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A comment on The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU. Parent comment

Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by inglor_cz on Thursday July 29, 2021 @08:40AM (#27995742)
Single payer healthcare systems in Europe were introduced a long time ago. Back then, politics was different, not least because of an imminent threat of the Soviet Bloc just around the corner and a need to answer it by "carrot", too, not just "stick".

They are now status quo, but in another version of history, where such systems would have to be introduced today, I am not certain whether they could clear the political obstacles, much like the U.S.

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Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by js2 on Thursday July 29, 2021 @08:44AM (#27995793)
Efforts at introducing single-payer healthcare in the U.S. go back at least as far as 1935.

https://www.healthcare-now.org/legislation/national-timeline...

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Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by hef19898 on Thursday July 29, 2021 @09:07AM (#27996040)
Social security nets in Europe date back to time we used to have Emperors and Kings, before WW1. They are thus older than the USSR.
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Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by inglor_cz on Thursday July 29, 2021 @09:34AM (#27996350)
Size matters and prior to the Cold War, social security nets were smallish, not least because the willingness to pay enough in taxes for their upkeep just wasn't there.

A difference between balloons and 747s.

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Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by qwytw on Thursday July 29, 2021 @09:34AM (#27996349)
Bismarck mainly introduced some rudimentary social security to decrease worker support for socialist parties, so it was a reaction to socialism (albeit not directly the USSR) from the start. However before WW2 it was very limited in all countries (and much smaller scale than for example what's currently available in the US) before the 40's and 50's.
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Re:The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU by intsunny on Thursday July 29, 2021 @08:51AM (#27995885)
As an American who immigrated to Europe four years ago, I disagree that modern-Europe would not be able to recreate their healthcare systems under today's polticial climate.

Ironically it is because of the USA that many Europeans are keenly aware of the davistating consequences of allowing for a hyper-capitalistic approach to healthcare. People here often assume the worst about that system, and are completely bewildered when I tell them how it actually works. (Especially in regards to having children, parental leave, and childc care.)

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