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Show THE ' AMERICAN WAY I ph. MEDICAL rjjfj NON-CARE XJ 1' Bj Geon P'c ' J In a previous article I pointed out that "Free Medicine" has proven to be 'Expensive Medicine" Med-icine" in Germany. Let's now take a peek at what has transpired trans-pired in New Zealand, which country in 1939 made the sad mistake of launching a program of compulsory health insuranco. Since 1939 the New Zealand government has brought under its control by nationalization. U12 banks, dental profession, chemists, chem-ists, masseurs, National Airways, and many other formerly private businesses and professions. This serves to prove that the regimentation regimen-tation of its medical profession was but the entering wedge, part of a carefully calculated plan of the "Left-Wingers" to socialize completely New Zealand's Zea-land's economy. There is no reason rea-son to doubt that the proponents of "Free Medicine" here have in mind the eventual complete socialization of the United States. In propaganda used by the sponsors of the New Zealand law, the word "free" was used in many instances. For example, it was stated that the act would provide pharmaceutical benefits "free of any cost to the patient," and State hospital benefits "free of cost to the patient." The tax deductions and other expenses were not mentioned. Today, Social So-cial Security expenditures equal $60 per person per year, or approximately ap-proximately one-fourth pf the Government's total incomo. Does thia ,'Free-Fur.$60'lJer-Year" program give the New Zealander adequate medical care. Not by a jugful. A New Zealander Zealand-er is required to pay a consider able fee in addition to that paid by the government to achieve that goal. Are hospital benefits "Free" in New Zealand as promised? They are not. Private hospital charges are subsidized by the government up to $2 per day during the period of hospitalization hospitaliza-tion and any charges over that are paid by the patient. Are the services of physicians Tree" in New Zealand? Yes. if a specialist is not needed. The doctors are paid in accordance with a prescribed fee schedule. Are pharmaceutical benefits "Free" to New Zealanders? Yes, if the product is on a very limited list of trade-mark products, otherwise oth-erwise the patient has to pay. Most of the desired products are not on the list. Are New Zealanders under this "Free" plan getting the proper pro-per medical attention? No! Persons Per-sons with minor ills or fancied ailments keep the doctors so infernally in-fernally busy that they have time to give only superficial examinations ex-aminations to the genuinely sick. Why docs a New Zealander get so little for the $60 per year he is taxed for medical care? The answer is simple. Because the greater part of this $60 is absorbed ab-sorbed in the cost of administration. administra-tion. An army of civilian servants ser-vants is engaged full-time in routine work, checking clsims and making payments to doctors. Of course, this medical plan is costing New Zealand more per year than was anticipated actually ac-tually almost six times as much. There is nothing strange aboul that, such is always the case. All the evidence proves that "Free Medicine" is not "Free" in New Zealand. It is darned expensive ex-pensive and awfully darned inefficient, in-efficient, just as it is in every country that has embarked on such a Utopian scheme. We do not want that kind of medical care, or to be factual, medical non care, in the United States. If you agree, won't you write your Congressman and Senators to vote 'No" on House Bill H. R. 783 and its companion bill Senate 5. which would provide, 1 among other things, a compulsory compul-sory health insurance program to be financed by the collection of a 6 per cent payroll tax on salaries of $3,600 and under 3 per cent to be paid by the employee em-ployee and the same amount by the employer? |