I will say though that the presence of private healthcare in the UK does make me very uncomfortable, especially with how much the NHS is struggling for money
Comment on "No precedent in American history!" NYT would have defended child labor.
Womble@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
As well as this being stupid for the reasons given, its also just flat out wrong. There is no reason why you couldn’t have additional healthcare insurance to act as a top-up/faster non-essential care/nicer facilities when you are in hospital. That’s how it works in the UK, even with completely nationalized, free at the point of use healthcare there is still room for private insurance, it just has to earn its place rather than being a complete leach.
KryptonNerd@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
It kinda feels like our postal service in the U.S.
They defund it, then complain about it, then start ranting that it “Doesn’t even make a profit” even though the whole point is that it’s supposed to be an affordable and accessible mail service.
They’re even doing the same thing with schools. The entire conservo-righty playbook anymore is to get rid of our public services so they and their rich buddies have more to gain at our expense.
HubertManne@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
kinda funny with post because if it was done totally privately the more rural and remote you get the higher the cost would be.
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Precisely!
It’s so weird how the “Communism is when the government gives people stuff” crowd just so happens to be concentrated in places where, were the surrounding states and federal government to stop subsidizing public services or industries or funding, they’d be almost completely destitute over night.
Like you said, it just wouldn’t be worth it to private interests to reach an already-poorer population in the middle of nowhere with services like hospitals, shipping, or telecom.
I really wish they could understand this. Not in a “See what we do for you?” kind of way, but more like “See? Things are actually better when we’re working together with government to take care of each other.” Kind of way…
If they succeed and all those benefits get pulled in favor of private parasites, they’ll be even poorer, even angrier, and still blame the Democrats.
untropvertimide@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
The same strategy is used in France. Our social welfare, including retirement funding and medical care, is being dismantled this way.
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
That’s awful! :(
We’re pulling for you guys! Anyone will a brain here in the U.S looks up to and admires how fiercely the French people defend their rights. You don’t roll over and let the suits do as they please.
Please keep being that shining example to us all! The world is very dark for the working person right now. We need you!
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité! ✊🇫🇷
im_fine_sandy@nord.pub 2 weeks ago
Yep. Same in Australia.
I think 20 years ago an American would have told you they have the freedom to choose the level of cover they want, starting from none at all.
Now things have deteriorated through collusion or corruption or price fixing or whatever.
They’ve made so much money they have too much influence to do away with them.
Abyssian@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They’ve made so much money they have too much influence to do away with them.
That one guy on the news found a way. I imagine it wouldn’t even take a thousand of us following that lead before things began to change.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
Probably wouldn’t even take 10. I say 5. Things already started shifting with the 1.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Yep. Brazil has both free healthcare and private insurance, and most of the time private is better, but only because they’re directly competing with something that costs nothing. They gotta keep their prices reasonable to be attractive.
helvetpuli@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Being a complete leech is very profitable.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Because in the corrupt US market that would devolve into you either having private insurance, or expect to wait 3 years to get anything done and expect to get mrsa when you do.
The free option would be utter trash, to the point where it would be nearly unusable.
The private sector has actually been nudging things that way for quite a few years now up in Canada.
Medical care shouldn’t be a class system. Flat out.
Th4tGuyII@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
Exactly this. Universal healthcare still leaves room for private facilities and insurance, it just forces a minimum standard on the market that they clearly don't want in the US