[mattduke]

[Schadenfreude]

While we are de-Socializing things, let's de-socialize the military.

That's right. Let's completely privatize it. It's costing taxpayers $500 billion per year.

We could start by getting rid of all those non-performing assets like the 750+ US military bases worldwide and quitting the ridiculously expensive wars in which we are quagmired.

[jlw61]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'W')hile we are de-Socializing things, let's de-socialize the military.

That's right. Let's completely privatize it. It's costing taxpayers $500 billion per year.

We could start by getting rid of all those non-performing assets like the 750+ US military bases worldwide and quitting the ridiculously expensive wars in which we are quagmired.

[Lumpy]

mattduke - who is the "they" you are talking about? The Germans? (Don't they already have socialized medicine?)

I actually am quite interested in this topic, since I practice medicine, and have a few family members who are relatively high "consumers".

So please continue your thought.

Thanks

Lumpy

PS - NOT in Germany. I am in Western rural Idaho

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'W')hile we are de-Socializing things, let's de-socialize the military.

[smiley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey're working on it.

[Denny]

Well, rather than going as far as Germany, you can check into the first public supported health care system right here in North America. Swift Current, Saskatchewan in 1946. A public board, analagous to a school board, was set up with trustees and administered a program with minimal overhead costs, and covered the rural municipality, similar to a county in most parts of Canada or the U.S.A.. Actually, if you think of it in like terms to public education, its quite a similar concept, community based then. Though, these days, I guess there are some who actually hope that the era of taxpayer funded public education would come to an end too.

These pictures are not very dramatic, but, at least relevant to the issue:




See University of Saskatchewan exhibit

"The first region in Canada to combine public health with medical care, the Swift Current Health Region or Health Region #1, would play a key role in the development of Medicare in Saskatchewan.

The practices, experience and innovations developed there from the mid-1940s through the 1950s formed the basis of the provincial medicare legislation of 1961. This was a complete program of medical and hospital services. Payment to physicians was made on a fee-for-service basis.

Patients could choose the doctor they wanted and the system was administered by an independent nonpolitical committee. Beginning operation in July of 1946, the initiative for its formation came from the local level and was ratified by the voters of the region. In the subsequent years other innovations followed such as a comprehensive children’s dental program and the formation of the first Regional Hospital Council. "

Those hayseed reds of Swift Current! Blame it all on them.

PS - I really like this line, just the opposite to similar clauses in most health insurance: "Pre-existing conditions and illnesses are not excluded". Lousy commies, they can't even get an exclusion clause written properly.

By the way, the "2.2 mills" levied on property in addition to the modest cash payments, was pretty small. A house then assessed at $4,000, a very nice one in 1946 Swift Current, would have been under $9 annually toward health care. A mill rate in Canada is how much is levied per $1 of assessed property value. 1 mill = $0.001, or one-tenth of a cent.