|
|
|
|
|
|
by acdha
605 days ago
|
|
|
It’s pretty common in American political discourse. If you look at the discussion around the Affordable Care Act there were tons of predictions that it was the next step on the road to a communist takeover including quoting Lenin and even comparisons to slavery:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2013/10/09/ben-carson-breaks-ne... Many people know that’s nonsense but there is never a shortage of people willing to lie for political advantage and in that case there was so much money at stake that you could make a political career criticizing the evils of socialized medicine. |
|
|
My elderly nan had a fall this morning and has badly hurt her back. She has been lying on the floor in her house since this morning (six hours so far), immobile, waiting for an ambulance to arrive. I wish I lived near her so I could help. She needs an ambulance unfortunately as she literally cannot move - she is in terrible pain.
When/if the ambulance finally does arrive, it will take her to a crowded, failing hospital where she will probably have to wait several more hours before being seen by an underpaid and overstretched nurse in a miserable ward.
Our system is failing, and not because it is underfunded (it gets nearly £200 billion a year and it has had real-terms increases in funding for decades, and employs 2M people). It is failing because:
* it is monolithic and unwieldy
* it has no efficiency incentives
* it is a state monopoly, so it is able to underpay and poorly treat its staff
* politicians are not the right people to preside over healthcare
* it is considered our national religion, and it doesn't get the scrutiny it deserves
The European public/private model provides much better quality and outcomes. The American system, expensive though it is, provides far better quality and outcomes.