Healthcare

Since there is much talk about healthcare, you may wonder how it is handled in Europe.  See the following website: https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2011/may/11/european-healthcare-services-belgium-france-germany-sweden

America is dying from a curable disease.  The cause of this disease has been identified as ignorance.  The spread of this virus is perpetuated in one capital location. The antidote is systematically being withdrawn from the public.  As a pre-existing condition it is not treated since it is believed to be inherited.   Surgery is effective; however, many prefer to use a temporary fix to eliminate the symptom.

Healthcare.
This subject continues to be an important issue.  Why is such an important service still an issue in America? We know that it is not based on capability.  It appears from the observer that the resistance is cost and/or profit related.  Essential services such as electricity and water at one time were government controlled (regulated) and made available to everyone. Was privatization the primary cause of this change?   Was it due to a profit-oriented mindset?  Many opposed to Universal healthcare have expressed their opposition based on cost and continue to ridicule the word “Free” without understanding. Anyone with intelligence knows that nothing is free.  People in countries that enjoy universal healthcare know that their taxes pay for a part of this service and are not opposed to higher taxes knowing that they get a return on their investment. Although European countries provide healthcare to its citizens, they are not all administered the same, however there is much similarity.   I can only provide information about the German program, although I suspect that programs in the UK, France and the Netherlands are similar.  In Germany, everyone pays a monthly fee to a healthcare provider.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Germany   The amount a person pays are based on their income with a cap.  All income is used in calculating the monthly fee.  Insurers compete for customers.  There are no insurers that have gone bankrupt (to my knowledge) meaning that they all make a profit.  The amount of fees charged by doctors and hospitals are controlled (regulated) as well as the cost of pharmaceuticals.  Depending on a person’s low income, the cost of pharmaceuticals can be reduced or without cost to the patient.
There are existing models that the US could follow that have been tried and proven.  Why the US feels the need to invent its own system is difficult to comprehend without suspecting that it has to do with making healthcare a profit-driven entity instead of viewing it as an essential service.   
When I worked in Canada, no one ever complained about their healthcare service or having to wait in long lines.  The same was true when I worked in Holland.  They were pleased with their healthcare.  I suspect the same can be said for Denmark and other European countries.  Shelagh could provide some insight concerning UK’s healthcare system.
I have been asked by family members if I plan to return to the US.  My answer then and still is that I cannot afford to live in the US.  With present and past health issues, if I lived in the US my wife and I would already be dead or destitute.  The older I get, the more I value my existence and look forward to my next birthday in January.  The choices we have made in our lives have led to our present circumstance.  We will continue to make choices as we seek to extend the remaining days of our lives.  I care about my family and friends.  I am also concerned about those suffering who lack life-sustaining benefits.  I am disappointed that the actions of a country that claims to be the richest and the best does not support that claim.  I will continue to speak out for the benefit of those in need. 
My wish for 2018 is to see Universal Healthcare in America.

The UK is one of the few countries with a completely free National Health System (NHS). It is costly, cumbersome, abused and in desperate need of more funds. Any suggestion of privatising part of the NHS is met with strong opposition. The British Medical Association (BMA) is a powerful lobby that has an enormous say in how the NHS is run. It is inconceivable that America would ever have anything on a par with the UK's health system. Americans, Democrats and Republicans, dislike paying taxes; they prefer to decide how their money is spent for themselves rather than the government deciding. Providing affordable health care is a nightmare. The only solution seems to be to allocate state grants that allow states to provide care according to each individual state's needs. Maybe that will happen if the senate can see a way to replace the present health care provision.

Thanks Shelagh.  I was not aware that the UK had a completely free healthcare system.

You can read a brief account of the beginnings of the NHS on the NHS website, Abe:

https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/nhshistory/Pages/NHShistory1948.aspx

From what I read, it sounds like a good program. 



Those who oppose a NHC program are usually those who are young and healthy and don’t consider the fact that one day they will be old and possibly become sick.