The purpose of this paper is to examine the disadvantages of socialized healthcare, especially concerning its implementation in the United States as compared to what other countries are currently experiencing. Socialized healthcare is a hot topic currently being discussed in the news and many Congressional members of both parties are studying the feasibility of using such a system in the United States. Much of this discussion has come about due to the ever-increasing cost of such care and the aging of the American population. Projected demographics also show that the problem will continue to be serious for the next several decades. Companies that formerly offered healthcare and insurance benefits are now being faced with these high and rising costs and many are cutting back or terminating their coverage.
             Socialized healthcare has not been an effective or efficient solution, however, in other countries. Many experts believe that socialized healthcare has been the cause of many healthcare systems to crumble. Another reason for the rising costs is primarily due to the lack of control and communication between the affected individuals and the medical and insurance professionals who are making the decisions concerning the individual's health and medical care. Much of this lack of control and communication is primarily due to third party influence and control of the financing end of the transaction(s). In Washington there continues to be bills introduced that will fund health insurance for children, and a significant support for some form of socialized medicine continues to be in evidence.
             There are, however, a number of significant downsides that must be considered before such a system can become a reality. Though the trend seems to be towards some type of program that will offer affordable healthcare or healthcare coverage for all citizens of the U.S. many of those same citizens are balking at government...