Government Healthcare

"One of Greece’s most respected newspapers, To Vima, reported that the nation’s largest government health insurance provider would no longer pay for special footwear for diabetes patients. Amputation is cheaper, says the Benefits Division of the state insurance provider."

So the Greek government has decided that diabetes patients will have their feet / legs amputated because orthodic footwear is too expensive! Ah government, making choices for you because, y'know, you're just too damn stupid to make these decisions on your own.

What the hell is going on here?! It's not the 1840's anymore. Medicine has evolved to the point where we don't just go hacking off limbs unless it is absolutely necessary. And by "necessary" I mean there's no other option and the patient will likely die or be worse off in the future without amputation.

In a free market if you had a provider saying they were going to start amputating the limbs of diabetes patients because it was cheaper than providing footwear what do you think would happen to that provider? Socialized medicine and Obamacare remove the free market aspect, and thus remove freedom of choice. (our current system is far from "free market" which is a huge part of the problem we're facing) Under the Greek system there is one government provider. Diabetes patients have no other choice. Such a situation is incompatible with individual liberty and it's exactly why we need to get rid of Obamacare.

My Mommom had diabetes for decades. She had special shoes, which I assume are similar to those discussed in the article. When she was in the hospital one of the discussions that had to make was whether or not to have the doctors amputate her leg at the upper thigh. Ultimately the decision was made not to have the surgery, but it was at all times a decision made by the patient and family, not by some faceless government paper pusher with an IQ of 50.

I'm glad I live in America and not some Socialist hellhole.