Yeah, But They Have “Free” Healthcare

by Bill Anderson, LRC Blog
Jul. 16, 2010

Supporters of communist states like North Korea, Cuba, or the old Soviet Union (and China before it turned away from much of its communism) always would point out two things: (1) “there is no unemployment,” and (2) “they have free healthcare.” This was supposed to be the Final Word.

We read today of the wonderful state-run healthcare system of North Korea:

North Korea’s health care system is in shambles with doctors sometimes performing amputations without anesthesia and working by candlelight in hospitals lacking essential medicine, heat and power, a human rights watchdog said Thursday.

North Korea’s state health care system has been deteriorating for years amid the country’s economic difficulties. Many of its 24 million people reportedly face health problems related to chronic malnutrition, such as tuberculosis and anemia, Amnesty International said in a report on the state of the health care system.

Unfortunately, most supporters of Obamacare will claim that the USA won’t fall to those levels. What they don’t understand is that what we see in North Korea is the natural direction of socialism, and it will be the natural direction of government-run medical care in this country, too.