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Originally Posted by icenine
I mean the GOP will be up in arms if we had to increase taxes or cut defense to pay for single payer. I think the individual effective rate for the average UK citizen is around 30%...anyone from England here?
I know I did not pay that much in federal taxes last year.
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Along with health care spending being twice the percentage of GDP of most other first world countries...so is our military spending. More than twice the percentage in most cases. For instance...Canada 1.2% of GDP USofA 4.4% of GDP. Germany 1.3%. France 2.3%. Want to know why we're in debt up to our nostrils? There you have the two primary reasons. Military spending approaching 5% of GDP, health care approaching 20% of GDP.
As far as taxes go...IMO the screed of Republicans and conservatives is that we have the greatest country on earth...a country worth fighting and dying for. Just not worth paying for.
As far as health care systems go...the only way to get a decent system with comparable outcomes with the rest of the developed world, at a reasonable cost is government sponsored single payer. There is one insurance based system...and it's a great system. It's the health care system in Switzerland. Basically it's the same as our Medicare advantage plans...only no premiums and no copays. The government pays the insurance companies that want to participate for the coverage and the people have several companies and a number of plans to choose from...so it individualizes it fine. The Swiss love it. They get the best healthcare in the world. It's a smidgen expensive...approaching 12% of their GDP, but for it they get the best life expectancy and infant mortality outcomes in the world. And they think we're nuts. Canadians and most Europeans think we're completely nuts.
Seems to me if there's a government sponsored health care system that might receive some support from the right, something like the Swiss/Medicare advantage systems would be it. On the other hand, I doubt it...since it's never going to be about getting 30,000 disadvantaged Americans covered and saving the lives of 40,000 Americans every year for the right.
It's about the "free market" being the best system for any system. That's a lie as well of course...as conservatives and Republicans have no interest in a real free market. They want their noses in the business of the people just as much as liberals and Democrats. It's where the money is.
And socially they just want their intrusion in different places. I want my nose in their gun locker, they want their nose in my wife's reproductive organs.