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by Nutsy_Rail on November 22nd, 2009
I don't really follow politics but I was wondering, why can canada and france have free health care, but we shouldn't do it?
by Brian I on November 22nd, 2009
In an ideal world we shouldn't, but we have to live in the real world. In countries where healthcare is based directly on the payment of insurance premiums it is rationed by whether, and how much, premiums are paid.
In countries with universal tax-funded healthcare it is rationed by what can be afforded per individual treatment.
by tastiger on November 26th, 2009
I don't think we should, but the plan in Congress isn't rationing health care. Just making it more affordable and available to everyone.
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Comments
It's only free at the point of delivery. It's paid for by a form of taxation, but it certainly seems a much fairer system all round to me.
I'm from the UK, where we have universal healthcare and I live in Spain, which has a very similar system, and in my experience both systems work very well indeed.
by Brian I on November 22nd, 2009
Do you think Americans hate it because they hate Obama or do they secretly want America to lag behind the global standard of providing health care?
by Nutsy_Rail on November 22nd, 2009
Thanks Jack. I think that there are winners and losers in both systems.
by keithold is a prodigal bagger on November 22nd, 2009
Whatever I know about what Americans think is only based on what I have read on Answerbag, so I may be a long way from being accurate in anything I say.
I get the impression that during the Cold War years Americans were subjected to a huge amount of anti-Soviet and anti-socialism propaganda, leading to the situation where the entire country believes that anything that could possibly be described as socialist in nature is automatically seen to be a bad thing. Consequently a "socialized" healthcare system is seen to be undesirable.
When the National Health Service was introduced in the UK just after the Second World War I understand that the only people who opposed it were doctors, who were afraid that their incomes may fall. Of course in the USA the insurance companies are against any change because their profits would fall, and they are a huge lobby with the money to pay for anti-change campaigns.
by Brian I on November 22nd, 2009
With reference to your last point about lagging behind, I believe that most Americans believe quite the opposite and believe everything American to be the best in the world, simply because it is American, and that is another reason to oppose change.
by Brian I on November 22nd, 2009