Libz backs Voight on NZ’s socialised medicine

I”m very pleased to see my colleague and health professional Dr Richard McGrath come out in support of Jon Voight’s excoriation of New Zealand’s die-while-you-wait health system.

     “Voight, [the father of Angelina Jolie and star of] dozens of movies including Midnight Cowboy, Catch 22 and Deliverance, took to the streets beneath Capitol Hill with thousands of other activists.
They were protesting President Barack Obama's plans to restructure the American healthcare system.
    “The 70-year-old Oscar-winner addressed the crowd shouting, "We would be no better off than the European countries and Canada and New Zealand who suffer greatly from a poor healthcare system. Their rationing system creates many deaths."

Says Libertarianz leader Dr Richard McGrath, a Masterton GP:

Libz Back Hollywood Star's Denunciation of Socialised Medicine
    The Libertarianz Party has endorsed recent comments from actor Jon Voight condemning socialised health care.
    Party leader, medical doctor Richard McGrath said: "Mr Voight is quite correct in his denunciation of the health systems in countries such as Canada and New Zealand. While attempting to provide universal cover to entire populations regardless of individual ability to pay, such systems undermine choice and provide rationed care, with no guarantee of timely treatment. Unfortunately, lots of people end up dying needlessly on public hospital waiting lists."
    "In socialised health care with funding collected through taxation, a person cannot withdraw from the government scheme. There is no portability in the system. People are locked in, even if there are alternatives out there that better suit them and their families."
    "The Libertarianz Party believes New Zealanders should be able to use their own money to purchase health insurance, or contribute to health plans based around voluntary co-operatives."
    "There should be no facility whereby Kiwis can help themselves to other people's money to treat conditions often brought on by poor lifestyle choices. This is unjust, and provides disincentive for people to take ownership of their health problems."
    "Health care need not be expensive if insurance cover for unexpected and catastrophic illness could be purchased by way of a tax break for all income earners, and people could nominate what level of surcharge they were prepared to pay for their care."
    "Just as not all of us can afford to drive a Rolls-Royce, not all of us can afford premium quality health care. If we accept that, then there is motivation for people to work harder and reprioritise their spending so they can more easily afford a higher level of care."
    "Health care is not a gift from heaven; it is a service provided by skilled professionals and support workers who have often made sacrifices to spend years in training, and who expect an income commensurate with the service they provide."
    "There is no innate right to receive subsidised health care, for this would have to be paid for by someone else who is given no choice in the matter. A right to health care enslaves doctors, nurses and others in the health industry. It is incompatible with the capitalist system of limited government, voluntary interaction, free trade and protection of individual rights."
    "I applaud the response to Mr Voight's comments by Sir Roger Douglas. As he suggests, in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, vast and increasing amounts of money have poured into the public health infrastructure with the aim of increasing affordability, reducing waste and increasing the quality and quantity of services. The diminishing returns on this investment are symptomatic of the failure of all socialist economies to allocate resources efficiently and justly through flexible pricing structures."
    "My party believes New Zealanders should be left free to organise their own health care. This would, for many, involve spreading financial risk by forming large co-operative groups or enrolling with insurers, so that catastrophic health situations can be managed."
    "The critical difference between this and the current system of taxpayer-funded public hospitals and subsidised primary care is that individuals can opt out when the service is unsatisfactory and take their money elsewhere."
    "Socialised medicine is a form of enslavement where people lose control of how their money is spent, and where health providers are so over-regulated that they become trapped, with private alternatives to the government-run system made near-impossible."
    "My party believes control of health care should be devolved gradually from politicians back to individuals, families and iwi. Our policies are consistent with this, and we will continue to push for privatisation of the health industry - in contrast to the National Party, who aim for continued nationalisation."