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Last year, Donald Trump said something stupid.
Okay, nothing astonishing about that – but this stupid thing did astonish an entire nation, specifically Britain. Apparently, Trump had seen a Fox News report showing people over there protesting about their government-supported National Health Service. See, Trump tweeted excitedly, even the Brits are fed up with the idea of healthcare for all, rejecting a socialized system that, he sneered, “is going broke and not working.”
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But – oops – the protestors were actually demonstrating in favor of their health service, demanding that the Tory government put “more staff, more beds, more funds” into the public program. Contrary to Trump’s ignorance and class hatred of social programs, the British people love their tax-paid system, specifically because it does work. Everyone there is covered, getting quality care regardless of their income levels. And they don’t have to fear that they’ll be denied service or bankrupted by a ripoff medical system run by and for private insurance giants, hospital monopolies, Big Pharma, and other profiteers.
To see a system that’s really “going broke and not working,” the president could look at the 44 million Americans (including four million children) who have no health coverage, or at millions of others who’re being gouged by ruthless drug makers, denied treatment by insurance bureaucrats, and drowned in debt by surprise medical bills.
The problem with America’s healthcare system is – Hello – The System! During the past 30-40 years, its structure has been wholly corporatized perverting healthcare from a human right to just another commodity for sale. It’s fundamental flaw is that the corporate purpose is not to maximize health for the many, but to maximize profits for the few.
“Nurses See Everyday Need for ‘Medicare for All’,” The New York Times, May 27, 2019.
“Mar-a-Largo Comes for British Health,” The New York Times, June 7, 2019.
“Trump thought the British were protesting their health service. They weren’t.” The Washington Post, February 5, 2018.