So, You Want Single-Payer Health Care?

Here's another reason against granting the state a monopoly in your health care . . .  If you are gay, you might get even less care than the rest of those trapped in such a system. From 365gay.com's Montreal Bureau we get this column: Widespread Neglect Of Gay Seniors In Health Care System.

A new study shows that despite full equality rights and government funded health care in Canada LGBT seniors face a serious health threat from discrimination by health care workers and institutions.

more . . .

The authors claim some may be shocked by the discriminatory service provided:

The conclusions are likely to shock many Canadians who pride themselves on their liberal attitudes towards gays and on their government health care system

but Libertarians are not surprised at all. Governments are the biggest discriminators of all; and without competition and consumer choices, no provider has an incentive to shed their prejudices such as they would under the profit motive.

What is frightening is that it is often illegal to purchase any healthcare insurance outside of the state plan. Where I live (in California) we are right now being faced with the threat of just such a monopoly system, with Senate Bill 840 working its way through the legislature. Just today the Libertarian Party of California published an op-ed entitled A Total Health Care Monopoly by Anthony Gregory which describes some of the pitfalls of single-payer health care.

As is often the case, one has to be careful what they wish for. Ask for centrally planned health care, and you may regret what you get: institutionalized discrimination and potentially fatal neglect with no way out.