Walter E. Williams
Sweden's Government Health Care

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Government health care advocates used to sing the praises of Britain's National Health Service (NHS). That's until its poor delivery of health care services became known. A recent study by David Green and Laura Casper, "Delay, Denial and Dilution," written for the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs, concludes that the NHS health care services are just about the worst in the developed world. The head of the World Health Organization calculated that Britain has as many as 25,000 unnecessary cancer deaths a year because of under-provision of care. Twelve percent of specialists surveyed admitted refusing kidney dialysis to patients suffering from kidney failure because of limits on cash. Waiting lists for medical treatment have become so long that there are now "waiting lists" for the waiting list.

Walter E. Williams's Biography
Dr. Williams serves on the faculty of George Mason University as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and is the author of More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well.
 
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3 Comments So Far
B Wrote: Mar 21, 2010 7:28 PM
I am choking on all the misleading media reports about what the American people want as far as health care is concerned. The fat boys in congress don’t care anything about what the American people want. They have nothing to worry about, with their high incomes and kick-backs and dirty deals under the table, not to mention the great health care plans they have for themselves and their families. Sadly, we middle and low income Americans are so far removed from your lifestyles, that you don’t have a clue what the American people want. It benefits politicians, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, national news commentators, and our highly paid Medical Doctors to make sure our National Health Care does not pass! I’d like to see you, of the “elite group”, switch homes, cars, paychecks, (or in some cases, no paycheck at all because of the high rate of unemployment), medical costs, and skyrocketing living costs, with us smucks from the lower and middle class. I wonder how long it would be before you were hollering for some justice for you and your families. I doubt you could endure it for long at all, and if you could endure it, wouldn’t you feel like you at least deserved the same level of health care for yourself and those you love, as those in the “elite group”? Well, I certainly feel like all Americans have a right to affordable health care, even if our hands might be dirty from grime at the end of the day.

P.S. If congress needs something to work on, instead of surfing the net, while in session, try working on the reducing the content of salt, sugar and growth hormones added to our foods. If all of us would eat more organically grown “live” food instead of boxes of “imitation” food, which will survive on a shelf for many years, there wouldn’t be such an overwhelming need for National Health Care!
LuckyPup Wrote: Nov 09, 2009 10:59 PM
Medicare is broke, rife with fraud, and yet people want the government to run health care for everyone? I don't think so.

Besides, it is unconstitutional for the Federal Government to provide health care for it's citizens. That is left up to the states or to the people. But most people don't know or don't care about the Constitution. They think they are "entitled" to everything. For those people, please read the Constitution (it's not that long, in fact, nothing compared to the almost 2000 pages of the health care bill). Better yet, take a class on the Constitution. You might learn something.
Michael Wrote: Sep 28, 2009 12:14 PM
I know some Swede's and Canadian's who read this report then used words like "poppycock", "demented" and "rubbish." In America, 2005, Aetna pre-certified, verified and then authorized my back surgery with 3 doctor offices and 2 hospitals. I spoke with them myself. After the surgery was performed Aetna simply refused to pay. I was sent into collection for $54,000. Why? I paid my premium's on time. If you don't want a Public Option provider don't subscribe. It's an Option. Over 200,000 died last year with no insurance and 3,000,000 went bankrupt because of medical bills. The Britt's and Scandanavian's I spoke with tell me the single payer system works.