Unna's Blog of Total Randomness

Loosely on the US Healthcare Reform

21 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment

by Unna in Politics, Video Tags: Politics, The Resident, US, Video

Possibly part one of many.

Today is the day of Obama’s Healthcare reform. I’m celebrating this, hoping it will be passed, by looking back on an old blog post from my days at Blogger.com.

I was reacting to a video by The Resident:

– and was writing on the wellfare state model we have over here (the universal wellfare state model), also mentioning the healthcare:

[...]

We also have free healthcare; visits at the doctor and the hospitals are for free.

[...]

Imagine having all of this as a US citizen. The security it is to have. Yes, [citizens/residents of Denmark] pay a shitload in taxes (approximately 35 – 60 %, all depending on your income) – but we don’t have to worry about spending money on healthcare and tuition fees. And if you wonder about how little things cost in Denmark if we can afford living with such taxes: Our minimum wage is just above 100 kr. (€13/£10/$20) per hour – as far as I remember, the US minimum wage is around $7-8.

Either way, someone is going to pay for the hospital visit. Pay the doc. Pay the school. Support the unemployed, students, sick, and elderly (if they are being supported, that is – because they may not be!). So why not do it through taxes and get it overwith already?

You may not have a kid to put through school, but don’t you think another kid could benefit from that?
You may drink a lot of milk and have strong bones (well done!), but don’t you think that someone with osteoporosis could benifit from that?
You may be physically strong/healthy, but don’t you think someone with cancer or a weak heart could benifit from that?
You may be an unfertil man, but don’t you think a pregnant woman could benifit from that?
Your parents may have saved for their retirement while they could (or passed on to a better place), but don’t you think someone who has been forced to retire early or had too little money or otherwise have been unable to save could benifit from that?

I’m not saying that it should be put directly into work in the US – it took us two World Wars to decide to get the point, and we have a significally longer history than the US as a nation – but it would be nice to see some baby steps towards something similar in the US.

Obama promised change, and I do hope some of these baby steps are included when the financial crisis is over and done with.

I’m still hoping for change like this – not only for the weakest – but for all, for equality in the US.

The original post can be found right here.