As an aside, has anyone watched any news coverage of the Reform bill on foreign networks (via the interwebs)? I recently watched a clip from a New Zealand news show explaining the bill and was amused to see the anchor completely befuddled that Republicans could be opposed to universal health care, something the anchor said to his viewers, "You and I take for granted." It's nice to escape the American media circus to get an outsider's perspective.
One man's communazism is another man's common sense.
I guess I should feel a little sorry for health care opponents. When Bush won, hardcore liberals could at least vow to move to Canada or France. Now that the United States has joined the rest of the industrial world in recognizing health care as a right, there are precious few places left to which opponents can flee to escape the horrors of health care for all.
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I am an Australian and find the fierce opposition to this incredibly moderate bill amazing.
ReplyDeleteIn this country we have a mix of public and private medicine and medical insurance.
A levy on all taxpayers finances the public scheme. Any Australian who has a life threatening illness has surgery at no cost. Elective surgery takes longer and there are waiting lists.
We also have private hospitals and private health insurance. About 1/3 of private health insurance bills are subsidised by the government. This was a measure introduced by our equivalent of the US Republican Party.
Our Conservatives don't like the public insurance system, but it is so popular with the electorate that the don't dare repeal it.
Our system isn't perfect but it seems to be vastly superior to the US system.
A factoid that you might not know - our Conservatives are called the Liberal Party.