It seems that many of you in here are either in the medical field (or related), or live in countries where they have national health care.... Like some others, I don't know much about it, but my concerns about such a system are:
1) It seems that quality of care would diminish in a system where doctors have to see many patients.
2) If medical care was paid for already regardless what what care you receive, what is to stop worrisome parents or ... "social dregs"... from coming into the hospital about the most minor things? This would drive up operating costs significantly.
3) 8% of pay from everyone.... in a discussion about taxes I've had with jIM_Ohio (
see here), it seems that any flat percentage coming out of pay impacts lower-earning people more significantly, because while the % being taken is the same, lower-earners still have to buy the same stuff high-earners do, but high-earners have more additional funds beyond that 8% to handle it. ...Basically, it could negatively impact low-wage families.
4) It seems that a system like this would lead to massive government bureaucracies, which breed inefficiencies like the plague... is this somehow not a problem in those countries?
I would appreciate some comments on this from anyone able to give them... I'm totally ignorant of how nationalized programs like this work. All I have to base my thoughts on is the American Social Security system, which anyone will tell you is in a shambles....