Reflections: Socialized Medicine

In the current election (in the United States), both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are pushing the notion of "healthcare for the people." More or less, they both wish to adopt socialized medicine for this country. In fact, their platforms are quite similar, if not identical.

At this point in time, for health reasons, I do not make much money. In fact, my income is low enough that I qualify for healthcare from the state (NY). I believe this experience is providing me with a pre-cursory knowledge of a universal healthcare system. Are there any problems with such a system? Well, yes. Initially, when my health insurance was provided solely by the state, the only dentists I was allowed to visit were about 100 or more miles away. Hardly a convenient trip when there are plenty of dentists in my city. Ultimately, I was forced to go to a local dentist and have a relative pay for it out of pocket. Since then, my health insurance has changed. Now, the state buys my insurance from my place of employment. This is a little bit more expensive for me, and little bit less expensive or more efficient for the state. When it happened, I was mildly annoyed that I had no say in the matter, but it did ultimately work out for the best; it now appears my insurance may cover local dentist visits.