Wednesday, May 23, 2007

More on Sicko: The Difference Between Health Care and Health Insurance


Dirty Harry at Libertas explains very clearly the biggest mistake Michael Moore is making in his latest movie, Sicko: not realizing the difference between health care and health insurance. Here's what he says:

No one in this country is without healthcare. No one in this country lacks healthcare. No one in this country is without access to healthcare. Anyone who wants healthcare in America can get it at any time. What people lack is health insurance. The difference between lacking healthcare and lacking health insurance is a profound one. If you don’t have insurance you can still get healthcare, you just have to pay for it yourself. If you can’t afford the $60,000 to have your finger re-attached, you can make payments.

I’ve had periods of my life where I’ve gone without health insurance. It was my own choice because I felt there was no way I would rack up yearly medical expenses that even came close to the policy costs. I’ve gone years with only a catastrophic insurance plan that had a $5,000 deductible and only cost $60 a month. It saved me a fortune but was there in the event the unforseen happened.

Contrary to popular belief Canada doesn’t have universal healthcare. What Canada has is universal health insurance. It can take years to get treated in Canada. That’s not healthcare. In Canada you’re insured by the state but can’t get treated. In America you can get treated but may have to pay yourself.

Which would you prefer?