Nearly 6 in 10 Democrats view socialism positively while less than a third say the same of capitalism, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll.That’s an ominous sign for this fall’s midterm elections, as socialist ideas increasingly vie for mainstream prominence. Socialist health policies may promise universal access, but as patients around the world know all too well, they usually deliver long waits, doctor shortages, rationing, and hefty new tax hikes instead.Britain’s National Health Service offers a timely warning. The system is so overburdened and under-resourced that, in July, roughly 3,000 patients a day received “corridor care” in hospital hallways or similar makeshift settings, according to NHS data. More than 150,000 waited over 12 hours in an emergency department after arrival. And during the first half of this year, around 51,500 people in England waited more than two months to start cancer treatment after an urgent referral.
The country’s recent heat wave has made conditions in NHS facilities even worse, with nurses in some wards reportedly fainting and patients subjected to temperatures as high as 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The lesson to draw from these horror stories is simple. When the government promises unlimited care on a limited budget, delays and rationing inevitably follow.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), center, accompanied by other democratic Senators and supporters, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, to unveil their Medicare for All legislation to reform healthcare. | (Andrew Harnik/AP)
