“America has the best health care system in the world! That’s why people from countries with socialized medicine come here!”

I’ve seen this used as an argument against having any sort of “medicare for all” plan in America. It’s a silly argument which completely misses the point: It’s not whether we have the best care, it’s who gets the care. We also have the best hotels in the world, but most of us can’t afford those, either.

Apparently, people who make this argument think that if we have socialized medicine here, then we will no longer have the best medical care in the world — that our doctors will forget all they know and hospitals will suddenly become backwater chop shops.

Well, no. No one has ever suggested that all doctors have to work for the government. A “medicare for all” plan keeps doctors independent, and they can decide whether to accept patients or not. Hey, just like it works now!

A national health care policy will not stop independent health care. Public schools did not stop private schools. Public defenders did not stop private attorneys. If you’ve got money, there will be nothing stopping you from affording that high-cost health care you want.

Anyone who tells you different is just plain wrong.