2 ms·
Just came here to remind everyone that free at the point of use healthcare is great. I tried to total the cost of the care my son received when he was born, ha
by hkt 6y ago
Just came here to remind everyone that free at the point of use healthcare is great.
I tried to total the cost of the care my son received when he was born, had we been American. I stopped counting at $1million.
Being in the UK, I even got a few meals at the hospital canteen thrown in. Not to mention the time in nICU etc. It is horrifying that people have to compare prices and haggle for care anywhere on earth.
- ageitgey 6y agoFun fact - I'm a cofounder of this and a US citizen, but I live in London. I agree completely with this. I spend my days working on US healthcare data and seeing how crazy it is while I use the NHS for my actual care. But the US system is tricky because while it is an huge mishmash of layers of middlemen and clearing houses taking a slice of the pie, those layers also employ a huge number of Americans across the country. It would be extraordinarily difficult (both logistically and politically) to rip all that out in one fell swoop. I feel like the only possible way to bring in socialized medicine in the US would be a gradual expansion of opt-in 'Medicare for All' or something along those lines.
- hkt 6y agoIt doesn't seem like there's a way to do it without aggressive opposition, really. Divide and rule (taking out one rentier middleman at a time) will take decades I'd imagine. So yeah, expand and improve existing programs until they're universal and comprehensive like the NHS. Sane approach.