danger
of over-treatment had arrived.
Medical malpractice suits created demand for
diagnostic equipment to replace diagnosis.
Suits were easy to win, because juries sided with plaintiffs. Medicine as an art begin to die.
Preventive medicine was no longer the
responsibility of the patient. Drugs were developed to enhance sexual
performance and weight control. Nutrition was replaced by pharmaceuticals.
Illegal immigration soared. Millions of
Immigrants poured over the border to get jobs and sell drugs and free medical
treatment, welfare payments, fraudulent tax refunds and free schooling.
Family health insurance costs have gone from
$300 per year to $12,000 per year since the 1950s.
The goal of the Communists had always been to
have government provide everything, so here we are. The cost of medical care is
now unaffordable and unsustainable.
American consumers began to realize that
health insurance was a bad deal and over 30% chose to drop it. Costs for medical procedures vary widely;
hernia repair can cost $20,000 in a hospital with lots of unnecessary
boilerplate tests or $4,000 in an outpatient surgical center. Some U.S.
patients have flown to other countries for treatments quoted to cost $500,000
in the U.S. and got them for under $100,000. It’s called medical tourism.
Obamacare locks in mandatory high costs with
the promise of more abuse from the healthcare industry. It should be repealed
and medical care should settle back to a “rescue and repair” free market model.
If we were free, we would return to the
medical care model we had in the 1950s. We would use medical IRAs,
self-funding, medical tourism and negotiated payment plans to avoid insurance
altogether.
Our latest reaction is to avoid going to the
doctor or hospital at all.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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