A New Medical System Is Needed—for the British Nation
By Richard E. Ralston
December 18, 2007
Five years ago, an expert for the British government prepared a report to recommend a plan for Britain's National Health Service (NHS). The report was recently released to assess what has happened since. . . . [ full article ]
National Grocery Reform
By Richard E. Ralston
November 9, 2007
One of the great scandals of our age is the fact that America spends more on food than any other nation. Many political leaders are now calling for urgent reform to bring spending on food under control. Even worse, while the result of this uncontrolled spending includes the fact that many Americans are overweight, some Americans do not have enough to eat. . . . [ full article ]
What Mandatory Health Insurance Really Means
By Richard E. Ralston
October 15, 2007
When talking about health insurance, "mandatory" is an increasingly popular term among politicians of both major parties, including presidential candidates. What do they really mean by it? Put simply, being uninsured would no longer be a misfortune or a choice, but a crime. And for the insured, the issue is much more complicated. . . . [ full article ]
Why Did Sicko Fizzle Out?
By Richard E. Ralston
September 14, 2007
Michael Moore's Sicko has had a respectable box office performance for a documentary film. But it has drawn only a small fraction of the audience that turned out for his previous film, Fahrenheit 9/11. Sicko opened in a relatively small number of theaters, with a plan to grow to a much larger audience by fall. Instead it quickly declined from small to smaller. Why? . . . [ full article ]
What Michael Moore Forgot to Tell You
By Richard E. Ralston
August 28, 2007
Michael Moore's comedy-drama Sicko presented a great deal of misinformation—too much to summarize in a short column. Besides, if anyone in the audience really believed that all Cubans receive superb health care when Mr. Moore's cameras are not running, there is not much I can say to help them. However, those who saw the film should at least be aware of some of the information that was left out. . . . [ full article ]
All Power to the Post Office
By Richard E. Ralston
June 12, 2007
The U.S. government now pays for and controls half of the health care in America. That is up from less than 10 percent forty years ago. Government spending on health care has increased at a rapid rate as its share of health care has increased. Yet those who complain about the total amount of spending on health care in the United States to justify complete government control never discuss how much of the current spending is attributable to or mandated by government programs. . . . [ full article ]
Health Care Is a Business—or Should Be
By Richard E. Ralston
April 16, 2007
Ultimately all health care is paid for by business activity. Business provides the wages, the return on investment, the insurance, the taxes that pay directly for health care, and the insurance and taxes that fund government programs. When the government manages to provide services at all, it can give you nothing that it does not take from you or others, or from your employer and other employers. The total added value the government creates for your benefit is nothing. . . . [ full article ]
Should the Veterans Administration Take Over All Health Care?
By Richard E. Ralston
March 19, 2007
For years the advocates of a total takeover of health care by the government have pointed to the Veterans Administration as the model of efficient and caring health care by our government. It provides an ideal model, they said, for all health care. They must have forgotten to tell us to pay no attention to the leaks, the pealing paint and the rats in the corner while they push to eliminate personal choice for everyone and trap us all in a system with no options and nowhere else to go. . . . [ full article ]
Take a Stand for the Rights of Physicians
By Richard E. Ralston
March 1, 2007
While Governor Schwarzenegger and California legislators are busy putting forward proposals to socialize health care, one element is profoundly missing: none of these politicians know or care what physicians think of the proposals. . . . [ full article ]
Profits Lower the Cost of Health Care
By Richard E. Ralston
February 13, 2007
Advocates of medical socialism want to reduce the profits of pharmaceutical firms and put health insurance companies out of business completely. But who profits from profits—and exactly who profits when they are destroyed? . . . [ full article ]
One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back: How California Will Make Health Care Much More Expensive
By Richard E. Ralston
January 15, 2007
California is a huge state with a huge population, a huge economy and a huge, rapidly growing government. Any attempt by that government to address health care issues draws the aggressive lobbying attention of a huge number of corporate, union, religious and political advocates. While there is some hope for creating conditions that would lead to affordable health insurance, Governor Schwarzenegger would provide a strong push in the wrong direction. . . . [ full article ]
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