Socialism is about having the government own the means of production. But advocates of universal health care aren’t suggesting that doctors work for the government. The heart of most universal health care proposals is that doctors would send their bills to the government instead of to an insurance company.

The other common charge is that universal health care would take away people’s right to choose their own doctor. That’s not true either.

Virtually all universal health care proposals would allow all physicians to participate as long as they agreed to the established fee schedule. Everyone would still go to the doctor of their choice, but that doctor might not make as much money as they do today. Perhaps that’s why campaigns against universal health care are financed by insurers and doctors. There are a few doctors today who refuse to accept private insurance, but most of the time you can see the doctor you want.

If a universal health care system pays doctors the same amount and saves money by reducing the enormous overhead of private insurers, this number wouldn’t be affected at all. And as long as the rate of compensation under the universal plan is comparable to what private insurers now pay, the change wouldn’t be significant.