Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and writer for The Atlantic, and someone who has been critical of Sanders on racial issues, ended up endorsing him the other day. The reason: Coates recently moved to France and was just really impressed with their health care system and social safety net.
The problem with Ta-Nehisi Coates' analysis -- at least how you state it -- is that France does not use a single-payer system. Like Obamacare, France has a hybrid system. (I guess that that is also the problem with the cartoon). Only France's system works much better than Obamacare. SeeSingle-Payer Health Care: Is That What Makes France So Different?
Interesting article. Yes, France is not single payer, but-from what I can tell-it is in some ways closer to a Sanders (Medicare for All) plan than the Clinton (Obamacare+++) plan. The French system is universal (not Obamacare-we have 30mil uninsured), it's compulsory (somewhat Obamacare-we have a mandate though many opt out and pay a penalty), its insurers are private, but also non-profit (definitely not Obamacare), and out-of-pocket costs disappear as you go down the economic ladder (not Obamacare, as out-of-pocket costs are still pretty onerous in the US, and many "insured" aren't able to afford treatment--maybe another 30mil. people). Their system is also highly regulated, with the government essentially setting reimbursement rates for the services that the non-profit insurers pay to private providers and hospitals. So... I guess the Sanders vs Clinton/Obamacare argument could be made either way. I imagine the closest comparison with the Sanders plan is Canada (single government payer, but a lot of private providers and hospitals).
But yes, it is surprising that the French system isn't more.. well, socialist. For all the complaining on the part of the French regarding the vulgar capitalist modèle anglo-saxon, the UK system is far and away closer to a socialist paradise than the French system, which seems to have an awful lot of co-payments, private insurance, and private providers.
Tout à fait! There's no question that, at least as to health care, the UK has the most socialized system in the industrialized world. I suppose that in other respects, the UK follows the more free-wheeling anglosaxon model. Atul Gawande had a great article a few years back on how these health care systems emerged: Getting There from Here.
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Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and writer for The Atlantic, and someone who has been critical of Sanders on racial issues, ended up endorsing him the other day. The reason: Coates recently moved to France and was just really impressed with their health care system and social safety net.
The problem with Ta-Nehisi Coates' analysis -- at least how you state it -- is that France does not use a single-payer system. Like Obamacare, France has a hybrid system. (I guess that that is also the problem with the cartoon). Only France's system works much better than Obamacare. See Single-Payer Health Care: Is That What Makes France So Different?
Interesting article. Yes, France is not single payer, but-from what I can tell-it is in some ways closer to a Sanders (Medicare for All) plan than the Clinton (Obamacare+++) plan. The French system is universal (not Obamacare-we have 30mil uninsured), it's compulsory (somewhat Obamacare-we have a mandate though many opt out and pay a penalty), its insurers are private, but also non-profit (definitely not Obamacare), and out-of-pocket costs disappear as you go down the economic ladder (not Obamacare, as out-of-pocket costs are still pretty onerous in the US, and many "insured" aren't able to afford treatment--maybe another 30mil. people). Their system is also highly regulated, with the government essentially setting reimbursement rates for the services that the non-profit insurers pay to private providers and hospitals. So... I guess the Sanders vs Clinton/Obamacare argument could be made either way. I imagine the closest comparison with the Sanders plan is Canada (single government payer, but a lot of private providers and hospitals).
But yes, it is surprising that the French system isn't more.. well, socialist. For all the complaining on the part of the French regarding the vulgar capitalist modèle anglo-saxon, the UK system is far and away closer to a socialist paradise than the French system, which seems to have an awful lot of co-payments, private insurance, and private providers.
Tout à fait! There's no question that, at least as to health care, the UK has the most socialized system in the industrialized world. I suppose that in other respects, the UK follows the more free-wheeling anglosaxon model. Atul Gawande had a great article a few years back on how these health care systems emerged: Getting There from Here.
Turns out we may end up being more like Europe after all, although not for reasons we thought/hoped for:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/02/2016-elections-european-politics-213674
I agree. Sanders though is basically social democratic, not Christian democratic. Trump I think would be a Christian dem.
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