Socialized health care is great for the healthy. For the ill and elderly it’s another story.

I wish someone would poll the ill people in nations with socialized health care. Chances are we wouldn’t hear about how much they love their free health care.

The latest story: In Australia a woman who has been unwell and has a family history of colon cancer was told she has to wait at least eight months for a colonoscopy. Let’s hope for her sake it’s nothing serious. But even still, the stress of waiting eight months for a diagnosis has to take its toll.

Even the liberal AP  is warning about the pitfalls of socialized healthcare.

But the system is far from perfect.

In Britain, France, Switzerland and elsewhere, public health systems have become political punching bags for opposition parties, costs have skyrocketed and in some cases, patients have needlessly suffered and died.

 It’s so bad, in Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s had to resort to bribery.

Critics say the policies are often driven more by politics than science. Last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised that patients unable to see cancer experts within two weeks would get cash to pay for private care. Brown had previously argued against paying for private providers and some say the reversal may be a gimmick to boost his sagging popularity.

The worst thing you can do in a country with socialized health care is get old.

More serious problems in Britain’s health care were reported last month, when cancer researchers announced that as many as 15,000 people over age 75 were dying prematurely from cancer every year. Experts said those deaths could have been avoided if those patients had been diagnosed and treated earlier.

There’s no reason to believe it can’t happen here. In fact, President Obama practically promised the same treatment of the elderly (or lack thereof) if he’s able to pass Obamacare. Human life doesn’t mean much to him, unless you happen to be a member of his family or a political contributor, that is.

H/T Carol D.