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Walter Reed and Government-Provided Universal Health Care

The New York Post today published this letter of mine:

Conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center truly are deplorable ("Sick Army Hosps," March 6).

This "flagship" institution is at the heart of Uncle Sam’s system of socialized medical care for military personnel.

So, why are many politicians and pundits clamoring for socialized medical care for all Americans?

A GMU graduate student in economics, Ms. Meredith Jones, makes this additional point in an e-mail to me:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center is set to close (in 2010, I think) and most of its work is being moved to either Ft Belvoir or Bethesda, so naturally any incentive to maintain the facilities was further muted after that decision was made. Of course, such lengthy closings are typical of inefficient social programs, and not of privately operated businesses.

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