I remember having surgery on my feet years ago and being told that it would have cost me thousands of dollars to have done if I lived in the United States. Made me feel lucky I'm Canadian.
Canada and many other nation states benefit from their socialized healthcare systems. I've spoken to Americans before, and they always bring up the benefit of having "free healthcare". I sort of burst their bubble by saying it's not really free, but also not as immediately demanding or stifling as a more privatized system.
I simplify it by saying it's paid through taxes, and I've encountered a few times the question, "So are you paying for someone else's health care?" In a way, I suppose we as Canadians are since we all pay taxes. Some Americans I've discussed this with disagree with it, for reasons either being a general disapproval of taxation or for wanting to be able to provide for the self and the family, and not pay for a stranger who should afford their own care. I further simplify the Canadian healthcare system by describing it as a money pool where everyone pitches in, so that everyone has access and is covered like a national resource. When I put it that way, some tend to agree that it sounds better.
I think the United States loves its privatization. The problem when it comes to health care is that a lot of people are disadvantaged economically and thus disadvantaged in their access to healthcare. It's a bit of a downward spiral - your quality of living is determined by your economic standing, and your economic standing directly influences whether your quality of living can remain sustainable. I think it's awful that there is a system that in practice can make the poor of health financially poorer.
At the same time, however, this makes the United States a great place to prosper as a person in the medical field. I get the idea that a lot of doctors in Canada end up going to work in the United States for the prosperous opportunities. I discussed such a thing with a former physician of mine, who lamented on under-staff and how he was the primary deliverer of babies in his hospital, stating that his colleagues either pursue practice in the United States or opt to opening pharmacies in Canada - whichever is feasibly prosperous. So, in a way, the American health care system is beneficial from a business perspective for those in the field, and makes Canada an exporter for such (and I'm sure anyone who has experienced long wait times in a Canadian hospital would appreciate it if Canada had more doctors).
I think a big obstacle for getting a universal health care system approved in the US is the idea that it is a socialized system. When Obamacare was all the rage in the media, I would often hear accusations of "socialism" when discussing the program, showing there is still a lingering post-Cold War disapproval of socialist ideas in the United States. Canada's healthcare system has benefited from socialist application, but socialism itself is a concept that has historically become a concept with preserved negative perception. Perhaps for some, adopting socialist methods of infrastructure would be perceived as a betrayal to the state.
Until Americans come around to it, I'll be comfortable with higher taxes and a health card.
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