Annals of Government Medicine

Under socialized medicine, costs can’t be controlled through competition, so they are controlled by simply denying people care. This is why in the U.K., people will tell you the National Health Service is relatively inexpensive, but no one will tell you it is good.

The London Times reports on an investigation that finds a shocking absence of primary care physicians:

A national shortage of GPs has left some surgeries with one permanent doctor caring for as many as 11,000 patients, a Times investigation can reveal.

Families registered with the worst-hit practices, which have had more than six times the average number of patients per GP, have reported waiting up to nine weeks for appointments.
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The average permanent fully qualified GP is caring for over 200 more patients than four years ago.
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As well as a general shortage of doctors, many GPs are retiring early or choosing to work fewer hours. Complaints from doctors have included pressurised working conditions, bureaucracy and complex pension rules that mean it can cost them to work overtime.

There are problems with the U.S. health care system, too, but the worst possible solution is full-on socialism, which, in essence, is favored by most or all of the Democratic presidential nominees. We need more competition, not less, and more patient choice, not less.

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