Knowles: That is the reason that people, when they actually want care, living in Cuba, living in Canada, living in the United States, when even their private insurance that they're forced to
buy doesn't cover it, that's why they come to the United States because we're the leaders. Student: I heard you mention a lot of things about socialism. Knowles: Yes. Student: I'm for more of a mixed economy, and I am for Medicare for All. Knowles: That seems off. it seems like you want
to become an old person. Why do you want to become an old person? Why do you want to use old ideas like socialism? Student: No, that's giving
everyone the right to healthcare, health insurance. And right now, our current system, we have 600,000 bankruptcies. People file for bankruptcy
under our current system. Our current system is not cost-effective, Knowles: I agree. Student: It cost $33 trillion over a 10 year period from right now, and a recent study by the
Mercatus Center actually found that the Medicare for
All system in the Senate would save $2.1 trillion
over a 10 year period from 2022 to 2031. So why can't you get behind that? Knowles: Well, when we we're
talking about the costs of these systems, one
has to be very careful. I was promised certain
costs for Obamacare, and there was a lot of fuzzy math because the taxes kicked in early and the benefits didn't
kick in quite so early. So, the question is two-fold. One, economically, you're saying that the current healthcare
regime is not efficient and therefore, the socialist
regime would be more efficient. That may actually be the case. That's not an argument
for socialism, though, that's an argument for liberalization. That's for liberalizing the markets, making prices much more apparent to both the consumers and
the service providers, to opening up what are
now virtual monopolies for health insurance companies. And fortunately, by the way,
this administration, it has around the edges worked
on all of those things. There is also a moral argument as well, which is that people ought to
be free, man ought to be free. And if healthcare is going
to have to be rationed, I would rather it be rationed
by me and my freedom of choice than by some bureaucratic board somewhere in the federal government. Forgetting all of the other problems of socialist healthcare, let's look at the example
of little Charlie Gard in the United Kingdom. Student: That's anecdotal Knowles: That anecdote
has happened several times over the last few years, but it illustrates my point. Student: Tens of thousands of people die every year in the US because they lack health insurance. Knowles: Sure, I think many,
many people around the world have died and been waiting on lines in socialist and communist regimes. I don't think it's good
to compare those numbers. The point that I will make, however, is that in countries,
even mixed economies, even countries with relatively free socialist healthcare regimes, the government has the final
say on what you can do, how you can treat yourself, how
you can treat your children. When the Pope, when the head
of the Catholic church says, "I will invite this baby into my country to receive healthcare," and the government has the right to say, "Absolutely not, we control your child," that's horrifically immoral. We can not allow that to happen here because, by the way, I'll also point out, when we speak about the efficiency of socialist healthcare
regimes around the world, all of those regimes rely on the innovativeness of the
American healthcare system, which leads the world and always has. It's true, you're shaking
your head, but it's true. If the United States stops leading the way in healthcare, you're going to see that
affect global markets and global healthcare
regimes all around the world, and it'll be a very bad thing. That is the reason that people, when they actually want care, living in Cuba, living in Canada, living in the United States, when even their private insurance that they're forced to
buy doesn't cover it, that's why they come to the United States because we're leaders. Student: We already ration care
by the size of our wallets. Knowles: We ought to ration care by the size wallets?
Student: We already ration our care by the size of our wallets.
Knowles: Of course we don't. We have a robust social safety net. We have Medicare and Medicaid. We have a very generous social
safety net and nobody dies. It's one of the most absurd lies of people pushing socialist healthcare, that people are dying in
the streets, that's absurd. Anybody can walk into an emergency room. Nobody is dying in the
streets in the United States and hasn't in the modern era. Student: Tens of thousands of
people are dying in the US. Knowles: You can keep repeating your lies, it doesn't make it true. Show me the person who was denied entrance to an emergency room, my friend, show me the person, I haven't seen them. Student: Hey, I'm for facts over feelings. Knowles: You can repeat good
slogans as well as bad slogans, but they remain slogans nonetheless. And I'm explaining to you the way the healthcare
regime actually works.
