When social means socialism (US style)
19/04/09 16:20 Filed in: Personal
The US is a country of enormous wealthy and hypocrisy. Blanket statement I know, but let me back this up.
Coming from a European country, where socialised medicine is the norm, I guess I just can’t understand the prevailing (or at least loudest) opinion that somehow inexpensive health care for the masses is the end of all that is good and true for America.
What I also find confusing is just how much Americans pay in terms of medical insurance compared to what Europeans pay in additional tax for the same services. In fact, that comparison isn’t fair, for socialised medicine provides preventative care; not part of standard health insurance schemes. How much is too much? Well, in the US an average four person family pays around $12,700 per year on health insurance. Which sounds terrible to start with and they you realise that the median household salary in the US is $50,233.00. So this makes health insurance 25.2% of the average persons income, over a quarter!
Now in the UK it’s a bit confusing to make a comparison. Because our “National Insurance” contributions are both means tested and represent not only a payment for health care, but also a payment towards a future pension paid by the Government to everybody over a certain age.
Another factor is that basically, EVERYBODY who is a UK citizen gets free health care. So if you had a family of FOUR, it wouldn’t matter how many we’re earning or in fact if ANY of them were working. I guess we consider that even the poor have the right to live.
But lets take the average household with a salary of £30,000*2 ($44,334). National Insurance contributions on that salary would be £2,702.15 ($4,000 approx.).
So US Health Insurance is £5,887 ($8,700) MORE expensive than the UK equivalent. MORE expensive, not less.
So you’ll not be too surprised that it makes my BLOOD BOIL when I hear on US television from either the actors they employ to run the stories or the idiots they are interviewing that socialised medicine costs more. Even a complete idiot could work out that it wouldn’t..... OH, there you go. I see the problem.
But there is something that amuses me the most. If ‘social’ things are so bad; why do Americans not bat an eyelid to pay for the Fire Service or Police Service? What makes it OK for the Fire Service to be perfectly acceptable and a social Medical Service to not be? What about the school service? Isn’t that free (but paid for in taxation).
Well, for one the thing, I guess the Fire Service and Police have historically been paid for by tax, although this obviously hasn’t always been the case. Prior to the introduction of a socialised Fire Service everybody had to pay a fee to a local company or they would let your house / company burn down. Thankfully we’ve all moved on since those bleak times. Well, some of us have.
I was going to go on to produce statistics showing the huge levels of deaths due to medical incompetence in the US. Or how the majority of medical advances in the last twenty years have come from SOCIALISED medical services.... where profit isn’t a factor in treatment.
I could go on to point out that socialised doesn’t mean socialism.
But the fact is, what would be the point. The fact that people like this.
No “Socialism” says Julio the contractor. Better disband the Police, Fire and School services then. Although the sign next him saying “WerNot Going To Take It America IS HUMBLE” probably points to the idea that the school systems needs a shakedown.
My favourite moron for today. His matter earnestly reads
“I Want my Children to be in the USA not the USSA”
Two things;
It reminds me when Fox started the whole “Liberal” is bad routine when it failed to strike a cord with the American public that the founding fathers must have had similar opinions in order to declare all men as “being equal”.
Just to make something clear... socialised medicine is merely a publicly funded healthcare system that is paid for using means tested taxation. The origin of the term is from society and not socialism.
For those interested in the reasoning and history of the National Health Service, I’m sure this Wikipedia article will help.
Like I say, what’s the point. I’m either preaching to the converted or I’d be regarded as a lying communist.
All the statistics come from the Office of National Statistics in the US / UK respectfully.
Coming from a European country, where socialised medicine is the norm, I guess I just can’t understand the prevailing (or at least loudest) opinion that somehow inexpensive health care for the masses is the end of all that is good and true for America.
Costs of US Health Insurance
What I also find confusing is just how much Americans pay in terms of medical insurance compared to what Europeans pay in additional tax for the same services. In fact, that comparison isn’t fair, for socialised medicine provides preventative care; not part of standard health insurance schemes. How much is too much? Well, in the US an average four person family pays around $12,700 per year on health insurance. Which sounds terrible to start with and they you realise that the median household salary in the US is $50,233.00. So this makes health insurance 25.2% of the average persons income, over a quarter!
UK Costs for comparison
Now in the UK it’s a bit confusing to make a comparison. Because our “National Insurance” contributions are both means tested and represent not only a payment for health care, but also a payment towards a future pension paid by the Government to everybody over a certain age.
Another factor is that basically, EVERYBODY who is a UK citizen gets free health care. So if you had a family of FOUR, it wouldn’t matter how many we’re earning or in fact if ANY of them were working. I guess we consider that even the poor have the right to live.
But lets take the average household with a salary of £30,000*2 ($44,334). National Insurance contributions on that salary would be £2,702.15 ($4,000 approx.).
The outcome......
So US Health Insurance is £5,887 ($8,700) MORE expensive than the UK equivalent. MORE expensive, not less.
So you’ll not be too surprised that it makes my BLOOD BOIL when I hear on US television from either the actors they employ to run the stories or the idiots they are interviewing that socialised medicine costs more. Even a complete idiot could work out that it wouldn’t..... OH, there you go. I see the problem.
The land of the .... hypocrite
But there is something that amuses me the most. If ‘social’ things are so bad; why do Americans not bat an eyelid to pay for the Fire Service or Police Service? What makes it OK for the Fire Service to be perfectly acceptable and a social Medical Service to not be? What about the school service? Isn’t that free (but paid for in taxation).
Well, for one the thing, I guess the Fire Service and Police have historically been paid for by tax, although this obviously hasn’t always been the case. Prior to the introduction of a socialised Fire Service everybody had to pay a fee to a local company or they would let your house / company burn down. Thankfully we’ve all moved on since those bleak times. Well, some of us have.
Why bother...
I was going to go on to produce statistics showing the huge levels of deaths due to medical incompetence in the US. Or how the majority of medical advances in the last twenty years have come from SOCIALISED medical services.... where profit isn’t a factor in treatment.
I could go on to point out that socialised doesn’t mean socialism.
But the fact is, what would be the point. The fact that people like this.
No “Socialism” says Julio the contractor. Better disband the Police, Fire and School services then. Although the sign next him saying “WerNot Going To Take It America IS HUMBLE” probably points to the idea that the school systems needs a shakedown.
My favourite moron for today. His matter earnestly reads
“I Want my Children to be in the USA not the USSA”
Two things;
- The USSR stood for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the R not being Russia. So USSA makes not friggin’ sense at all. Union of Soviet Socialist Asses perhaps? What a moron!
- It is socialised medicine and not SOCIALIST. In the same sense that a paediatrician is definitely not the same thing as a pedophile.
It reminds me when Fox started the whole “Liberal” is bad routine when it failed to strike a cord with the American public that the founding fathers must have had similar opinions in order to declare all men as “being equal”.
Just to make something clear... socialised medicine is merely a publicly funded healthcare system that is paid for using means tested taxation. The origin of the term is from society and not socialism.
For those interested in the reasoning and history of the National Health Service, I’m sure this Wikipedia article will help.
Like I say, what’s the point. I’m either preaching to the converted or I’d be regarded as a lying communist.
All the statistics come from the Office of National Statistics in the US / UK respectfully.
