American Health Care

There are two basic attitudes to health care.

1. The Canadian/European approach. If someone gets sick and cannot afford medical care, everyone is morally obligated to chip in.
2. The Republican/Trump approach. If someone gets sick and cannot afford medical care, we are obligated to execute them slowly and painfully by denying them any medical care at all, even palliative. Americans subscribe mostly to this approach. They presume they will be healthy, and they will thus save money. They blot out that thereby they are murdering their neighbours.

I find this attitude odd given how frequently American brag they are Christians. (2) is clearly not the Christian way.

There are many other kinds of insurance, e.g. collision insurance, homeowner insurance, disability insurance… The idea is people who don’t have a collision, chip in to get the guy’s car repaired who does have a collision. Americans don’t seem to feel so ripped off paying insurance when they have no collisions. It’s only health insurance where they feel ripped off. Perhaps they imagine people get sick on purpose.

The odd thing is the Canadian scheme costs one third as much, and gets much better outcomes. American outcomes are on par with Cuba. Strangely, Americans are willing to pay three times as much in order to deny their neighbours health care and to enrich the HMOs (Health Management Organisations) and pharmaceutical companies. It is such a dog-in-a-manger attitude.

~ Roedy (1948-02-04 age:70)