America’s March Toward Socialized Medicine Puts Freedom in the Crosshairs
The election is over—in most places—but for American families, the problems they had before November are still real. Over 66 percent of Americans think that the country is on the wrong track, according to the latest IPSOS poll. There has been a lot to be concerned about: economic instability and inflation reducing people's paychecks, crime spiking at breakneck speed, and the feeling of Americans losing their freedoms – in particular with their children at school and on personal healthcare issues. On the health front – issues revolving around choice, the doctor-patient relationship, and access to innovation – matter greatly to the average American.
Our leaders are suffering from a serious disconnect in optimizing the quality of care in our country. Instead of incentivizing the power of the free market to develop the best treatments that science can offer, government leaders have been hell-bent on imposing draconian price controls, expanding Obamacare, and creating more bureaucracy. The new Congress presents an opportunity to swing back the pendulum towards a middle ground of realistic solutions that improve our healthcare system.
The dubiously named Inflation Reduction Act, narrowly passed along party lines, includes provisions that mandate price controls on Medicare drugs. This ill-advised policy directly puts drug accessibility and innovation on the chopping block, as manufacturers will be forced to reallocate investments to foot the bill. Proposals like this cut against the outstanding American successes of our innovation pipeline. Historically, America has led the way in creating the best treatments in the world. Sacrificing this innovation on the altar of socialist ideology creates a self-inflicted wound that will impact the lives of millions.
Ideological factors are far too often tipping the scales in how America's leadership determines our health policy. Now more than ever, our country needs to take a tactical pause and reevaluate the path we are taking before it's too late. Do we want to emulate the failures of Canada and the United Kingdom in delivering care to patients? Just look at the egregiously long waiting lines for important care and surgical procedures. Just look at what citizens in those countries see less of—access to important therapies that Americans, especially American seniors, have at their disposal. There is a lower level of patient care in countries where there is excessive government control over healthcare.
Another danger on the horizon is the elimination of patent protections that allowed the U.S. to lead the world in medical and drug innovation during the Coronavirus pandemic. One of the upcoming chances to recalibrate is not extending the World Trade Organization's TRIPS waiver on COVID-19 vaccines. This agreement waived manufacturers' intellectual property rights on the vaccines they developed in the name of “public health” even though the waiver did nothing to help countries receive vaccines. While the original waiver was a bad idea to begin with, allowing an unnecessary extension would be a shot in the foot when it was strong IP protections that allow the U.S. to create the most effective shots in the arm.
At the center of this dilemma is freedom itself. Throughout history, freedom and free markets delivered results—to the relief of millions of Americans—and to the dismay of radical lawmakers. While the Biden Administration is intent on more government control in all aspects of Americans’ healthcare, some U.S. states are bucking this trend. North Carolina, for instance, enacted policies that incentivized drug manufacturers to innovate in the Research Triangle. Through localized investments in education, competition, and productivity, this area embraced policies that built a hub of pharmaceutical companies boosting the innovation pipeline. Such policies should be emulated across the country, bolstering competitive advantages that would be reaped by patients everywhere.
Americans deeply understand the value freedom brings to their daily lives. We are at a moment where government interests outweigh those of patients, and it’s time to make a choice. Do we want to kick the free market—and all the lifesaving innovation that comes with it—to the curb, or do we want to lay the foundational groundwork of reinforcing our system's competitiveness so that it works more effectively and efficiently for everyone?
In the midst of the assault on freedom and free markets in the past two years, the new congressional majority’s governing blueprint outlining its commitments to the American people can act as a building block towards a future built on freedom, focusing on achieving better health for Americans and opposing a “top-down, one-size-fits-all government approach from Washington.”
Election results indicate that Americans are still interested in allowing the market to improve lives. Let's push for policies in coming months to ensure the optimized treatments, cutting-edge cures, and world-class care that we have here can be the aspirational model for the rest of the world.
Jack Kalavritinos is the Executive Director of CPAC’s Coalition Against Socialized Medicine and Ryan Ellis is President of the Center for a Free Economy
