You do realize that the article you link to is not in any way about socialized medicine, don’t you?
Good point. I see now that socialized medicine does nothing to alleviate the problems of people wearing socks with sandals or leaving their phones on in the theater. You got me, and I will no longer advocate for less-than-100%-perfect solutions.
When we try to persuade a drunk American friend to take a cab home, that isn’t anti-Americanism.
Most people here don’t because, unlike Rip van Winkle up there, we’re aware of who’s been in charge in Britain for the last 35 of those 60 years: politicians from the major parties so frantic to paint themselves as “notasocialist” that they’ve spent that time establishing disastrous P3s, imposing austerity, and cutting funding to the bone at the NHS. After which they declare “see, I told you socialised medicine doesn’t work!”
The only thing preventing the Tories from their dream of eliminating the NHS completely is the knowledge that it would render them permanently unelectable, because in the end the vast majority of British voters don’t want to emulate the U.S. health insurance system (which works best mainly as a cautionary tale about what not to do).
I think it sounds like anti-Americanism to at least 35% of Americans.
And because their voters would be greatly over-represented in the subsequent culling?
Being paid to deliver healthcare services doesn’t make a person an angel. Being paid to maximize profit doesn’t make a person a devil.
However, being paid to deliver healthcare services does tend to make a person deliver healthcare services; and being paid to maximize profit does tend to make a person maximize profit.
So I guess it depends what outcome you are hoping for.
My mom’s family is Canadian. My elderly aunt in Montreal needed cataract surgery, and was too frightened to leave the house. I was asked to make some calls (I live in Los Angeles). I called Canadian Medicare, and the phone was answered after two rings. The person who answered gave me a number for Montreal social services. They also answered after two rings. They told me they would send a social worker and they would take care of everything.
They did. It was amazing. I’m sold.
No, THIS is the best take on the NHS: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=333933006516877
Awww. They took it down. It was the one where they said that if Stephen Hawking had been British he’d be dead, because of the NHS.
Here it is.
People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.
It’s true! The real Stephen Hawking was replaced with an Alexa prototype years ago. /s
tl;dr: ｂｅｅｐ ｂｏｏｐ ｉｔ ｉｓ ｍｏｒｅ ｒａｔｉｏｎａｌ ｔｏ ｄｒｉｖｅ ｄｒｕｎｋ ｔｈａｎ ｗａｌｋ ｄｒｕｎｋ ｂｅｅｐ
Libertarians, everybody!
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