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Socialized healthcare is for socialists. Let's not beat around the bush. Healthcare, like any other service is for profit.
That's what irks you.
Except that England, Canada, Japan, Korea, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland etc. etc. are all capitalist countries that have "socialized" healthcare, in fact they're so good at capitalism that they have a trade surplus from the USA which loves buying their goods even though we have so much oil. Maybe they've just figured out that universal health care is just a much better way of running the system, including for business, than the mess the USA has.
BTW, China spends $800 per person per year on health care.
You can see a specialist the same day - get an MRI and then go back the specialist.
We spend 15X as much......per person...for MUCH worse care. The reason is PROFITS to the corporation. We have predatory capitalistic health care...which simply does not work. The Hospital makes more if they make you sicker!
Life span in China is 3 years less - but they are catching up quickly.
Our system is a national embarrassment. Just as are many of our other expenditures such as a TRILLION plus on "security" while we could easily cut 30% and be just as "safe".
It's all about the profits, folks. Old Rudy Guliani - son of a criminal - is now making 100's of millions in "security consulting"....
Yes, great post, it's a big reason China is becoming more and more attractive even to Asian-Americans, healthcare is as basic a policy as it gets and they know what they're doing.
Except that England, Canada, Japan, Korea, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland etc. etc. are all capitalist countries that have "socialized" healthcare, in fact they're so good at capitalism that they have a trade surplus from the USA which loves buying their goods even though we have so much oil. Maybe they've just figured out that universal health care is just a much better way of running the system, including for business, than the mess the USA has.
I don't care about socialist countries. The US has become socialist enough, it is time to start turning back all the anti-liberty based government that has been instituted in over the last 100 years. If you love socialist countries, move to one and let us repair the last liberty based country.
Perhaps, because it's debatable whether it works or not.
If you need orthopedic care in Great Britain the goal is to get you to the spevialist by 18 weeks. Are you willing to wait 9 months for the bypass your doctor recommends because your arteries are blocked enough that you at high risk for a heart attack, but it is considered an elective because you haven't had that heart attack yet? Or 18 weeks to get your plantar fasciitis treatment or torn ACL surgery?
Americans don't understand the concept of wait lists, the citizens of England and Canada do.
It isn't working and wealthier citizens in these countries are forgoing the free care for better care.
You can't have world class care for free.
Patients in the UK and Canada get far better care for much less cost, and all these lame stories about having to wait months for basic care turn out to be bogus-- my friends and I have had to wait much longer for care in the US that costs more and is lousier than in Europe. Dozens of studies done, all with the same result-- US has the worst care, at the highest cost. the health insurance company parasites add nothing in value to the system.
You need to ask the Canadians that come to the US to see a doctor.
When I went to a doctor for a cataract job, he said lets do it Thursday. My snowbird neighbor went to her Ontario doctor also for a cataract job, he said "I will put you on the list, your turn will come up in about a year".
Wrong. More Americans go overseas for medical tourism (total numbers and per capita) than from any other country, both because of the cost and low quality, and often low availability. Very few Canadians come down to the US, that's just oft repeated propaganda. It's a fantasy that Americans get to see the doctor that fast, wait times here are very, very long for key procedures and yet lower quality and higher cost. I worked in Canada a couple time son projects and the Canadians all laugh cynically at this dumb talking point. They're very satisfied with their healthcare system and wouldn't trade it with the US disaster for anything.
I don't care about socialist countries. The US has become socialist enough, it is time to start turning back all the anti-liberty based government that has been instituted in over the last 100 years. If you love socialist countries, move to one and let us repair the last liberty based country.
Obviously you missed the point, those aren't socialist countries, they're very capitalist ones. Do you think countries with capitalist titans like Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Husvarna, Philips, Sony, Samsung and Nintendo are socialist? They're mixed, just like the US is, because you can't have "capitalism" for absolutely everything. Primary education is one, firefighting services are another, healthcare is an obvious other example. People getting treatment after getting hit by a drunk driver aren't in a position to "negotiate" prices or look for the best bidder.
It would have been best to have started with single payer before the private insurance industry become profitable. To go from private to public insurance would now put many thousands of people working in insurance out of work. I really think the best strategy now would be to expand Medicaid so 100% of people are insured.
A fair point, but better late than never. Yes the transition would be painful but temporary as the labor is freed up for other industries. If the current US healthcare system goes on for just a couple more years it'll bankrupt the country. It's already the most parasitic industry in the country and damages other industries with its costs.
#2 We don't have a true capitalistic system. 31% of counties in the US basically have a monopoly of just one option and the system is set up to stamp out competition so they can rack up the costs for medicine, etc...
That was 20 years ago for the WHO, and China's system has become MUCH more solid since then, whereas the US healthcare system has regressed. Other rankings have been done more recently among industrialized countries, and the USA consistently ranks dead last.
Obviously you missed the point, those aren't socialist countries, they're very capitalist ones. Do you think countries with capitalist titans like Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Husvarna, Philips, Sony, Samsung and Nintendo are socialist? They're mixed, just like the US is, because you can't have "capitalism" for absolutely everything. Primary education is one, firefighting services are another, healthcare is an obvious other example. People getting treatment after getting hit by a drunk driver aren't in a position to "negotiate" prices or look for the best bidder.
You have to look at how those countries fund health care: via regressive tax systems.
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