On March 5, Elon Musk said at a tech, media and telecom conference that “… we should privatize anything that can be privatized.”

Privatize? The administration means to give the management of government programs to private companies. The latest targets: Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. While these programs may not be perfect, they work quite well and are there when needed. We can rely on them.

“… Privatize anything that can be privatized.” Here’s a type of private company we all know: health care insurance. It’s a circus of ever-higher hoops to jump: Claims denied: hoop. Prior authorization: hoop. Fail first: patients must start with the least expensive care. Doesn’t work? Next hoop. Nope? Next hoop, and next until we finally get the best recommended, but most expensive, care.

Hoops are typical cost-saving policies in private companies that run on profit at the consumer’s expense. Are we ready to trust our Medicaid services, our Medicare, our Social Security to a private company?

I’ll finish with a word game using this annoyingly familiar cost-saving policy: “Your call is important to us.”

Here’s how it goes: Replace the word call with something you rely on from a government program. I’ll go first. “Your Social Security check is important to us.”

How about this: “Your hospital stay is important to us.” Or doctor visit. Ride to the doctor. Home health service. Survivor benefit check. And on it will go. Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.

That’s what we can rely on from privatizing our government programs.

Ann Arsenault Shultz
Farmington