We can all be grateful that the Rev. Jesse Jackson has taken time away from his primary job of extorting money from corporate America fearful of his histrionic accusations of racism to cut through the rhetorical clutter and get to the bottom of the health care debate in a recent column in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Unfortunately, just like the president, Jackson is misrepresenting facts across the board and, also like the president, possesses little grasp of the fundamentals of health care economics.
Before itemizing the good Reverend’s errors and outright fabrications, it bears noting that, along with every other Obamacare apologist, Jackson starts by launching ad hominem attacks on those who have contrary opinions about the best way to reform health care. He praises the president for calling opponents “fear-mongers” but asserts that daring to call Obamacare a “government takeover of health care” reduces the debate to childishness. As countless commentators have noted, and as the American people are realizing, this administration and its allies couch no dissent and will vilify and personally denigrate anyone who opposes its policies. This arrogance has been the most effective weapon available to slow the descent towards socialized health care.
Rev. Jackson says it is a “stark reality” that we already have “a government-run, single payer health care plan,” known as Medicare. This is flat out incorrect. A single payer system means that all, or nearly all, care is paid for by a government entity. It is also known as a “universal” system, meaning it covers everyone. Medicare covers only those over 65 and with permanent disability. It also does not preclude beneficiaries from purchasing care outside of the Medicare system. One fact that has been little mentioned by liberal champions of the Medicare model is that millions of seniors dig into their pockets each month to pay premiums for Medicare supplemental insurance that covers additional services and out-of-pocket costs that Medicare does not cover. As it exists, Medicare is far short of a single payer system since beneficiaries can and do contract for additional coverage and can also go outside the Medicare system at any time and pay cash for any service they desire.
And, just like the president, Jackson fails to explain how, if Medicare is such a wonderful model that should include every man, woman and child in America, we can avoid the cost spiral that threatens to bankrupt the Medicare trust fund in eight short years http. But like the drug dealer who parses out his product to create dependence, Jackson knows that once everyone is feeding at the Medicare-for-all trough it will be much easier to shove through the tax increases to keep the masses happy.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs health system is also held out by Rev. Jackson as an example of “socialized medicine” in America. Again, it simply is not. It is actually a health insurance plan where your premiums are paid in the form of military service. The more service and (very importantly) the more physical injury resulting from that service, the more care you get. And while it provides vital safety net services for the men and women who have served our country, it is rarely the provider of choice for veterans for care other than service-related injuries. Many more veterans use private insurance for their health needs than rely on the VA. The fact remains that the veterans’ health system is not a socialized health care system. It does not provide comprehensive coverage to everyone, it is not a single payer system, it relies on outside providers to supplement its services and it severely restricts the services available to most of its beneficiaries.
We also see Rev. Jackson dredge up one of the classic whoppers that liberals use when assailing the private sector’s involvement in health care. He claims that the pharmaceutical industry develops new life-saving and improving drugs “largely with public research and development funds.” This is just an outright lie. In 2007 the pharmaceutical industry spent over $55 billion on research and development of new products.
The administration’s entire 2010 budget for the National Institutes of Health, which conducts and funds outside research, of which pharmaceutical-related research is only a portion, is $30 billion. And the research done by NIH and funded by the government tends towards more fundamental chemical and biological research that may then be applied in the development of drugs. The government is not giving money to drug companies to fund product development nor is it engaged in practical application research on a significant scale. In fact, the drug companies even have to pay the Food and Drug Administration to test their new products for safety. This is intellectually akin to giving ownership to Watson and Crick for every subsequent advance in genetics because they first identified DNA.
Rev. Jackson, again, like the president, is a gifted communicator who is made more so by a lack of factual encumbrance. Every day, the administration’s promotional campaign becomes more politicized, more strident, more arrogant, and less aimed at a discussion of the real concerns arising from the desire to hastily revamp one-sixth of the nation’s economy. Tell us in real terms how this will be paid for, not with vague estimates of possible “savings.” Tell us exactly how you will prevent rationing and unwarranted delays in care. Tell us how you will guarantee the survival of private insurance, not just pat us on the heads like children and promise that you won’t directly force anyone out of their current plan. The people have a right and a duty to question government, the administration has the obligation to respond with respect and candor, not with attacks and the dispatching of tired and discredited messengers like Rev. Jackson who use falsehoods to divert attention from the fundamental flaws of Obamacare.