“Government control of the economy, no matter in whose behalf, has been the source of all the evils in our industrial history,” Ayn Rand wrote in her collection of essays entitled “Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.”
Anyone who has concern for individual freedoms should be immensely frightened by the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” and its implications about the role of government in America.
The premise of the law’s passage, according to libertarian think tank Cato Institute, is unconstitutional. The bill makes it acceptable for the government to tax an individual for staying inside and freely deciding not to participate in commerce by not purchasing health insurance. Here, the government is not regulating commerce but is rather forcibly creating it.
Essentially, the government is giving insurance companies more customers without adding any new medical personnel. An increase in consumers trying to access health services without a corresponding increase in real access to care will create a gap in care, leading to poorer quality.
Not at all surprisingly, insurance companies loved the Affordable Care Act. Why wouldn't they?
Back on the campaign trail, President Barack Obama, then a senator, promised “affordable health care.” This concept of “affordability” was at the forefront of his campaign. However, according to sources including Business Insider, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Forbes, consumers are looking at new taxes, higher rates on existing taxes and increased costs health care costs. Are more taxes really what America needs in this economy?
What this is really telling the American people is that government knows how to spend their income better than the American people know how to spend it. That’s incredibly demeaning.
My colleague Jordan Meyer wrote that the Affordable Care Act would be Obama’s lasting legacy, much like President Franklin Roosevelt is remembered for Social Security, or President Lyndon Johnson is known for the “Great Society.” It shouldn't be.
Social Security is running a $55 million deficit, while the “Great Society” programs have not eradicated poverty. Throwing government money into inefficient federal programs is a waste.
Roosevelt is most remembered for his leadership during World War II and not his unsuccessful domestic policies that only prolonged the Great Depression; Johnson, I would argue, is not even remembered for being a great president.
Contrary to what my colleague asserted, the passage of the Affordable Care Act is not a symbol of “freedom” in the health care industry but an example of government overreach.
Government is not and can never be the solution to health care injustices. It must be left to the free market.
Reach this columnist at spmccaul@asu.edu or follow him on twitter at @sean_mccauley.
